Belief v. Snoops

June 23, 2009

                         Belief v. Snoops

During the last ten or so months, a modern day artisan named Victor has been helping (for free) the rebuilding of flood-damaged homes in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The local newspaper wrote this story about him:

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090620/NEWS/706209936/-1/FLOOD

Some who witnessed and benefited from his work have been deeply moved by the experience. They believe that he is a man totally surrendered to God, whose prayers are answered ... a man who himself may be an answer to many prayers.

As of today there have been twitters of doubt and skepticism about Victor. Much of the material world cannot let reports of such a spiritual experience stand. It must be discredited, sooner or later, right?

What comes to mind is the legend of the circular stairway in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After about one hundred years, the skeptics had enough of all the miracle talk. Research was done and books were written debunking the entire matter.

Of course the nuns and other witnesses to the stairway's construction had been long dead. The skeptics had no one to challenge their intellect. Their persuasiveness even led the Internet investigator of rumors (Snoops) to label the mystery of the stairway as false.

Such has been the case even with the mystery of Jesus and the Bible's record of his life. Skeptics have long debunked the stories and laughed at the believers. The kindest critics gave Jesus no status greater than merely a good man or a teacher. His divinity, though the foundation of organized religion for two thousand years, could not be accepted.

In the year 2109 will there be convincing proof that Victor was a charlatan and a fraud? That he secretly pocketed millions while pretending to work for free? Is it far-fetched to anticipate that in one hundred years, the 2008 Cedar Rapids flood will be considered just an exaggerated report? Will Victor be replaced in history by Barrack Obama, the president of the United States?

Will the world continue to see a conflict between belief and Snoops?

I pray that the witnesses to Victor's activities in Cedar Rapids get off the merry-go-round of life long enough to write books about this event. Their writings may not carry the weight of the Bible or stop the skeptics. However, the books will make their late-day efforts much more difficult in 2109.

They might even inspire future generations to live a useful and totally surrendered life.