Opinion Articles

SOUL MATTERS: New soul songs would make a joyful noise
By Edmond Nixon CSsR

Talk of atheism is not new. It was fashionable 100 years ago. Now atheism in once again on people’s lips. Not everyone knows what atheism is, but as the media points out, it is around.

Europe had to deal with two world wars in just three decades. During that time Europe’s atheism-talk went onto the back-burner, at least in the public sphere. But privately these same wars only added to the underlying ferment. Inklings towards atheism remained, only the talk receded. But now it is back.

For people of faith, atheism and any talk about it can be confronting. And the reverse is also true.

There is bone-shaking change taking place in Western society. It is to do with how people experience life’s ultimate moments - birth, love, sex, suffering, creativity, communion, death. And it is about what those moments point to. The language we use to engage such moments has shifted very quickly in recent years.

But that is not all. Science too has given the world a new lens through which to view reality and a new language to engage it. At first hearing this new language can seem less metaphorical, less mystical. Actually, what is happening is that people are searching for fresh metaphors to help them deal not only with a new reality but a new feel for reality.

In the light of fresh scientific language the old religious stories seem to have lost their edge, their ability to interpret, but perhaps more importantly their capacity to enchant. Enchantment today is more likely experienced when gazing through a telescope into the depths of the universe or peering into a microscope and marvelling at the workings of a living cell.

Apart from the considerations of atheism and the findings of science, Australians today also find themselves in a melting-pot of world religions. The fastest growing religion here is Buddhism. Islam is already part of the cultural fabric of many suburbs in the larger cities. It is apparent to all that a single religion does not sum up everyone’s hopes and aspirations. A single religion does not enchant all of society.

It seems that Western society and its traditional religion, Christianity, have come to a crossroad. At this crossroad the traffic lights are out of sync. The ensuing chaos gets noisy and confusing. What used to work no longer works as well. Language is often less civil, sometimes banal, and the songs have gone.

At the crossroad good people are looking for a way through.

Could the time have come for Christianity to sit down and have a good yarn with atheism, a really good yarn with science, and a respectful yarn with the other great world religions? In doing so, Christianity may well find new language, bracing songs, and fresh heart among the poor. It may well find a current way to engage a marvellous world.

Edmond Nixon CSsR is a priest of the Redemptorist Congregation, based in Broadmeadow. This article is submitted by the Churches Media Association www.cmahunter.com.au.

*This article was published in The Herald, 26th July 2010