God with a Million Faces

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Whatever truth there may be in these projections, the clearest window opened by pastiche spirituality may not be on the future, but into the past. In one sense, an individual's homely, imperfect search for meaning says more about the origins of faith than the polished beauty of a great religious tradition can. An established religion may be a finished work of art, but the personal quest is a creative act, and thus just as authentic in what it says about innate human yearnings and desires. In the quest of Anne-Marie and millions like her, we can see a living example of the primal impulse toward faith, which may be the deepest unity underlying all religions. It's one of the benefits of a tolerant age -- that we too, if we choose, can strip away the rich vestments of religious tradition and discover that naked faith is something separate and, ultimately, even more mysterious.

Copyright 1998 by Jeremiah Creedon.

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