This posting is a response to the question from a young friend, “Where did God come from?” When people ask such questions, I assume they are serious, and I want to respond in what I hope is a helpful way.
We need to start with what you’ve learned about God. Since I don’t have you sitting next to me, I’ll assume that what you know about God comes from what you’ve been taught and from your own perception of a greater, unexplainable presence in your life. What you have learned may be helpful, but the final answer has to come from within you, and it must be an answer that works for you.
If you think of God as separate from you, like a parent or friend, you will probably try to conceptualize God in human terms – lives somewhere (up there), looks and thinks kinda like us, has a beginning and an end. On the other hand, if you think of God as spirit, manifested in all of creation (even those parts we don’t know about), then God has to be much more than any human can possibly conceptualize or understand. Someone once said that for humans to comprehend God is like a grain of sand on the beach trying to comprehend the ocean.
As human creatures, we are limited by the capacity of our minds. We tend to think in 3-dimensional, sequential terms. Our eyes tell us that everything has depth, width, height, etc. Our experience tells us that everything can be measured by time – hours, days, years, etc. So, we can’t conceptualize in our mind’s eye anything that has no beginning and no end, or is pure, limitless spirit. No human has the capacity to think beyond the limits of their mind. So, our God-concept is developed and confined within the limits of our minds, and, along with everything else in our minds, becomes a resource for living, useful or not depending on our felt needs.
I believe (because my mind tells me to) that God as creator has no beginning and no end. In fact, I'm not sure that you or I do either, except in human terms. That’s what “infinite” means. I can’t conceptualize the properties of “infinity.” When Jesus speaks of "eternal life," I think of infinity. I think of God as an eternal presence which I can experience as I live my life on Earth if I am tuned to that presence. And I believe that Jesus provided a glimpse of the nature of God. But I also believe that you offer me a glimpse of God as you open yourself to God’s presence in your own life. I also experience God in all of the wonder of nature, not only as creator, but also as resident within me and in all of creation, purposing that we be as one. Only then can we achieve our greatest potential and make our greatest contribution. And I believe that God does not create incompletely, and that all I need to live abundantly is available to me on planet Earth. I can hoard it, or I can share it so others can also live abundantly.
So, where does God come from? God only knows. It's a question for us humans only because we think there has to be a beginning, a place, and a person like us.
As an afterthought, I would suggest that the god that many acknowledge is a projection of their own minds suited to their own needs, an on-demand god generally accessible through prayer, relating to us as would a super parent (rewarding, punishing, etc.).
So much for a one-way conversation. I’m sure I’ve left you with questions, perhaps more than you had. Wanna make it a two-way conversation?
Thanks for stimulating my thoughts and reflections, Steve. I grew up with an Episcopalian priest for a father and a preacher's wife for a mother. I am sure that I saw God in human terms earlier in life partly based on how I viewed my parents. The good news is that I had good parents so that was a good thing for awhile. But, I also grew up in the South and some people pushed Jesus and scripture and rules and getting saved, and I had learned that we are all saved and that God is full of forgiveness and love. But, I also believe we have free will too and that we humans are the ones that hurt each other (and help each other) so when a bad thing happens, I don't really blame God. I don't really love aging and people getting sick, hurt or dying but that is reality and how humans are made. I don't think this life is all there is though and that is comforting, although I surely don't know what the mysteries are. In fact, I get nervous when people believe they know the answers for sure! I have wandered in and out of churches for many years and have experimented with other religions and ways of believing in something divine. And, I do believe there is something divine about us and about the world, but I have trouble with organizational religion at times. I grew up seeing so many Bible thumping people who seemed to me to be highly hypocritical and not at all "Christian" in their behavior with people of other religions, thoughts, colors and creeds. I don't believe there is "one way" for all. I think we often learn about the religion of our families and these United States and that other cultures and peoples of the world do the same. So, what fits for me doesn't always fit for anyone else, and vice versa. Being open and interested in communing with people about these issues seems like a great idea. And, like you said, I would guess there are some who don't want to share in writing. But, I like to hear what others have to say too. I appreciate your willingness to start the conversation!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response, Barbara. I too grew up in a pretty religious family, Christian to the core I suppose. But there’s a vagabond spirit in me that frequently surfaced along the way, and in recent years, has become dominant. My mom used to wash out my mouth with soap if I questioned traditional Christian thought. She died when I was 15, and freer thinking soon began to have its way with me. I’ve come to a place where I’m very comfortable in my thinking, but still not nailed down tight. I want to be considered a “seeker” until the day I die. Although I feel an almost overwhelming sense of despair from time to time as I consider what seems to be increasing alienation and division within the human family, I am committed to be an agent of hope to the extent that I can. People like you are a great encouragement to me.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a religious environment that told me I was special in God’s eyes because I professed to be a Christian. As I was exposed in college and missions experiences to people of other cultures and faith traditions, I had increasing difficulty reconciling beliefs I had been taught with a God of grace, mercy and love. It became intolerable for me to accept the notion that persons who had not accepted Christ as their savior were condemned to an afterlife of merciless torment. Today I believe there is no prescribed method for one to experience God, nothing imposed from without; it comes from within if at all. I am discovering that there are others, perhaps multitudes, who share my convictions. Many struggle with expressing a new spiritual identity for fear of being rejected and marginalized, even shunned by their traditional faith families. We can be very intolerant of apostates, even if they only choose to look at traditional thought through a different lens while remaining in their faith communities. Even so, the road ahead is clear to me, and I’m grateful for the company of people like you as I travel it.