A third streak of universalism which runs through popular culture is that since we have no objective proof of the truth of any religion, we shouldn’t get too worked up over the differences between them and should simply applaud those who believe as long as their belief leads to good works and attitudes.

I have to say I am less prepared to refute this argument, although I will by no means concede it. I feel the proof of Christianity in my heart; of course, there are also people who no doubt feel the same way about Islam or Hinduism or any other religion.

But I have to go back to what I said earlier. A positive, focused kind of passion — and, yes, I realize there are plenty of other kinds — is, at least in my opinion, an essential element of religious belief. If we really don’t think it matters what we believe, why believe at all?

Perhaps it’s a conceit on my part, but I have to believe there are right and wrong answers. I know I don’t have all of them, and it’s possible I don’t have any of them, but I am compelled to live as if what I believe matters.

“Wait a minute, John,” you’re saying at this point. “In the last post, you criticized a movie character for saying that you have to believe in something, even if it’s the wrong thing. But isn’t that what you’ve just said yourself?”

Well, no, not exactly. (But thanks for paying attention.) I say you should believe, not for the sake of belief, but for the sake of truth. I can’t prove the truth of Christianity, but I know the truth of Christianity. Am I just deceiving myself? I can see where some people would accuse me of such.

That, in a nutshell, is one of several issues I’d like to explore here. The scientific method is one of humanity’s greatest achievements, and I admire scientists for their dedication to objective, observable, verifiable truth. I wince when some of my fellow Christians try to treat the book of Genesis as a science textbook, something I do not think God intended when he gave it to us.

But I do believe there is truth that cannot be measured or verified. I believe in truth that is shared through relationship. Without turning this into too much of an apologetic, that is one reason that Christianity seems so right to me — I claim not only a knowledge of God, but a relationship with him, a relationship through which (when I’m listening, which isn’t often enough) he shares these deeper truths with me, and with anyone else who is willing to listen.

But now I’ve gotten into sermonizing. Time to stop for the night.

And there’s the conundrum.