Only those whose life choices are guided by religion in almost everything talk about faith publicly. Maybe it's time for the rest of us to shed light on our worldview, writes Johanna Malinen in her column.
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On my neck a small golden cross has been hanging for years.
The piece of jewelry I received as a gift has decorated my cleavage everywhere I've moved – in university corridors, workplaces, bars and gyms.
No one has asked if it is just a piece of jewelry or some kind of symbol of faith. That says something about how personal faith is in our culture.
Those whose life choices are guided by religion in almost everything are the ones who speak publicly about faith. Maybe it's time for the rest of us to shed light on our worldview.
I am a journalist who trusts science and supports equality. And the way of life can't be described as pious either. Still, I believe in some higher power and the beyond, maybe even God.
I've kept quiet about it because believing in God has a bad reputation in the urban bubble. Things like extreme conservatism, homophobia and anti-science are associated with faith. I absolutely do not want such stamps.
Sometimes you also forget, that personal faith and religion are different things. You can believe in a higher power in many ways, even if you don't belong to any religious denomination.
I myself belong to the Evangelical Lutheran church. I don't go to church, and I consider the teachings of the Bible mainly cultural-historical texts. Still, it is important for me to remain a member of the church.
One of the reasons for that is that I greatly appreciate the charity and youth work done by the churches. I've had my share of it myself. When I was a teenager, the only youth center in my hometown was run by the church. I have met one of my closest friends as a small child in the day club run by the church.
And yes, I am painfully aware of how much evil has been done under the guise of religion.
But progress is happening, even if it seems painfully slow. In the summer, a rainbow flag flew in the church yard of my own congregation. I follow a priest from Helsinki on Instagram Mularia berrieswhich shakes the church from the inside towards modern times.
For me, believe above all, it means the love of one's neighbor and some kind of inner peace. It helps me trust that there is more good than bad in humanity.
My worldview starts from the fact that faith is a compass that guides me to act according to my values: It helps me to be fair to other people and myself.
It is self-evident that the same guidelines can also belong to the world of values of an atheist. But for me, it is faith that for some reason brings comfort and strength to act in really difficult moments.
Some kind of belief in the possibility of the afterlife also eases my fear of death. Anxiety that my consciousness will suddenly disappear.
It doesn't really matter to me what the ultimate truth is about God's existence. If God and the afterlife don't exist, I'll probably just cease to exist after death – that's it.
It is enough for me if, thanks to my faith, I have feared a little less and loved a little more.
The author is a news producer specializing in family relationship journalism.
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