Who are the non-believers? What is their culture? What are they saying to us? What can we say to them? What dialogue can we establish with them? What can we do to shake up their interest, stir up their questions, nourish their reflections, and hand on the faith to new generations, often victims of the religious indifference mobilised by the dominant culture? These are some of the poignant questions raised by the document entitled “Where is Your God? Responding to the Challenge of Unbelief and Religious Indifference Today.”
The document is a synthesis of a study initiated by the Pontifical Council for Culture, which in March 2004 convoked a gathering of cardinals, bishops, priests and intellectuals from all over the globe to “the study of the problem of unbelief and of religious indifference found in various forms in different cultural milieus, enquiring into the causes and the consequences for the Christian Faith.”
It is quite a long read, but both the questions raised and the answers provided are very absorbing. It delves into such complicated issues as causes of unbelief, secularization of belief, adherence to a faceless God, and the religion of the self. But it does also provide concrete proposals as to how to initiate dialogue with non-believers and how evangelization can be carried out in a culture of unbelief and indifference.
I think the challenge of unbelief and indifference offers us Christians an opportunity to reflect on our faith, to deepen it and to find creative ways of witnessing to God’s compassionate love. As has been proposed by the document we all need to look into:
- The importance of witnessing the beauty of being a person loved by God.
- The need to renew Christian apology to give an account with gentleness and respect of the hope that animates us (1 Pet 3:15).
- Reach homo urbanus through a public presence in the debates of society and put the Gospel in contact with the forces that shape culture.
- The urgency of learning to think, from school to university, and to have the courage to react, faced with the tacit acceptation of a dominant culture often marked by unbelief and religious indifference, by a new and joyous proposal of Christian culture.
- Show to the non-believers, indifferent to the question of God but open to human values, that to be truly human, is to be religious, that man finds the fullness of his humanity in Christ, true God and true man, and that Christianity is a good news for all men and women in all cultures.
But in the end, I think the most convincing argument to prove the existence of God to unbelievers is by loving them unconditionally. Only through love can unbelievers be touched at the heart of their unbelief and their indifference.
absolutely true Fr. Bobby, i agree with you.
The best way to convince a person who does not believe in GOD is for the believers to live a LIFE with GOD, giving and showing LOVE for them and to them who are indifference to it.
LOVING ACTIONS coming from authentic christian feelings are far more effective than by simply talking about it.
When I was in college, philo of religion was a required subject in Ateneo. I will never forget the first exam and the last exam given to us by our professor. The first exam was to write an essay to disprove God’s existence. And guess what? I got a very high grade. In fact, one of the highest in our class. I was proud, very proud indeed. Almost everyone approached me and asked me how I did it and praised me for my high grade. But then I realized it was nothing to be proud of when the last exam was given for the semester. It was to write an essay to prove God’s existence. Wow!!! I was sweating a lot. I really didn’t know how to go about it. And while contemplating on how to answer it, I realized that my faith was not grounded at that time. And that was the reason I did not answer that essay well. I didn’t have that faith in God to prove his existence in me. And the result? I had a very low exam marks for that final essay.
To really prove God’s existence, one must have the faith in Him.
Despite the poverty, hunger, social injustice and suffering we see around us, there is something beautiful to look at. We may never have the power to change the world the way we want it. But in our owns little ways, we should giving by reaching out, lending a hand and listening to the needy
By Loving giving respect and show understanding to our brothers/sisters who are not
the same religion belief and their indifference
like us is a great big step sign already. That we can live share
in a community society with peace.
Lovely thought you have. CHEERS!!!