9 - Inhabiting a Mystery: Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt

Summary

– Joseph, tu aimerais savoir laquelle des deux religions est la vraie. Mais aucune des deux! Une religion n'est ni vraie ni fausse, elle propose une façon de vivre.

– Comment voulez-vous que je respecte les religions si elles ne sont pas vraies?

– Si tu ne respectes que la vérité, alors tu ne respecteras pas grandchose.

The discussion quoted above takes place between a catholic priest, Père Pons, and a young Jewish boy, Joseph. The boy wants to know which religion is true, Judaism or Christianity. Neither, the priest replies; they simply represent different ways of living. Joseph is puzzled: if that is the case, why should one respect religions at all? If you only respect the truth, Père Pons retorts, you do not respect much. And he continues: in life you will encounter a number of uncertain elements – emotions, norms, values, choices; dimensions that are fragile and fluctuating but nevertheless earn our respect as different perspectives on human existence.

The story of Père Pons and Joseph, situated in Belgium during World War II, is presented in the book L'enfant de Noé (2004) by the French novelist and playwright Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. Schmitt has reached a worldwide audience with his symbolically dense, warm and humorous tales of encounters between persons of different cultures, religions and ages and has devoted much of his writing to the topics of religion, spirituality and interreligious dialogue.