Yesterday was the last of the "Doubt" series of sermons. It was supposed to be about seeing clues for the existence of God in nature, but so much time was taken up with extra music for the departing Music Director's last service that the preacher cut it short (he is loathe to do that). I don't know what the longer version was like, but this one was pretty good. The preacher went all Calvin on us and reminded us that we believe because we were predestined to belief, that our belief is a gift from God. We're lucky to believe, he said.
Right on. I'd take it even further. There's no way to persuade anyone of our beliefs, and they are not susceptible to proof. We tend to see God's hand in the wonders of the universe and the findings of science because we already believe. If we didn't believe, looking at nature wouldn't persuade us. And the universe doesn't tell us much so far about God and His plans. Rather, we tend to see facts about the world as confirmations of things we already believe.
I'm agnostic because I acknowledge that my Christian beliefs aren't provable. Although the preacher probably wouldn't out himself as an agnostic, he's probably a Christian agnostic, too.
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