The Paradox of Living in an Age of Faith

“I do not believe in Belief. But this is an Age of Faith, and there are so many militant creeds that, in self defence, one has to formulate a creed of one’s own. Tolerance, good temper and sympathy are no longer enough in a world where ignorance rules, and Science, which ought to have ruled, plays the pimp. Tolerance, good temper and sympathy — they are what matter really, and if the human race is not to collapse they must come to the front before long.” ~ E. M. Forster, 1879 – 1970, English Author and Critic

Hmmm, what does it mean to live in an “Age of Faith” – and is it within our reach?

I stumbled across the above quotation in one of those fortuitous moments when I was casting about for something to get my creative juices flowing. It is the opening paragraph from a 1938 E. M. Forster essay.

What struck me about these words is how well they translate to the here and now. It is difficult, in these shape-shifting times, to find something concrete and durable in which to believe and trust. Every now and then we hit upon something that seems rock solid. But change is always poised to strike and split the rock in half.

It’s not that there are no ideologies out there for us to consider and adopt if we choose. There is an embarrassment of riches which it comes to creeds competing for our support. Unfortunately, they run from one end of the spectrum to the other with little common ground.

All too often, those who embrace a particular creed are willing, quite literally, to fight to the death to defend it. Wars are raging in many countries as we speak between factions who are locked in bitter hatred for one another. Case in point: After two years of bloodletting in Syria, hope of peace negotiations gaining traction seems slim at best.

Forster’s seems to be odds with himself when he speaks of the need for “tolerance, good temper and sympathy”. In one breath, he says these qualities are no longer enough – and yet, in the next he asserts they must come to the front if the human race is to survive.

Now, 75 years later, that divide seems even wider. But the fulcrum is very much the same today as it was then – ignorance and blind adherence to carved-in-stone creeds. As long as there is no willingness to seek a common ground, as long as win or lose in the absolute are considered the only acceptable outcomes, the conflict will never end.

So are we really living in an “age of Faith”? Is that not a contradiction in terms when the world is divided again and again along us and them lines? The sudden light in this paradox is found in the metaphorical nature of faith itself. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr:

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Tolerance, good temper and sympathy are each leaps of faith. They require great courage and the willingness to reach beyond ignorance. The final word on the subject belongs to philosopher and theologian Saint Augustine:

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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