ABSTRACT
Society depends on churches for carrying Christian theology, but depends on many interacting communities for making theology work. The arts and the media remain interested in religion. Academic institutions enable people to reflect critically on religion and theology. Readers of this book are bringing the critical study of theology alongside a critical approach to film. Such observations are descriptive of what happens in society. They also imply that society thinks this is all a good thing. But what of those who say that all theology is mistaken? Society may well accept that Christianity and many other religions carry traditions about God, and narratives for people to live within. But what if these are not just misguided but harmful?1 If religions do harm, then any attempt to examine theological frameworks within which people are being encouraged to discover or make meaning is therefore merely adding to the harm done. Part II could then be understood as a disturbing example of brainwashing rather than a creative way of exploring aspects of what it means to be human in the light of a proven, longstanding, illuminating tradition of belief and thought. In this final chapter I therefore come back to the most basic question of all: the question of God. For if there is no God, then surely the whole edifice
Chapter 13
collapses and the only issue is whether God-talk is indeed harmful, or can be left as the private pursuit of mistaken, but relatively harmless, people.
