There has always been enough –too-much of controversy. Every conceivable objection to religion-to Christianity-has been made and answered a thousand times over. Doubtless, the reader of this Blog has read, or has listened to, many arguments on religion. You may be half convinced or wholly convinced, of the validity of these arguments. But still, for some mysterious reason, you cannot believe. Your impatient Christian friends may say to you; “If you are convinced, then you believe, and that’s all there is to it.” Some of them may add: “You are illogical. You are inconsistent.” And if they are mean enough to harbor suspicions, they may think: You must be immoral. Otherwise, you would “come in to the Church.”

They are wrong, Faith is not the same thing as conviction. It is not the natural and necessary outcome of a line of reasoning. It is something supernatural. It comes only when God gives it. If God doesn’t give it, then you may be completely convinced, and yet not believe. You can say in all truth and sincerity, “I wish I could believe,” and yet, for the present, you are unable to believe. NOW THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN FOR YOU.

The first great difficulty in building the bridge from human conviction to divine faith is that the average inquirer demands too much. You seems to expect a mystical or emotional experience of some sort. You are like Thomas, the Apostle, who would not believe in the Risen Christ until he had touched the wounds. Or expects to be stricken miraculously, like Paul. Or you may have inherited from “evangelical” ancestors a feeling that conversion is invalid without an “emotional cataclysm.” And yet, if God were to work a miracle and send one of His holy angels to the skeptic, the skeptic would, as likely as not attribute his vision to a bad dream or to indigestion.

It is therefore, quite fair to ask this seeker of faith to adopt an attitude which will make it possible for him to receive God’s message when it

Comes.

I say, that no one can believe simply because he wishes to believe. But you can dispose yourself to believe. You can get ready to believe. You can put yourself in the way of receiving Grace. And it is good Christian theology that grace will come if you are ready for it.

Those who know something about theology, have taught us that one’s state of mind may depend even upon so slight a thing as one’s facial expression. Laugh, and you will be cheerful; scowl and you will be angry. I supplement this Blog by a more definite and, it would seem, a more important one. If you would be religious, be religious. Or rather, try to be religious. Fabricando ft faber—“The workman is made by working.”

I would like to point out three supremely important attitudes that the seeker of faith should adopt. By doing so , you will finally be inclined to receive from God the faith that you desire.

They are an Attitude of Obedience, The Attitude of Prayer and the Attitude of Inquiry. more to come…

The first great difficulty in building the bridge from human conviction to divine faith is that the average inquirer demands too much. You seems to expect a mystical or emotional experience of some sort.