CHURCH QUESTION BOX
DO YOU HAVE BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR FAITH?
Things that you just don't understand, that lead you perhaps even to doubt? Things that your friends and family say which makes faith sound less believable, but you don't know what to say in return? Whether you worry about suffering, science, or just how to untangle spaghetti, it's important to talk about bits of Christianity with which we struggle. If you have questions about faith, then please write them down and put them in the box at the back. Some of these are dealt with during services but also listed below and some are explored on this page in more detail:
Question - In the Creed, we say that we are in one Church. I know that means that we all believe in Christ but what does this mean in regards to all the different denominations that exist, and all the conflicting views within them?
Response - The response to this is contained within a sermon preached on 21st May 2023 on John:17-1-11. You can find it here.
Question - Despite affirming that they don't believe in God what is it in the human psyche that in times of need people call on a non-specific power for help?
Response - The first thing to say in response to this question is that it would be inappropriate and patronizing for me to presume to suggest what any individual's reasons might be for turning to God or a non-specific power in time of need.
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Having said that, historically, philosophers have thought about this. Freud regarded belief in God as wish fulfilment and Nietzsche regarded faith as a crutch or a placebo. Both would therefore have considered the phenomenon being asked about to be just some wishful thinking. Richard Dawkins says 'Nature is not cruel, only pitilessly indifferent,' and so his response would probably similar to Freud's.
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However, if there is a widespread human phenomenon where we seek the help of a transcendent being then, contrary to Freud and Nietzsche, perhaps this suggests that inside all of us there may be an echo of the sense of a divine 'other'. If so, then the response to seek help may be evidence of an inbuilt, intuitive knowledge and need of a God figure. This wouldn't be surprising from a theological point of view. If we believe that we were created by God, then why wouldn't we have a sense of God's presence?
As Augustine, philosopher and saint, said, 'You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.'
Question - Is it right that we should ask questions about our faith? Is it a good thing to do?
Question - Heaven seems a mystery? What happens after we die? How can we know we're going to heaven? What about feeling the presence of our loved ones after they are dead?
Questions - What do we believe about evil? What's the difference between sin and evil? Where do the Seven Deadly Sins fit in?
Question - Why do we sit to pray?
Answer - Christians, throughout history, have had lots of traditions for their bodily posture during prayer. In our church, at the moment, we tend to sit or kneel to pray, but in other places people stand to pray, or even lie down.
Question - How old is our church?
Answer - It was built in 1871, so just over 150 years old.