The oral historian Studs Terkel called himself an agnostic — but he had his own peculiar definition of the term: "An agnostic is a cowardly atheist."

The issue of the existence of God is loaded with emotional weight. When we attempt to discuss this issue, we find ourselves very quickly wanting to run for cover. In a recent radio interview, I heard Alain de Botton (author of Religion for Atheists) lament how tedious all such discussions are since, as he observes, the basis from which each side begins is largely emotional and is not especially amenable to reasoned speculation. This is not to say that our starting point is invalid. Believers have a conviction which is very likely given to us, in the words of the hymn, "from our mothers' arms."

I respect the position of the atheist. Why? For one thing, the Second Vatican Council, in the Decree on Religious Liberty, affirms the right and the duty of every human being to seek the truth. Atheism may well be the position reached by an earnest seeker of truth. In the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, on the other hand, the council laments the phenomenon of atheism, especially in its institutionalized Marxist form. I, too, lament atheism, especially the position taken by those who consider religion to be a blight upon society.

We bear in mind the pronouncement of the first Letter of St. John: "God is love." If a person goes through life not perceiving love, it is understandable to us that this person might have a hard time with the idea of God. Believers, then, are left with the question of why a person might be untouched by love. We might also do what we can to appreciate the spectrum of human emotional experiences and recognize that emotional trauma is a factor which could make it more difficult to perceive God. We also acknowledge that a person may be of the sunniest disposition and still be convinced of God's nonexistence.

Is it possible that a period of unbelief is a preparation for someone's entering into a stage of more resilient belief? Certainly. Therefore, believers must practice patience, respecting every person's struggle for truth.

We have an example in the willingness of the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini to carry on a written exchange with the unbelieving Umberto Eco, best known as the author of The Name of the Rose. In the end, both dialogue partners acknowledged the presence of mystery in this human existence which we are all living together. Our Christian faith, of course, leads us into a fuller appreciation of life as mystery.

One element of the mystery is the freedom of human beings to seek, and often to find, a state of being at peace with truths for which no explanation is adequate.