Common Sense

Doug writes:  I have been very interested in recent appeals to “common sense”. Does it exist?

“Use your common sense” is a phrase used by parents, teachers, politicians – and possibly sometimes by clergy – to suggest that a particular way of living is embraced by everyone. The illegal rave near Bath on Saturday night, like other similar instances, suggests that some people lack that shared concern for responsibility which many of us would hope for. The people on our beaches flocking in massive numbers as soon as the sun comes out, with little chance of maintaining social distance, likewise challenges the notion of mutual care. For politicians, of whichever party, the fact that people have voted for candidates other than themselves should indicate that we do not all have common sense, i.e. opinions which correspond to other people’s perceptions.

There would have been a time in our nation when Common Sense would have derived from the acceptance of the Christian faith as truth for all but a small number of irksome individuals. Times have changed, and of course it is only right that people have the ability to make their own decisions. And sometimes Christianity got it wrong, with people asserting their prejudice against others citing religion as their authority, but often we got it right with the establishment of hospitals and schools, for example.

Religion is now challenged by humanism and secularism, which is fair enough although I am not at all sure that we are currently rising to that challenge. However, those approaches to life are accepted by many people yet there seems to be no form of agreed commitment in lifestyle within these groups apart from a reaction against the inadequacies of religion. Sometimes I would be very much with them in that perception.

The Christian faith does have many concepts which suggest that we can have a common sense of what is right. “Do unto others as you would have them do to you” is a good start, “Do no murder”, “Forgive your brother (and sister)”, “The greatest of all is love”. Alas, even these tenets are not always adhered to. And losing allegiance to God means that “Love God and love your neighbour as yourself” has a big question mark against it’s central meaning and impetus.

Standing up for our faith is not easy in today’s world. And religion has a chequered history, since we remain human whatever we profess. But the values of the Christian faith are vital, and although there will always be differences of opinion we have a belief in God’s love and salvation, and we have good news of hope and healing which Jesus first announced and now offers to us all in these fractured, painful and uncertain times.