Five small words that are making me reflect and feel a little defensive today... 'those of you without faith'. The words were spoken (often) by a bishop who was speaking at the national memorial service today, for the victims of the February 22nd earthquake. Obviously being a bishop, she was talking a lot about god & religion in relation to the earthquake mainly why it happened & how people are coping with the aftermath.
Being that I am NOT religious, a lot of what she said didn't apply to me, and I didn't agree with, or believe - but I also understand that EVERYONE has different beliefs, and in times of immense stress & trauma people do tend to embrace their personal beliefs (religious or otherwise), so it didn't bother me.... but her frequent referral to 'those of you without faith' REALLY did get to me.
No - I'm not religious, BUT that does NOT mean that I DON'T have faith. I do have faith - a LOT of it! I have faith in myself & my family, faith in humanity & the goodness that lies in [most] everyone. Just because my faith isn't 'from above' doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, nor does it mean that it isn't as strong as someone elses.
I do know that emotions are all a bit heightened now, and that the bishop didn't mean what she said with any malice, BUT it did strike a chord with me, and it is something I've been thinking about ever since. Perhaps had she said "those of you without RELIGION"?
At the end of the day, as I see it faith isn't something that is exclusive to those who are religious.
No comments:
Post a Comment