Beep. Big red cross. Invalid.
No matter how many times the lady at the Doctor Who Experience waved her scanner over the barcode of the e-ticket I had bought and printed out, the same message appears.
£14.50 for a ticket. About £39 for a return to Cardiff. I had paid nearly £55 for the privilege of having a red Dalek shriek "Exterminate" at me.
I had bought it in good faith. I believed- and not only that sincerely believed- that the piece of paper in my grubby little paw entitled me to access.
It didn't matter how hard I believed, how much faith I had, how sincere my faith was- no amount of faith would alter the reality that what I was holding was an invalid ticket, and would not allow me access.
Just as the lady behind the counter at Burger King earlier that day sincerely believed that I had ordered a chicken burger, and no amount of faith on her part could alter the reality that I had ordered a sausage butty. [OK Graham, let it go]
It might seem odd for an evangelical Christian to be negative about faith, but what gives faith its value is not so much how much, but where is our faith placed?
It seems spiritual and tolerant to write, as one lady I know did on her Facebook wall, that it is cool for people to have a religion as faith is important, but faith isn't of value if it is placed in something untrue. Our faith, our beliefs, are reflected in how we live our lives.
Sadly many people believe, sincerely believe, that what they have in their hand is a ticket that gains them admission to Heaven. Paid for by things they have done. Maybe with the logic that their good deeds outweigh their bad. Or a little checklist of good things to tick off which get you in. One day they will wave their little ticket and will be told- this ticket is invalid, it doesn't allow you access to Heaven. When that happens it doesn't matter how sincerely they think that it's valid, whether they bought it from someone they thought was licenced to sell them. Their sincerity and faith will not alter the fact it is invalid.
Beep. Big red cross. Invalid.
Beep. Cross of Jesus. Valid.
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