drchris March 19th, 2007
Is our faith founded solely on miracles and the supernatural?
Modern man is so advanced in science and technology that he insists on evidence before he accepts anything as the truth, especially those that are supernatural. He is not going to accept anything based just on faith and tradition.
Of late a number of controversies have cropped up that have resulted in our church resorting to all available means to rebut them. Of the latest among these were the DaVinci Code, The Gospel of Judas and now the Tomb of Jesus. There have also been numerous scientific studies to explain the various miracles performed by Jesus.
Tremendous controversies have also been generated regarding Jesus – his birth,his relationship with Mary Magdelene, his miracles,his crucifixion and even his resurrection upon which our faith is founded. There are many out there to prove wrong what has been believed to be the absolute truth over the centuries. The Church had taken great pains to preserve and safeguard these truths at all costs.
Over the years the very foundation of the Catholic Church and in fact Christianity is being challenged by various quarters, some genuinely to find the TRUTH others in an attempt to ridicule our faith.
This is not going to be the end of such claims and allegations. As long as man exists, his egoism and curiosity will continue to rule him and he will persist in his attempts to disprove our long accepted believes. Man will continue to cast doubts on our faith and believes that are so dear to us. Modern scientific principles may even succeed in proving certain of our established believes wrong.
The various churches, in particular the Catholic Church, have embarked on extensive counter measures to rebut these allegations. We contend these allegations are baseless and malicious.
What if they are true? What if science can prove our long held beliefs to be wrong? Isn’t human intelligence a God’s gift to mankind? We must be prepared to accept the truth however bitter it may be.
Is our faith based solely on miracles and magic that is said to have occurred 2000 years ago when man had little or no understanding of science and nature? If these miracles and supernatural events are proven to be false by modern evidence-based techniques, is our faith still relevant? Doubts may have been created in the minds of even the most ardent follower of Christ.
Man being curious and egoist as he is, will not rest until he gets the truth and to me that, coupled with his intelligence, are the gifts of God to him. We know that the truth will finally prevail.
Miracles and magical events can be proved wrong but not Christ’s teachings.These will stand the test of time. His two great commandments, love God and love you neighbors as yourself, are relevant throughout the ages and would never become obsolete. If we understand and practice these two great commandments, we need not be too worried that our faith will be proven wrong.
Why should the Church be so easily perturbed by these allegations that are merely external? Has it lost faith in the essential teachings of Jesus? Is our Church leading us in the direction as taught by Christ or is it being hijacked by some quarters for their vested advantage?
It is this ignorance of real essence of the teachings of Christ that has resulted in a world that is plagued by materialism and immorality? Hate, selfishness and greed have become the way of life, replacing love, hope and charity which were the hallmarks of Christianity in the yesteryears.
Where do we go from here? Can we rely on the Church take us to our final destiny? These are the questions that we must reflect on and find the answers to.
Dr.Chris Anthony
