The metaphor of religion

I have this fear, this fear of an atheist coming up to me and boldly asking me if I believe in God. What would I say? Probably, that I don't really believe in anything, because I don't really know what the word 'believe' means. Is it different than 'think' or 'know'? I believe the earth is round, I think the earth is round, I know the earth is round - there must be a difference, but what is it?

Rather, I would say that I participate in the religious life of a Christian community, and that allows me to say, "I am a Christian". I can even say why I am a Christian: because it suits me. Do I really believe in God? As a Christian, I use Christian language, thought, values, characters and narrative. I take God seriously. I make God, and thinking about God, learning, reading, praising God, loving God, a real part of my life. It is difficult not to believe something you love is real.

But I would not say I 'believe' that God 'exists' or that the Bible is 'true', unless you agreed to a discussion on what 'believe' and 'exists' and 'true' mean. I am liberal enough, and Christian enough, to accept seeing my religion as it is now as metaphor - the way everything is metaphor, the way science is metaphor, the way the Law of Gravity is metaphor - that structures and allows the living of life in relation to something that is useless to us without, or at least is more useful with, that very metaphorical or symbolic or concrete-seeming language, that idea.

To the extent that religion is philosophy with narrative, the philosophy and narrative and events I value and live are of Jesus.

That said, I must allow equally for love of Islam among Muslims, or Yahweh among Jews, or Hinduism among Hindus, or Secular Humanism among atheists. Folklore beliefs among folklore believers. Language is how we think when we do think, and language is, even individual words are, round-about generalized descriptions and ways of suggesting at what we have no other way of getting to. You may think that language is precise and specific and exact, but the questions that can be asked about a single word are legion, and definitions use words that require definitions, and they all require you be a speaker of that particular language. After however many translations and/or popularizations. Words are mainly defined, or explained, by other words.

So I can say that I speak Christianity, and that means it is an intrinsic, expressive, foundational, colouring, natural (after all, I have to speak some language) part of me that in some way is me, is part of how I live and think and feel and communicate with (be in communion with) others, and the world of ideas and values and decisions. Speaking religiously doesn't mean science is a lie any more than speaking Finnish means Spanish is a lie. Speaking science does not mean it is your duty to drive all other languages into extinction. But knowing a language, any language, does mean you speak to others, you communicate, dialogue, meet, learn, share, translate, teach, enjoy, grow the language, and yes, learn enough about other languages to benefit from and recognize them.

Language is not a perfect match for religion, even in the way I have been talking about them, but that also is the point. Using language as a metaphor for religion is sloppy the way using the facts of a specific religion as a metaphor for the heart of the mystery of love or life doesn't quite fit or cover all the bases. But so too science, logical positivism, utilitarianism, liberalism, economics, or anthropology. So too writing blogs.