Thursday, June 28, 2007

The Broadcaster's Tale

A Christian, a Muslim, and a Jew go on a radio program...

No, it's not the beginning of a joke. It's a broadcast by journalist John Humphrys who, like me, is seeking to understand why people believe things in the hope that he, too, might come to believe them. Unlike me, he is a famous broadcast journalist and as such has access to high-powered, famous religious people and their brains. In this series on BBC Radio 4 John Humphrys interviews a Christian (Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams), a Muslim (Professor Tariq Ramadan), and a Jew (Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks).

Mr. Humphrys is a fellow pilgrim on a journey seeking truth. He approaches each interviewee with the same mindset and question, summarized thus: I used to believe in God. As a child I believed. But then I became disalusioned of the idea upon witnessing a world of suffering in my career as a journalist. I want to believe again; I want to have faith. How can I get it? How can I find God again?

It's worth listening to the extended interviews if you have time. I recommend doing some ironing or other mindless task while you enjoy the broadcast. Cheers!

1 comment:

Rob Clack said...

Why are you looking for faith? Why do you want to find god? Surely as an atheist you have found a good, solid answer; there is no evidence whatever to support a belief in god. Heaven and hell are fantasies. That's the only answer that makes any sense to me.

And I take great comfort from that, too. Considering that, in a sense, I consist only of my memories, when I die I won't be able to remember anything. Light off, no way to regret anything. Perfect.