Why I am a Christian.

Quite often I find myself looking up at the sky and marvelling at the vastness of the universe that lies beyond those white fluffy clouds. Today was no exception. I did my marvelling while lying down on a bench in the park, where I had collapsed in exhaustion after my thrice-weekly jog in preparation for NS.

It is at this sort of moment that your mind leaves your body for awhile. You stop and wonder at the black infinity that is the universe; then you scale down to bright pinpricks of galaxies, then down to clusters of stars, down to solar systems, down to planets, down to continents, down to countries, down to cities... and then, after reducing your mindset to the smallest possible sphere of existence, you find yourself again, sprawled along the length of a little park bench that is as insignificant in the grander scheme of things as a beetle you would like to squish under your foot.

At times like these I start to think. I was fluidly expelled into this world just over 17 years ago. It's not like I had much choice in the matter. I was awarded consciousness without having asked for it, a body without having requested it, a soul without understanding it. Over the course of my life, I will grow - physically, mentally, spiritually. My cells will divide. Some will persist. Some will degenerate. And ultimately, as I approach old age, my body will weaken and fail. When I finally die, my family will cremate me. My corpse will burn, my cells will turn to ashes, and every last remnant of what was once me will drift away like particles of dust on a whisper of wind, unimportant and forgotten forever.

And life will go on uninterrupted. Human beings will continue to procreate and multiply, advancing intellectually and technologically, spreading themselves across to the furthest reaches of the planet... and then all too soon the Sun will expand and engulf the Earth. Kaplooey. Another blip in the vast dark universe.

So what's the point?

Here's my take. There are two possible ways to look at life. They are: (a) Life has no meaning, and (b) Life has meaning. Let's look at (a) first.

If life has no meaning, then everything I've said above regarding the sterile demise of the human race will probably end up occurring, one way or another. Tragic and pretty pathetic, really, but let's open ourselves to the possibility. There are people who, when asked, will promptly claim that yes, absolutely, they don't believe that life has any meaning at all.

They're in denial.

If we truly are to believe that life has no meaning, then why are we wasting time standing around discussing it? To substantiate such a claim we should instead be off pursuing the sort of hedonistic lifestyle that particularly appeals to human nature. For, if our state of consciousness in this universe is temporary and insignificant, then being completely and exclusively self-centered is the most sensible way to live. Why bother bowing to the whims of others if we can satisfy ourselves? After all, when you only have 75 years to live, they'd better be a brilliant 75 years - the best 75 years ever, in the history of mankind. Lots of sex, lots of money, and lots of power.

Most people ascribing to perspective (a) object to this view. Simply because you can, they say, doesn't mean you should. They believe that there is merit to living morally, being the best person you can possibly be, providing for your family, supporting your friends, and bettering society. This is noble and, I will concede, commendable.

But it also means that they do not belong to camp (a) at all - they belong to camp (b). That kind of philosophy is fundamentally reflective of a belief that life does indeed have meaning. (I have, of course, ignored the possibility of people claiming an option (c) - that they can't be bothered one way or another. But really, if you're not bothered now, you will be bothered when you're on your deathbed, so it's probably wiser to pre-empt that kind of situation.)

I would like to propose that we're all born with an ingrained desire to believe that life has meaning. It's evident in the bigger things - up to 85% of the world's population claims to ascribe to a particular religion - and also in the smaller things - such the kind courtesy of letting an old lady have your seat in the train, or the polite acceptance of having to stand in line to wait for lunch. We wouldn't stand by our faith if we didn't believe life had meaning; equally, we wouldn't adhere to ethical behaviour if we didn't believe life had meaning.

However, I am also going to propose that, without the concept of eternity, the idea that life has meaning is meaningless. When you do certain things and carry out certain actions in the view that life has meaning, you must be acting for a greater purpose than your temporal existence on Earth. Isn't that the very framework upon which the concept of meaning in life is built - that what you do is a reflection of some greater purpose, which is precisely what gives your actions meaning? This "greater purpose" is, broadly speaking, eternity.

My final proposition, however, is that eternity in itself has no meaning unless you factor God into the equation. Why is this so? Much like the idea of God, the concept of eternity is something the human brain simply cannot wrap its tendrils around. It is a concept that is far too vast, and far too incomprehensible. Eternity represents a state of timelessness and, indeed, a unique departure from the physical plane. If we do not suggest a God, then we must claim that human beings are products of the evolving world. And if we are to claim that human beings are such products, then how is it possible that they can on their own attain a state of existence that is incomprehensible to them at the very outset, spiritual development or no?

On the other hand, if we propose a God, and that all things exist and occur for the glory of such a God, then eternity makes much more sense. It is only through the grace of God, an all-powerful, incomprehensible being, that we may reach eternity, a concept equally incomprehensible. The meaning of life - and the purpose of life - is to live for God's glory; the reward of eternity is being able to share in His glory forever. That is why we are here; that is why we have been created.

So why am I a Christian? The easy answer is that my parents are Christians and it was only natural for me to go to church regularly and finally to accept Christ. But ultimately it was up to me to establish a personal relationship with God. I suppose I could go on, rationalizing every minute aspect of my faith, but that would probably take untold ages. For me, it is much more fulfilling simply to realize that "... it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..." -Ephesians 2:8 (NIV). Such grace is good, perfect, wonderful, and beyond understanding.