The well-groomed visitor offered a practiced smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood morning,\u2019 he almost sang, in a rehearsed tone. \u2018I\u2019m here today to share with you the good news of Jesus Christ.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Not interested mate.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018But if you just have a few minutes, I think what I share with you could change your life.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Mate \u2013 I said I\u2019m not interested. If you had a few minutes I\u2019d tell you why what you believe in is a massive load of crap.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Well\u2026um\u2026\u2019 (he seemed a little taken aback). Then back on script: \u2018I\u2019d have to disagree with you on that,\u2019 he said with an irritating smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Yes\u2026 well\u2026 you have no bloody idea mate\u2026 no idea at all.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I\u2019m sure if you just hear how the Lord changed my life, you will be impacted by my testimony.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Nah. You just don\u2019t get it and I doubt people like you ever will.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Silence for a few seconds. The door was starting to close. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Hang on\u2026\u2019 came the visitor\u2019s voice. He offered a different tone. Off script. Tinged with a surfacing empathy. Was it the man\u2019s angry yet sad eyes, that birthed that feeling in him? Was it the raw honesty of his tone? Whatever it was he continued: \u2018I\u2019m sorry I was being so\u2026 simplistic. I\u2019d like to listen, really. I\u2019ll shut up and listen, if you want to talk\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The door changed its direction and was soon almost open again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Why would I want to talk with you anyway? I\u2019ve met good religious people like you before. You won\u2019t hear what I\u2019ve got to say. You\u2019ll be thinking of the next line to come back with when I say anything. Just look at you: all dressed up like you\u2019re going somewhere important, telling complete strangers your so called \u2018good news\u2019 \u2013 and what the hell do you know about the people you end up talk\u2019en to? Nothing! Bloody presumption of people like you thinking you have all the answers. It\u2019s bullshit.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had promised to listen so he bit his tongue. There were lines to use from his \u2018evangelism manual\u2019 he\u2019d been trained with – he was remembering them now – but a niggly feeling came over him that just maybe it would be better to actually stay quiet and actually listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Maybe there is some truth to that,\u2019 he ended up conceding, hoping to encourage his new acquaintance to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Have you ever experienced tragedy? I mean\u2026 real shitty horrible tragedy?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An honest shake of the head confirmed the assumption behind the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Exactly. When you lose a kid in a car accident because of some shit-head drunk driver, you\u2019ll find yourself re-evaluating everything you thought you believed \u2013 especially about religion. A God of love? Bullshit. If there\u2019s a God of love why would he let that happen? So don\u2019t come here peddling your crappy simple answers as if they apply to my life. It won\u2019t work on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Some things are very hard to understand, that\u2019s for sure,\u2019 the visitor offered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I don\u2019t believe in a god at all anymore\u2026 You think you can say something in a few minutes to change my life?\u2019 A contemptuous laugh shot out. \u2018You won\u2019t change my life mate. That day\u2026 that accident\u2026 that <\/em>changed my life.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n The manual replies were rushing to his head. He did not utter them but they were trying to re-take control of his mind and tongue. Regarding the man’s atheism, he was tempted to use: \u201cYou might not believe in God but God believes in you.\u201d Or: \u201cAtheism is really just another form of faith. You can\u2019t possibly have been everywhere in the universe and personally checked every corner of the cosmos to eliminate the possibility of God: so welcome to a different religion, a religion of faith in your limited capacity to reason!\u201d But no: despite their clammer in his mind, and their attempts to take control, he kept those voices at bay. Neither the smart little quip, nor the attempt at a brief rational response would be of any use right here, right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, all the visitor could say was, \u201cHow could it not change your life?\u2019 in a rather passive voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018So\u2026 can you see why you\u2019re wasting your time talking to me about your religion. I\u2019ve had it up to my neck with religious people and their simplistic answers to all that goes on.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silence. But then a surprising concession from the visitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018I have wondered the same thing at times to be honest. But I have been trained to put that thought out of my mind. \u201cLacking faith\u201d I was told. I haven\u2019t personally experienced the kind of suffering you have, but my cousin lost his 19 year old daughter to cancer last year. I did wonder similar things, as he struggled with the same questions you\u2019ve raised.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Did he ditch his religion too?\u2019 came a slightly less angry response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Not really. But it was impacted. He \u2026 he changed<\/em> his understanding, rather than ditching it. He doesn\u2019t talk anymore about God in terms of someone who will change your life for the better. Now he talks about a God of love who journeys life beside us, walking side by side. Laughing when we laugh, crying when we cry. Like a friend.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n A few moments of silence. The man looked as if he was processing what he had just heard. Then came the reply. \u2018Not my thinking sorry. Maybe if someone had said stuff like that earlier, it might have been helpful. But the rubbish I got told by religious people was just \u2026 irrelevant\u2026 and even painful to listen to. Like I was being bad for not accepting God\u2019s will kind of rubbish. Or I can at least be grateful she is in a better place. Seriously? How could those kind of comments help anyone who\u2019s grieving? \u2026 No. I\u2019ve had it with religion.\u2019 And then he added a final line that sounded as if he had used it before. \u2018If God\u2019s real at all then he\u2019s a bastard: a giant in the sky stomping on random people with his giant foot and not even noticing.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n The visitor looked soberly at the man. \u2018I\u2019m really sorry you\u2019ve experienced such tragic loss. Really. And you\u2019re right: there are no simple answers.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n The awkward silence signalled it was over. The visitor made one last comment. \u2018I\u2019m glad to have met you, and thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me.\u2019 He extended his hand. The other paused for a second more than normal, but then did shake it in silence, giving a faint nod as he did so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He closed the door and the well-dressed young man turned away. As he walked up the footpath, he took off his tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To read more from Jim Reiher click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n