what do we have faith in?

Dave Belden, president, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, does not fear the big questions. He revels in kicking them around and trying to find hope in a complex world.
Wednesday 23rd March

Have faith in the People!

Dave Belden, 23 March 2005
The ban by some Imax cinemas in the United States of films referring to evolution teaches Dave Belden a lesson about the right's distrust and the left's frustration.
Tuesday 8th March

China's values vacuum

Dave Belden, 8 March 2005
Many Chinese people are embracing religion as well as the market, but is their long march leading towards Europe?
Wednesday 23rd February

Raising children!and Republicans

Dave Belden, 23 February 2005
A family difference over childrearing makes Dave Belden rethink America’s political future.
Tuesday 8th February

I believe in nonzero

Dave Belden, 8 February 2005
The “cooperation-plus-competition” that shapes life on earth, from microbes to the internet, gives Dave Belden optimism about the human future.
Tuesday 25th January

A life-affirming universe

Dave Belden, 25 January 2005
The universe is creative and regenerative as well as brutal and finite – just like humans. In this lies a consolation that is open to believer and atheist alike, says Dave Belden.
Wednesday 12th January

Sin and tsunamis

Dave Belden, 12 January 2005
The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 provoked the first modern discussion about the causes of natural disasters – fate, science, God, or human failure. What lessons does the world need to learn from the Asian tsunami 250 years later?

When tsunamis destroyed one of Europe’s greatest cities in 1755, there was as yet no science of seismology. Governments did not yet expect to take responsibility for the results of natural disasters or “acts of God”. People thought it was God’s punishment – though they differed on how people had sinned.

Tuesday 14th December

Candles at Christmas

Dave Belden, 14 December 2004
The tastes of Christmas past, and the religious beliefs at the festival’s core, remain alive in Dave Belden’s memory.
Monday 29th November

Welcoming liberal Islam

Dave Belden, 29 November 2004
If even reformist Muslims find a chilly welcome in Europe, what hope for dialogue across boundaries of belief?
Monday 15th November

The long divide

Dave Belden, 15 November 2004
A revival of the progressive religious tradition could be the key to Democratic recovery in the United States, says Dave Belden.
Monday 1st November

Against polarisation

Dave Belden, 1 November 2004
The left is guilty of political paranoia that drowns reasoned argument. But it is the failures and dangers of Bush’s post-9/11 policy that leave Dave Belden with a clear choice in the presidential election.
Sunday 17th October

God, war and presidents

Dave Belden, 17 October 2004
Does doubt lead to better judgment – and more just wars – than blind faith? Dave Belden on the difference between Abraham Lincoln and George W Bush.
Monday 27th September

God is not a Republican!or a Democrat

Dave Belden, 27 September 2004
To create a fairer 21st century world, secular liberals must unite with progressive religious people of all faiths in a common cause, says Dave Belden.
Monday 13th September

Fight the good fights

Dave Belden, 13 September 2004
The political message of the Chinese martial-arts epic ‘Hero’ makes Dave Belden worry: is this entertainment a form of totalitarian art?
Tuesday 31st August

Facing our demons

Dave Belden, 31 August 2004
After almost two years and twenty–nine columns, Dave Belden is still exploring what it means for an agnostic to write about religion. But if the answers remain elusive, the need for dialogue across faith, unbelief and dogma has never been clearer.
Sunday 25th July

Don't get <em>Left Behind</em>

Dave Belden, 25 July 2004
The American left fears that government is in the hands of the religious right. The right fear that despite the best efforts of the conservative administration, they cannot reverse the tide of liberal social change. If they ever talked they would find that, unbeknownst to both sides, they are moving together not apart, says Dave Belden.
Sunday 11th July

What does 'spiritual' mean?

Dave Belden, 11 July 2004
There are a great many sceptics who will one day be grateful for the legacy of at least one evangelical Christian. Dave Belden continues his dialogue with readers on the value of religion.
Wednesday 30th June

New wine

Dave Belden, 30 June 2004
Religion need not be the vehicle for a narrow, exclusive conformism. It can be the means for individuals to reconstitute themselves as whole human beings – and thus a route to social progress.
Monday 14th June

The left needs religion

Dave Belden, 14 June 2004
Religion doesn’t have to mean repressive institutionalised mystification, it’s not even about God. It’s a way to organise a community around our core human values, and anyone interested in social change needs it.
Tuesday 1st June

Religion is good for this

Dave Belden, 1 June 2004
Religion can bring hope, respect, salvation. Dave Belden, a non-believer, makes the case.
Sunday 16th May

Thanks for the photos

Dave Belden, 16 May 2004
Images like those of the abuse at Abu Ghraib can destroy our hope for a better future. But democracy only works when images are uncontrolled. Dave Belden sees a chance.
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