Almost 50 years ago I travelled by myself to Europe for a term break holiday. Replete with backpack and an anorak, I sent a few months taking a fairly well-worn route to the south, then back to the middle and western fringes of the continent. It was a great challenge because backpacking and training about Europe was still a relatively new phenomenon and to be honest, I wasn't exactly the back-packing type. But lugging something around on your back seemed preferable (and far more hip) than carrying old fashioned suitcases. Or so I thought.

I wasn't that keen on dormitories either, but my first few stops were inevitable youth hostels. If I could get into a pension for about the same price, I did. But I digress. One one occasion I was in a male dormitory in either Dijon or Lyon and the conversation turned to religion. As the lights went out, someone made a fairly disparaging remark, so I piped up (very politely) to put a good word in for God. Out of the darkness droned a voice, 'The God box is over there', by which I understood, that the conversation was over. I went to sleep.

People who are not of faith (if I can put it that way) invariably have an opinion about God (supposing they are not atheists) which usually sounds a little like this. If there is a God (quite a qualifier!), then he is not interested in human affairs, does not really care what people get up to, has no real power to intervene anyway and usually doesn't answer prayer (though occasionally might). Alternately, he is kind of a cosmic ATM, not unlike Father Christmas, who doesn't really care about wrongdoing(sin), especially my wrongdoing. He is a benign old duffer. In this reading, most folks really are practical atheists, since they live their lives without any reference to God, though they doubtless have opinions. These opinions are framed, in the main, to get them off the hook.

If you're a Christian then you will know straight away that this view of God is a fantasy, bearing no resemblance to the God of the Bible. Mostly it is wishful thinking, because nobody wants to face judgement (this we must all do) and back-of-the-mind doubts about an eternity spent somewhere unpleasant are, well, discomforting to say the least. You can add to that the fact that a Christian life, while joyful at times, is also difficult. It is an effort to stay the course and the world has many seductions and temptations.

Still, I applaud anyone who is thinking higher thoughts, contemplating the metaphysical. It is, at least, a start. Oh, and the 'God box', whatever that might be, is right under your nose.