TOM EATON: Something about saving souls and gym membership?
'The secular world I inhabit encourages me and my fellow non-believers to think that faith is a slightly harmful lifestyle choice, like smoking'
THE man, strumming a battered guitar and wailing a song about Jesus Christ, was being glared at. This was a march against the corruption of the South African government, not a religious gathering. Indeed, many of those milling about outside parliament were ardent secularists, horrified by any hint of closeness between state and church. But the man persisted, becoming defiant as the crowd frowned at him. He stopped singing and began to preach.There was only one ruler of this planet, he cried out, so why were we wasting our time with mortal princes? Didn’t we understand that it was futile hoping for redemption through a better president if we hadn’t accepted God as our only true ruler? Some people shuffled away from him, anxious about his mental state, but the rest didn’t try to hide their annoyance. Belief is a private matter. It was wrong of him to impose his on others. A few years ago I would have been one of the people giving him a cautious glare. But these days, I’m not so sure. ...
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