Christmas hope
His negative experiences of organised religion in his youth not only persuaded him to embrace another religion, atheism, but apparently gave him a knowledge denied to many of his readers.
He is critical of church ministers offering hope at funerals – “declaring that the loved one inside the casket is in a happier place – if only the dead could talk, they would, I assure you, disagree”.
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Hide AdIs Mr Reilly’s personal “assurance” based on revelation, scientific evidence or speculation?
The centrality of the Christmas message is held by many highly respected journalists and astrophysicists alike. To dismiss this as fanciful or wishful thinking is one thing; to claim an assured knowledge of the impossibility of hope is something altogether different.
Monday’s tragedy in Glasgow surely reminds us all, if we need reminding, of the transient and random nature of life and death.
Amidst all the chaos of this and every Christmas, it might be worth revisiting the claims made about the person of Jesus Christ.
Perhaps some of the “Christmas only” churchgoers will discover or rediscover a hope that brings some kind of meaning on this strange road on which we all travel.
Gavin Cargill
Edinburgh Road