This is indeed how so many people today view religion. It is taught in school, even in theology classes. It is on the media. It has become part of the cultural ethos of the day. In fact, if we don’t embrace it, we are viewed as an outsider, a fundamentalist, a narrow-minded bigot, a danger to society. But it cannot be more wrong.
From my experience, I suspect that most people who subscribe to it do not realize that their conviction, if it can be called such, is not based on facts, but merely on what is most comfortable and convenient to believe. Or it is often based on a sense of utopia that is not realistic. I really doubt they have ever examined any one religion, especially Christianity, in depth.
But at the same time, I also believe that many of them arrive at this belief not out of irreverence. There is often a story leading up to that. It would be crucially important to hear that story, if we hope to inspire them, or more importantly, invite them to discover the truth with us. In fact, I suspect, their story would reveal that they have put more thoughts into what they should believe than we ever have.
So here is my strategy:
- Make them feel safe, and let them share how they have arrived at their beliefs. That means at least once or twice we need to suspend our judgement and let them share their story. Of course, they also need to agree to be respectful to our faith.
- Ask yourself the same questions that they raise. Have I also been convinced about my own faith? What is my story, my journey of encounter that has made Christianity evident to me?
- Share my story, and probably my areas of doubts as well, and why I still desire to strive to follow my faith.
- Only then am I truly qualified to authentically invite someone else to explore what Christianity is really about. Without that self examination and revelation, all we are doing is just using someone else’s argument and stories, which apparently are not very convincing today.
Of course, your relative may be very intellectual. There are today many excellent apologetic material on the internet that they can read or view. Just type in “why Christianity is the true religion” on google or youtube will occupy you for days. You can certainly point them to do some research when they raise objections that you are not familiar with. That can also be a great opportunity for you to learn about your faith.
But then, if your relative does not even want to talk to you about it, or they don’t feel comfortable sharing their story with you, then there is only so much that we can do directly. We will keep praying for them, genuinely loving and caring for them, and from time to time invite them to events or occasions that may lead them to experience the healing presence of God. At all times, we must strive to live our faith to the full, which is to seek to follow Christ with everything we got, in trust, in joy, to love God and our neighbours, as Jesus has loved and forgiven us. Let my life be impossible, if God does not exist. Let that be a seed of fire, that the people around me cannot ignore.