Thought for the Month – June 2025

“Man’s ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary.

Man would indeed be in a poor way if they had to be restrained by fear of punishment, and hope of reward after death” – Albert Einstein

Einstein the scientist, presents us with a very humanistic ideology on what it takes for humankind to coexist in social harmony, whilst also taking the opportunity to have a swipe at the religious establishment, and to be fair, one it probably deserves for the things it has done and is still doing it would seem.

Interestingly, the secular behaviours that he lists for a Utopian existence, are pretty much the same as those found in most faith cultures, and in particular, those of Christianity, where you might also add into the mix such things as empathy, selflessness and importantly, love, which for some reason he does not. Maybe it’s the rationality of his scientific mind that prevents him and others, from exploring the more complex human need that many call spirituality, the inner, life-affirming understanding of who we are, why we are here on this planet and how we connect with the world around us. It’s something you cannot write a concrete existential equation for, providing tangible evidence as to its authenticity, especially to the scientifically driven, and also capable of proving that spirituality is both real and rational to those who perceive it, thus allowing it to have an accepted place in our lives, accepted by all that is.

Spirituality means different things to different people whether that is found through faith or not, it does though, I believe, require a focal point, which could be faith, or nature, or humanism, or science, or literally anything that is the personal go-to place to find moral and ethical guidelines for all the things we do in life. These focal points can be regarded as good or bad to the observer, but to the individual that owns them it’s what makes them who they are, so any interference by perceived religious zealots trying to make change, is bound to be met with resentment and a reluctance to engage, especially with something that imbues control or coercion rather than freedom of personal choice and an unconditional acceptance for who we are.  

This is the acceptance that I believe Jesus taught us to have for each other, to not be judgemental of others but to have love for each other despite our differences, not to love someone solely because they belong to the same faith group but to love them even more because of their indifference to the focal point that we hold onto so dearly. It is not our purpose to force a person to change their focal point to that of ours and by force I mean the manner in which we communicate the Good News of The Gospel, that somehow doctrine and dogma are the only way to experience the awesome spirituality found in knowing our God, and worst of all is the hurtful rejection for all those who do not conform to the establishment view. This is the very point I believe Einstein was trying to make when he talks of constraining human behaviour through rigid religious principles, enforced through fear of God’s wrath for non-compliance and a promise of salvation for those who do as they are instructed by the Church, rather than allowing people to trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit felt from within, a chance to relate with God rather than just have blind obedience to Him.

The sad part is that the universal Christian Church has indeed made much use of this method in the past and some elements still do, and it is clearly potent enough to have influenced Einstein’s, and many others view of religious ideology. I too would fail to see its appeal to anyone in current times, especially for a generation who have already experienced a freedom of expression, one that allows you to identify within society in any way you choose. Our faith tells us that God is a constant within time and is a God full of love, forgiveness and hope, but especially of love, and the teachings of Christ show us all just how to do that for each other and for the world in which we live, we are truly blessed to have such an amazing focal point to guide us in life. It’s so good, that we really should want to share it with others, and there, in my humble opinion, is where the issue lies for how the Church goes about doing that, for it should never be doctrine, creed or dogma that solely brings us to God but a sense of relationship with the universal concept of love, a love from which all other utopian values can grow, it is the tiny mustard seed that Jesus talks of, we can recognise it as fellowship, and it is the foundation for God’s Kingdom.

The Church is struggling to be relevant in society in the way it once was, and perhaps if we’re being honest, it is more than likely due to that perception of control rather than one of relationship, and that can be a barrier for the curious wanting to explore their own sense of spirituality, their inner nagging sense that there is more to being human than simply ‘existing’.

The Bible Society recently published an article that talked of an upsurge in the purchase of The Good News Bible by those born as Generation Z and Alpha, which represent children born in the last 28 years, with Alpha regarded as the first generation to be fully immersed in technology. The reason for the upsurge was apparently that many of these young people admit to having developed a spiritual self-awareness whilst also being curious about the mysticism of the Christian faith, but, and here’s the nub of it, they want to explore it on their own terms, hence the preferred language style found in the Good News Bible and most notably, their strong rejection of the Church establishment as a means of experiencing it. The Church it seems, needs to find a way to engage with the new generations on their terms, if they ever hope of seeing congregation numbers increasing again.

Human beings can and still do, flourish as good people without signing up to a divine creed, they just chose to see spirituality through a different life lens. If we Christians continue to live our lives in the manner that Jesus showed us, demonstrating by what we do and say that our faith has a focal point built upon love, respect and tolerance and not establishment dogma, then maybe, just maybe, they’ll want to come have a peep through our life lens too.

Danny

Heavenly Father we pray for the young people trying to grow up in

this challenging and rapidly changing world

and we ask you to enlighten our minds and strengthen our hearts,

as we endeavour to find new ways to nurture them, and to

find a way to bring your love, grace and hope,

to each new generation of your children.

We ask this through your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ,

Amen