Did Jesus really rise from the dead - my response to anonymous

On Saturday 30 September, I wrote a blog entitled 'Did Jesus really rise from the dead?' (you can find it under Questions of Belief). Yesterday I received the following email from someone who had read this blog. I originally intended not to publish the comments of this email, but I've decided that I would like an opportunity to respond to what is written.

The comment was submitted by 'Anonymous'.

Is this meant to be proof???? You obviously have never experienced an hallucination. Perhaps you should come out from your secure little ivory tower and talk to some people who have. I have. I know what I'm talking about. And you have no idea. I used to 'believe' and had 'experiences' to back it up. Then I took anti-psychotics for my depressive illness. Not only did they get rid of the hallucinations, they got rid of the 'godly' experiences too. Know that feeling that god is near? That 'feeling the need to pray'? It's all in your head. It's all psychological. That's why the anti-psychotics make it go away. Wake up! Religious experience is all in the head. Bury yours in the sand if you have to, but get off the internet and stop feeding the religious frenzy that will eventually lead to fanatics blowing up the planet. Religious faith is a mental anomaly, nothing more. Don't believe me? Ask your doc for trifluoperazine. Then wake up!

My response to anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for the comments you've submitted to my blog. One of the purposes of creating this blog was to create dialogue, and challenge people to think about issues of faith. When I first received your comments I decided that I was not going to publish them, because I felt that the tone of what you wrote was quite hostile and that you made the attack quite personal, but on reflection I want the opportunity to respond to what you had written. We may not agree with one another, but I do hope we can show one another mutual respect and understanding. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I do feel that it is important that we have the courage to stand up for what we believe in, and I would have appreciated it if you had been prepared to put you real name beside your comments.

I'm sorry if you have had a bad experience with the Christian faith, and feel as though God has let you down, but I can honestly say that from my own experience I know that God is real, and that he does make a difference to people's lives. You seem some how to think that because I believe in God, that I live in an ivory tower, some how escaping from reality. But I don't believe that this is the case, I live in the real world, I face the same challenges and struggles that everyone else does, it is just that I am a Christian, and this effects the way I look at life.

You express a concern about religious frenzy which will lead to fanatics blowing up the planet. I agree with you that some terrible things have been done in the name of religion, but you seem to think that all religion is a bad thing, but it is not. Yes there are problems in the world, and sadly there will always be some people who want to hijack religion to serve their own goals, but so much good is also done by people of religious conviction. So much good work on both a local, national and international level is being done by Christian individuals and organisations, working to build a better world for all people. For example, tackling poverty and injustice, bringing aid and relief to those most in need, helping support some of the world's most vulnerable people.

I am not entirely sure how you think this blog is going to encourage religious frenzy, but if it leads someone closer to experiencing God's love and forgiveness, then that makes me really joyful. When people become Christians, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them, and the Holy Spirit helps us to become more Christ like in our attitudes. This doesn't happen over night, but slowly the fruits of the Spirit (as they are called in the New Testament) start to grow in our lives. Paul describes these fruits as ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23). These are not bad things, in fact I think most people would admit that to see more love, more peace, more kindness in the world is a good thing. If this is the sort of religious frenzy that this blog will encourages, then I'd say bring it on! Jesus also said that the two great commands are that we love God and love our neighbour (in that order). If more people did this, then I believe it would utterly transform the world we live in.

I get the impression that you have struggled with some form of mental illness (depression or something similar?), and that experiences you once felt were from God, you now know were not God. Since I don't know exactly what it is that you experienced, I feel I am unable to comment about that. However, I do believe it is possible to experience God, to experience his peace and joy and his healing, and I don't believe that it is all psychological, or as you say 'all in the head'. You describe religious faith is a mental anomaly, but the reality is that at least one quater of the world's population is Christian, and on top of that we have the other religions, so that is a lot of people to describe as having a mental anomaly!

If you have questions you want to ask, or to debate these points I'd be very happy to, although I would ask that we respect one another's positions, even if we don't agree with one another.

Best wishes

Simon