The turmoil in Myanmar/Burma brings to my mind some great men and women from that country whom I met in 1947 as a young teenager attending a conference at Mountain House, Caux, the newly created centre of reconciliation in Switzerland.

As I was pondering what to write this month, my Sunday paper had a headline, 'Old age isn’t for sissies.' It was a columnist writing about the need to plan ahead even when we seem to believe that old age is never going to happen to us.

The summer is what some people in newspapers here call the ‘silly season’ when there is often a shortage of big news and all sorts of lesser stories fill the gaps. Not that this is so with terrorist attacks and floods. But I am filling this summer gap with a look at a little religion-based humour.

Every now and then, those of us who feel deprived without our regular news infusion, however gloomy, are treated to a pleasant surprise. As, for instance, the way the Amish killings were rapidly followed by stories of Amish forgiveness. In fact, as one who often writes about forgiveness, I am much encouraged by the number of forgiveness stories I come across these days and even stories of conflicts ending.

I rest my hope of the end of the ‘troubles’ on two specific counts – the dramatic change of attitude by Sinn Fein to the police and something that happened or didn’t happen at a recent rugby match.

Many secular-minded Westerners, particularly in Europe, have a real problem with ANY religion being taken seriously. And there's a refusal to believe that Muslims who believe in their faith and try to take it seriously can become part of modern democratic society.

The attitudes of the Amish people after the terrible tragedy that befell their community, the callous and premeditated murder of five young girls, are testament to that encouragement. The event was shocking to all, the response of the community to some almost beyond belief. From the first moment it seemed that they were disposed to forgive.

Dresden and the British German Friendship Garden

I am in a dialogue with friends in the United States and Australia on what the role should be of columnists like myself. Let me include you in it.

My confirmation classes sixty years ago were held in a church across from my school whose significance was unknown to me at the time. This was St. Paul's Church which was built by William Wilberforce who has become one of my heroes.