A Rumour of Angels

• Published in: Queen's quarterly Vol. 123; no. 1; pp. 114 - 121
• Main Author: Friesen, Eric
• Format: Journal Article Magazine Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kingston Queen's Quarterly 22.03.2016
• Subjects: Belief & doubt; Domestic relations; Einstein, Albert (1879-1955); Faith; Families & family life; Family history; Family relations; God; Immigrants; Parents & parenting; Canada; United States
• ISSN: 0033-6041

As a person of faith, it's hard to explain what happened on that mid-February weekend so long ago. I resist the easy answer of theological certainty - that God was directly responsible. God, in my view, does not micromanage events in this way. Albert Einstein's view was that "coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." In the end, I'm just not sure, but one answer comes from the American sociologist Peter Berger, who said that we experience symbols and glimpses of existence beyond empirical order, of transcendent existence. Berger calls these "rumours of angels," an image I love ... The later visits of [Susan]'s parents were fraught with tension and criticism of our lifestyle. Finally, after a particularly unpleasant evening at our Minnesota home in which I had to insist that J.D.'s sniping at the length of our son's hair and his loudly declared views about immigrants (particularly Pakistanis) were unacceptable, Susan's parents left our house before we awoke the next morning. It would be the last time we saw J. D. alive. It was at that point that Susan and I decided to cut off all contact with her parents until further notice. It was a painful and scary decision, going against all our instincts and the rules of a close family system, but it was the only way Susan in particular would find relief. I resist the easy answer of theological certainty, that God was directly responsible for having my father-in-law die just before the meeting of bishops in Niagara. God, in my view, does not micromanage events in this way. Albert Einstein's view was that "coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." Well, okay, but that seems to be just an eloquent case of throwing up one's hands. In the end, I'm just not sure, but one answer comes from the American sociologist Peter Berger, who said that we experience symbols and glimpses of existence beyond empirical order, of transcendent existence. Berger calls these "rumours of angels," an image I love.