Spiritual Or Emotional Connection?

[SairB]

A recent discussion on Facebook with my still-very-Catholic elder brother raised the question of the origins of spiritual connection, from him, to which my response was as follows:

 

"As for the need for 'spiritual' connection, what is the difference between this and what might be considered our perfectly natural, ordinary need to feel secure, to trust those around us to protect us? Is a spiritual connection something different to the desire we all have to feel safe from danger and uncertainty, to take solace in companionship? Is religious faith a different animal to our belief that those in whom we invest emotionally will look out for us as we look out for them? We are already part of something far greater than ourselves, if we could only appreciate it for what it is rather than dressing it up as pie in the sky."

 

What has occurred to me is that many Christians claim that God is faithful and will never let you down, not the way real humans will let you down and disappoint you and even outright betray you.

 

Well, not that you'd know, anyway.

 

Considering that many believers in a personal god consider that god to be responsible for their suffering in a more-or-less direct way, the Christian god gets away with a hell of a lot. One hears tell of people thanking this god for their adversities because it brings them 'closer' to him, because it 'tests their faith', or whatever.

 

Now imagine that it was another human who had demonstrably caused one's child to have a grievous disability, for example (I once encountered a girl, about 4 years old, in a respite care facility - she had severe and permanent brain damage due to the fact that her mother's boyfriend had thrown her against a wall because she didn't stop crying). Would such a person be not only forgiven for the harm they had wrought, but made the object of worship because they had generously tested your faith in their love for you? I doubt it.

 

The only reason God gets a free pass, as far as I can see, is that no-one can ever be certain that he (yeah, there's that definite gender pronoun) even exists. And that is his only excuse.