A love affair called God

Yesterday, I published an article with the above title in Phase magazine, a youth publication distributed with The Times. In the preceding edition two months ago it had published an opinion piece by Gordon Camilleri entitled 'No God?'.

The magazine's editor asked me to present the views of "the other side" after she received what she described as an incredible response from believers, priests and other young people who disagreed with Camilleri. I could not say no to such an invitation and, in fact, am extending the discussion to this column.

I got the impression that Camilleri knows as much about God and religion as I do about nuclear physics. He believes religion is only good for those he daubed as "common" or "delusional" people. This is not the nicest of compliments one can direct at the billions of people for whom God and religion are at the core of day-to-day living.

Great philosophers have shown how God's existence can be proved rationally. Nobel Prize-winning scientists have marvelled at God's presence in the universe. Well-known politicians and social reformers have shown how belief can lead to greater justice. However, for Camilleri, all these are part of a large mass of delusional people.

He then went on to describe the essence of religion as "the feeling of guilt". I do not know which religion he was speaking about, but it is certainly not Christianity. The essence of Christianity is love - and the feeling of this love is meant to enhance the joy of living.

Christianity is a love affair between God and humans. It is the celebration of living and giving. It is a concrete statement that this love affair is so strong and deeply rooted that not even death can extinguish it. This love affair is intended to last forever.

I do not completely blame Camilleri for having this distorted view of religion. I think some of our preaching and catechism lessons of years ago are partly to blame too. We have overemphasised guilt over love; good works over God's great generosity.

On the contrary, we should emphasise that the foundation rock of Christianity is the realisation that God loves us. Our love towards God is secondary; it is the sensible reaction to this fantastic realisation.

This God - described in the Bible both as Father and as Mother - is Love. God is crazy in love with us, is close to us and cares for us. God knows each one of us by name and, as Isaiah wrote, our name is tattooed on the palm of His hand. God accompanies us in our life journey: encouraging on, healing us, crying with us, laughing with us. God is there even when we betray Him.

This is the God I discovered.

Camilleri asks for empirical proof as if empirical proof is the ultimate proof. Can one empirically prove such a wonderful love affair? How does one measure the intensity of one's love? One cannot prove it using a physical measuring method in a laboratory but one can prove it experientially.

Incident after incident have shown me God's love and as a result, I am today surer of God's benevolent presence in my life than I am sure of the existence of the sun or the moon or the earth. Faith and my own experience provide me a firmer foundation than an empiricist approach can ever provide.

joseph.borg@um.edu.mt