Some say we should not talk about faith at all here or in our uncensored Facebook blood cancer group. Well, to me faith has been the lifeline that kept me going these last seven and a half years of struggling with blood cancer and its consequences in my body, and every area of my life.

As my life seemed to be burning down around me, there were times when I questioned God. Times when I asked whether if he existed how could he be good and kind, as I would not allow my own child to go through the suffering you see around you. Times when I felt God had stopped answering my prayers.

I have spoken to many like my friend Maggy who have concluded that we are better off without faith. Some say that acknowledging there is no higher being, no greater purpose, no enduring hope beyond death, is simply facing facts and allows us to handle what life brings in a better way. And when you read Maggie’s article about how she was raised in a convent boarding school, and how God was portrayed to her in that environment, to be honest I am not surprised she rejected that God. I reject that portrayal of God too! The abuse carried out in the name of religion is shameful, deplorable and to be utterly rejected and must be dealt with much better than it has been in the past. But with all respect to the genuine pain that all that causes, the fact that there is such a thing as counterfeit money does not lead us to reject all money as being evil. I believe we must be similarly careful with what we accept and reject in regard to religion too.

I do believe in a God of goodness and holiness, but he is also a God of love, compassion, and forgiveness. It is sad that so many see him as some kind of cruel headmaster in the sky, when in reality he stepped into our pain as a baby at Christmas as we all celebrated a month ago now. God on earth, Jesus weeping for our suffering, being alongside us in our pain. That is the image I prefer. And to be honest I came to the conclusion a long time ago that if we decide to reject God, and conclude he does not exist this does nothing to aleviatae our pain and suffering, but does take away the eternal hope of a life beyond this world that gives so many believer’s comfort.

Some of the conflict in the world may appear to be caused by religion, but I think it is more about tribalism.  Indeed many of the wars of the last 100+ years have been prompted by atheist dictators like Hitler, Stalin, and now Putin.  But Maggy is right, we must learn to LISTEN to and understand each others positions, which Is why I believe it to be important that we do actually talk about what we believe.

Maggy and I definitely agree that insults, abuse, causing and taking offence, and of course physical violence have no place in the way we handle those who disagree with us.  Whether you are a person of faith, or not, you are welcome in our online groups, and welcome to talk about how you own beliefs have helped or been challenged by your blood cancer journey.

At Blood Cancer Uncensored, we really aim to be uncensored. We believe it is important to respectfully share whatever is important to us. Matters of faith can sometimes lead to conflict, but we hope to foster a respectful environment where we can talk about all matters freely (though of course we do not talk about faith all tha time). For an alternative view to this article see: “What’s god got to do with it?” which is written by someone who’s personal story has led them not to have a religious faith and who feels faith is often harmful. We welcome respectful comments here, and over in our Facebook group on this and all other matters.

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