To my mind one of the best newspapers in the world is the Guardian in the UK. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/) I log on every morning to get my news and to read commentaries that I can count on to be well written and stimulating. Of course, sometimes I come across an article whose point of view I find troubling and that was the case on Tuesday. Martin Kettle wrote an article entitled, "How can religious people explain something like this?" He was referring, needless to say, to the recent tsunami disaster. The great religious traditions, however, have never offered explanations for such events. That such things happen is assumed rather than justified. And so the response of faith is not to ask, "Why did this happen?" but rather "How can I help?". I was pleased, therefore, to see a letter to the editor the next day that spoke to the authentic response of faith. I commend it to you:
God preserve us from religious people who attempt to "explain" the tsunami disaster (How can religious people explain something like this?, December 28). Explanations are based on theories, and to theorise about suffering is to degrade those who suffer. Belief in God enables us to respond to disasters such as this, but not to trump scientific explanations with moral ones. However, people of faith look to a horizon beyond the limitations of scientific enquiry and secular morality. It is a horizon at the limits of time and space beyond which eternity provides a perspective which might yet make sense of what science can only explain.
John Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
I read John Lincoln's final sentence several times trying to understand exactly what he is getting at. His sentence reads "It is a horizon at the limits of time and space beyond which eternity provides a perspective which might yet make sense of what science can only explain."
ReplyDeleteFind sounding words, but just what do they mean?
I cannot explain the last sentence because for me it should read, "It is a horizon beyond the limits of time and space which provides a perspective which might yet make sense of what science can only explain". For me it is the horizon beyond the limits of time and space in which the concepts associated with meditation occur. The measurable things such as monetary donations, or volunteering are within the limits of time and space, and are of critical importance in releiving suffering in the here and now. Those things that aren't measurable are tonglen practice and meditation in general which are done for the benefit of all beings so they may all be free from suffering and the causes of suffering and so they may attain universal impartial compassion. These are the non-measurable things that occur beyond the limits of time and space. When we fully understand these concepts, we will have transcended time and space.
ReplyDeleteDoes this make sense to anyone?
Thanks, Anonymous, for your comments. I like your re-writing of the Bishop of Lincoln's sentence. My guess is, now that I've thought about it some more, is that the bishop was referring to an afterlife when he talked about eternity but that he wanted to leave that undefined. What I heard him saying was "Have some humility. There's no way we can explain the disaster in this life." But I like your take on it better - looking at it from the perspective of enlightenment and the "default" position of universal compassion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting!