Returning to God
God is Back is the title of the book authored by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge. For those who are interested in God and religion, the title of the book is attractive enough. The authors have written the book from a Christian perspective and their experiences are taken more from the American popular cultural life though they do cite examples from other places as well. The authors ultimately conclude that for better or for worse, “God is back,” and that religion is now a matter of choice for most people.
In 1993, when I set out on the doctoral research to investigate the role of communication in inter-religious dialogue, my mentor rather excitedly said to me, “Religion is beginning to catch people’s imagination once again and a lot in future will depend on how religions could and would enter into dialogue with each other.”
The authors by their core postulation “Go is back” certainly do not imply that God had gone away or left us in order to busy Himself with something else and that now He was coming back to us. For the Bible says, “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
A little before Jesus was to be led to the cross to die and knowing that his disciples would be desolate without him, he tells them, “No, I will not abandon you as orphans — I will come to you” (John 14:18). And after his resurrection before he ascended into heaven he told his disciples, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20).
The fact of God never leaving us is found throughout the Bible and so God could have never left us to come back. It is we who go astray, sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently, abandoning religion or forsaking God. While scientific and technological advances in their wake have brought more and more material and physical comforts, they have also relegated God and religion to the margins.
Those who have had enough of affluent and luxurious life are beginning to realise that such things do not really bring peace, happiness and fulfilment. Thus it is we, people, who are turning back to God and religion.
The Christmas season offers all an occasion, beyond festivities, to experience once again God’s never-fading love for us humans, manifested through God taking the form of a child. God shares His unconditional love with us by giving away His own life for humanity at the cross.
Father Dominic Emmanuel is the director of communication of the Delhi Catholic Church
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