Faithless friends (but not forever)

Dear friend

It can be downright frustrating when the conversation moves to faith or religion and your non-believing friend quickly closes their mind before you even get started with explaining things properly. Your sacred thoughts, your testimony, your insights simply don't penetrate the walls of doubt, scepticism, humanism or naturalism. There are just so many recycled arguments against all things spiritual, scriptural and supernatural. They say religion is nothing more than a contrived crutch to lean on when our world doesn't make sense. It comforts us when forced to contemplate the finality of our mortality, they say. Life after death is no more than a way of placating our presentiments, they say. They say the scientific method is the only determinant of truth.

Although we may think that rising numbers of non-religionists is a modern phenomenon, it was not unknown in former times too. This is an example from the Book of Mormon, Mosiah 26:2, 3.

2 They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.
3 And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.

There is no single reason for hardhearted irreligious thinking in the individual. Satan has become increasingly skilled at dissuading people from believing. He'll do anything if it results in a soul distancing himself or herself from accepting the existence of God. It's always the devil who diverts people from the Divine. The only time he wants Christ's name on our lips is when it is used in vain.

Sure there are many many good people who "don't do God", and yes they often live fulfilling, contributing, purposeful lives. But there are also many who simply don't want to be restricted by religious requirements and the regimes of righteousness; even if they have a sort-of sense of a spiritual something. Non-belief can be the intellectualised excuse for heedless hedonism, the justification for indulgence.

Growing up in a godless world has produced a population of spiritual illiterates. That is not meant as a slur, but an observation about communal language loss. The stubbornly faithless friend may not have the vocabulary to respond reflectively ("they could not understand the word of God"). The lexicon of the Spirit in not restricted to mere words. It includes unvocalised impressions, sudden strokes of pure knowledge, burning bosoms, dreams, visions, tingles, flashes, feelings and faith. Those without the terminology of testimony cannot be expected to turn Godward if they haven't yet developed the competence.

So I hope we can be patient with our friends. Maybe we just need to exemplify more what we espouse without overt verbal evangelising. Our everyday conversations can be naturally infused with our spiritual selves. There is power in patience. We can demonstrate the benefits of living the Christian creed. That will invite the honest seeker to elect themselves in response to supernal preparation in the Lord's time and through the Lord's various means. After all, isn't that the unimposed way God works with us as well?

Samuel.