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Thinking Noble Things of God
“In the constant endeavor of the churches to persuade men to believe in God there has been an unfortunate forgetfulness of the fact that such belief is one of man's most dangerous practices. When a man takes faith in God seriously, he has accepted a view of life as a whole. If, now, he believes God to be large, generous, and true, his faith is an incalculable benediction. But if he believes God to be small, parochial and mean, his view of life is perverted at its very center and his entire character is the worse for it…
Where Jesus himself would stand in this matter seems clear. He would undoubtedly be true to his convictions. He would be that with a rugged and uncompromising honesty which would make his life, if lived again, anything but peaceful. He would not spare his condemnations, although, as of old, they would fall exclusively on the trivialities and hypocrisies of religious leaders who tithe mint, anise, and cummin and neglect the weightier matters of the law.” Harry E. Fosdick said that!
He and I would differ in a great deal but not about what he just said there. And in light of the central thrust of what he said how can anyone possibly live with the notion that God made multiplied millions of us for no other purpose than to eternally consciously torment us because it pleases him? We might be afraid of a God like that but we would have no grounds for admiring him much less adoring him. Think noble things of God!
