Dunoon is not the Last Resort!
Anon.
It ill behoves an atheist, writing in a Church magazine, to question the faith
of readers. But then, if your faith cannot face up to challenges, what value
has it in terms of being the guiding principles of your life?
It has always struck me as interesting that those regularly in peril – soldiers
in times of war, seafarers who risk their lives whenever they venture from
port, miners etc – seem to be those most devout in their prayers and most
staunch in their beliefs.
A cursory consideration of the matter might suggest it is some form of
Ecclesiastical Insurance Policy where the premiums come in terms of
prayers for safety, and thanksgiving when delivered from danger.
So, is this a manifestation of genuine belief, or is it “just in case”?
To take the matter into another arena, as a lifelong opponent of the death
penalty, (well from the age of twenty-one when one of my closest friends
was murdered in a senseless, unprovoked attack by a gang) I have studied
many aspects of the subject.
The last years and months of those facing the ultimate penalty are frequently
characterised by the toughest and most ruthless of killers seeking footholds
in various faiths and expounding the virtues of their new-found beliefs –
often with their last words before execution.
Is this genuine, or is it a cynical attempt to invest some personal capital in
the possibility of a degree of redemption beyond the unmarked grave, often
in unconsecrated ground, in which they will be buried?
Only the individuals themselves could provide an answer to that and, for
obvious reasons, they are no longer available for interrogation on this, or any
other subject.
Of course, our linguistic patterns, formed and adapted over the centuries are
also heavily influenced by the more pious times gone by.
I often find myself, in times of stress, using God’s name, not through any
residual belief, but because phrases such as “For God’s sake” or “For
Heaven’s sake” have far less theological significance than when they were
first introduced into our language.
The phrases have even made the move to the mildly profane with the
transformation of “by Our Lady”, a common epithet to the truncated adjective
“bloody”!
Even Christ’s name is, arguably, used as often as an expression of
exasperation as it is of praise!
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