I was brought up in the Christian tradition and I still treasure the values that form its core. Like many I have become agnostic about the core principals of God made man. However, I often ask myself if these two attitudes can comfortably co-exist.

There is no question in my mind that the tenet of ‘love they neighbour as thyself’ seems undeniably a marvellous aspiration though it’s one that is seldom if ever attained. Nevertheless this is the central idea that makes me stay anchored to the Christian idea.

I see too, that the Christ figure who certainly existed and was executed most cruelly by the political state, was indeed a true revolutionary. Driven by extreme views, impossibly virtuous views which the state found impossible to live with.

Since the foundation of the Christian faith, those tenets of unselfishness, purity and virtue still hold good, though some see the teaching as narrow and virtuous to the point of impossibility. Others see the Christian ideas as out of date and to some extent fear some of the implicit associated ideas, especially related to family relationships.

It seems to me, however, that if we keep in mind the idea, ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’ alive then the world will be a better place. Easter is a time to renew our determination to stick to that idea however difficult it turns out to be. Let’s not loose it.