For what we need to know, of course, is not just that God exists, not
just that beyond the steely brightness of the stars there is a cosmic
intelligence of some kind that keeps the whole show going, but that
there is a God right here in the thick of our day-by-day lives who may
not be writing messages about himself in the stars but in one way or
another is trying to get messages through our blindness as we move
around down here knee-deep in the fragrant muck and misery and marvel of
the world. It is not objective proof of God's existence that we want
but the experience of God's presence. That is the miracle we are really
after, and that is also, I think, the miracle that we really get.
- Frederick Buechner, from The Magnificent Defeat
If by objective proof, Buechner means indisputable fact, then the point is mute because nothing is truly indisputable. I actually believe many of us would relish having what we consider to be objective proof but are afraid to admit it. As if this admission would somehow bring our faith into question, maybe not with others but certainly with ourselves.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I'm pretty convinced that over time we'd eventually figure out a way to dismiss any "objective proof" God might be gracious / or foolish enough to give us. Strange how things work isn't it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems we may be on the same page here. A fact that should be disturbing to one, or possibly both of us.
ReplyDelete