So, for now, is God dead? This was a question posed to me because of an observation that people on social media these days hardly post religious messages.
One possible reason I see is that, due to the quarantine restrictions that are in place as a result of this pandemic, churches are closed. The church is their sanctuary for large numbers of people. It is a source of consolation, of power, and peace. It is a place to be empowered to become better people. And that is where it is possible to hear the Word of God. Perhaps our current lack of exposure to guidance by our church leaders has made us concentrate more on temporal and secular issues.
But the fact that many of us are reeling from the economic impact and the day-to-day uncertainty we face may also be due to this phenomenon. Our source of livelihood has been lost by many of us. Survival is now mainly on the minds of most people. And they can not see God when people are hungry.
Hunger is one of the most basic drives of man. We are unable to think about anything else when we experience hunger. And it can be maddening to be afraid of not getting food the next day. Our minds can be overwhelmed by endless concern for survival that we fully neglect the spiritual component of our life.
We can remember how the Gospel says that when Jesus is about to preach to a crowd, he will perform a miracle so that he can feed them first. Even our Lord seems to understand that the hunger of people must be met in advance.
The question I was asked reminds me of what the German philosopher Nietzsche said had ushered in the death of God in the Age of Enlightenment. It was his position that once and for all, science and reason would disprove God's presence. Yet confidence has been shown time and again to be beyond reason's control. And it was Nietzsche himself who had been disproved by the persistence of the piety of the people.
But now a very different challenge is facing our spirituality. Is this pandemic doing what was not achieved by the Enlightenment? This pandemic has stopped countless people from meeting in houses of worship for months. Is this going to become a part of the new standard now?
The trust of people is checked if the world experiences a tragedy of global proportions. History is full of accounts of plagues and wars which have caused untold misery and death. And in each case, individuals challenged God's presence.
Suffering is not meant to drive us further from what we believe in. Instead, in the pain that we are presently experiencing, we should seek Heaven. Our acts should not be motivated by our fear of a future which is unknown. This can only add to despair.
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