This week the readings we'll be looking at are Acts 9:36-end and John 10:22-30.  Exactly what direction they'll be taken in the services I don't know, but looking at them the common thread I see is a question about what the proof is for our believe, or perhaps more deeply, what sort of proof is needed to believe.

In the Acts reading the early church, through Peter's ministry, sees a miraculous event - a young girl is raised from the dead, and restored to her family.  And we're told, 'This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.' 

In the John reading we find the religious authorities questioning Jesus about his identity - wanting to know if he is the Messiah - God's chosen one.  His reply is a challenging - he points out to them that they've seen what he's been doing, the miracles, the teachings, the ministry - and that should be all the proof they need about who he is.

For me that's interesting, because it highlights that whilst events like the Acts reading suggest miracles are necessary to belief, the response of the religious leaders in John tell us it's not quite that simple - external, empirical 'proof' is not an automatic basis for faith.

Indeed many people have a deep faith without ever seeing/experiencing anything miraculous, in the sense of an event that breaks the rules of nature.  So why do we - you, me - believe?

And is it rational to in a world which has conditioned us to spend so much of our time in scientific process and ideology?

This is a question that came up in our conversations over a cup of coffee after Morning Prayer at Bishop Thornton the other week. The answer I offered then is the one I'll share now.

Starting in the scientific realm, since I first heard it I've been intrigued by the story of the discovery of (or the discovery of the weight of) the electron. You can read the full story here if you want to - but basically the scientists were struggling.  They wanted to know the weight of a supposed particle called an 'electron' - but they were up against it, because an electron wasn't something you could see, weigh, or measure.  In physical terms it wasn't really there... so how do you weigh one.  Millikan came up with a genius idea - if you could fire electrons, one by one, at an oil drop - and measure the change in its weight then by simple maths you could find your answer.

Amazingly he did this.

Why does that story fascinate me?  Well, because it's a recognised seminal moment in scientific discovery that is based on faith.  Until that experiment (indeed after it) there was no way of objectively showing the existence of an electron, you couldn't touch it, weigh it, or measure it.  I may be wrong, but I believe that's still true.  So for Millikan's experiment to be possible and accepted it required two things.  1. He had to believe electrons were a real thing.  2. He (and the scientific community) had to be willing to accept the effect of an assumed entity on the reality of another as proof of its existence...

Let's pause for a moment, an think about that in terms of faith...  God can not be weighed, touched, or examined by any means available to science... but there are many people walking around who are happy to believe He's a real thing, and can tell you about the effect he's had on them.

That's why I believe - not because of some external 'proof' of the existence of God; but because I'm an oil drop, and I know I'm changed by the ongoing presence of God in my life, acting in, and upon me; and I know from looking at history that I'm not the only one.

Pause for prayer: Why not take a moment with God and ask him to show you the effect he's been having on your life?  Give thanks for the good he is working in you.  Or instead, you might want to have a conversation with someone who's faith you respect, and ask them what effect knowing God has had on them and their journey.

Incidentally, that story is also one of many examples that remind us that science is as much about faith as religion!