The Issue: A Believable God

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The Issue: A Believable God

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Over recent years religion has become far more a matter of attention in the editorial and news pages of our media.

At a time when formal observance is in decline public interest seems on the increase.

A lot of this is for good reason. The rise of conservative and fundamentalist strands in major religious traditions, has led them to assert their place in the public square more vigorously than has been the case for many years.

This may in part explain the countervailing aggressiveness of those dubbed 'the new atheists'. From the acerbic Christopher Hitchens, to the charming Alain de Boton, and the philosophically critical A.C.Grayling, the very idea of belief is held to be a nonsense.

Yet there are those, despite all, who continue to maintain that belief is both reasonable and credible. Indeed for many religious people, belief in the sort of God described by the new atheists is itself a nonsense. These are people for whom belief in God is a genuine path to the good society, not a function of fear and ignorance.

For those who continue to believe, what sort of God is believeable? Who or What is God, and what belief is reasonable in the 21st century.

GUESTS IN THIS HOUR

• Rev Dr Dorothy Lee, Dean of Theological School, Trinity College, Melbourne
• Fr Michael Whelan, Director of The Aquinas Academy and Executive Director of Catalyst for Renewal
• Simon Smart, Director Centre for Public Christianity
• Ian Barns, Author and commentator on theology and science