Earlier this week I had the privilege of hosting a panel at a local schools Religion and Philosophy day. The year 11’s had spent the morning looking at different theories, exploring the concepts and then came together in the afternoon to ask a number of questions to various different faith and non faith groups and to get their perspective. We had some people from the local Muslim community, a teacher from the Jewish community, a Humanist, a Buddhist who had travelled down from Cambridge, a Baptist Youth Minister, an Archdeacon and a Bishop.
They all gave great answers, some theory, some theology and some experience, but the best answer of the afternoon was from the Bishop. He said ‘I don’t know…’
The silence in the room almost demanded a better answer than that but in it’s simplicity it was powerful and the change in the room was tangible.
When life demands an answer, ‘I don’t know’ is an unexpected one, and often the unwanted answer because we need to know. We like to have things wrapped up, and for some kind of order to be made out of chaos, for cause to be proved and evidence to justify the questions of why, how, when etc, etc. We make no room for the fact that life is messy, and that in that moment when you’re sitting with someone who is going through something so traumatic, the only appropriate response in the midst of the mess is to say I don’t know, and to resolve to travel the journey with them.
I also think that in our pursuit of the right answer, the rehearsed bible verse, we miss the mystery of God, and we eliminate the possibility of God to come and do something truly mysterious that can’t be explained by theory or theology but creates in us as disciples a life long pursuit of trying to know the unknown.
In Exodus 3:14 God says to Moses…
“I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”
There is so much in life that can’t be known, stuff that no matter how much we learn and grow, we will never fully grasp. Freedom comes through accepting that the more we know the All-Knowing One, the less we need to have all the answers. The Bishop got it right when he could say without embarrassment that he doesn’t have all the answers. Belief, any sort of belief, but especially belief in the Creator of the Universe, demands instead of answers, a willingness to embrace the Mystery without fear.
messianicomplex 
Awesome post, Messi! I love that it’s ok to say ‘I don’t know’. Good on the Bish for being willing to not have to jump through our hoops but showing he’s an ordinary guy who’s just working on how to live a great life for God, I suppose like so many of us.