Religion

I am not a religious person, but I understand that religion gives people comfort and security in life.

Regardless of your thoughts about the right one, wrong one, or the origin of any of the thousands that have existed in human history, it is clear that religion in whatever form gives people comfort and stability in an otherwise chaotic world. And that, if nothing else, makes it valuable.

I don’t foresee a shift in my thinking any time soon, but there is a part of me that misses the comfort and warmth and hope and safety and just the overall feeling that I had going to church as a kid. That belief, in my core, of something bigger, something benevolent, something characterized by love and light and kindness that was watching over the world – it truly was an amazing feeling.

That was before life happened to me, before I was exposed to the painful truth that living hurts in so many ways and everything dies eventually, no matter how much love you give it/them. Before I was exposed to the wonders of science that cannot be reconciled with teachings about God. That was before I questioned everything.

I have often wondered if someone could truly embody both the logic of science and the faith of religion, and how that ends up making any kind of sense. Because, in many ways, and at least from what I’ve seen or been taught, the two are diametrically opposed. What does that reconciliation look and feel like?

I have a book that I need to read. I got it a few months ago. It’s by a Catholic priest who also has a Ph.D. in philosophy, among other educational achievements. The book is called New Proofs for the Existence of God. Perhaps this book can offer some insight into my question about reconciling logic and faith….