What Is God?
Religion is not as simple as saying grace before a meal, or praying at a certain time of day. It’s understandable why most people believe it to be so; they have not challenged themselves with anything different. Without targeting any specific organized religions, they are one belief system that gives people the answers to the questions that, in reality, cannot be answered. The most important belief in a Religion is the existence of a God; or higher supernatural power, that is the reason for existence in itself. As humans, as smart and conscious as we are, have never had the ability to answer the question, “What is God?”
In a religion, historical documents written throughout history act as the answer to that question. If the answers that religions give have no evidence proving them correct, why do people believe them? The answer is comfort. Thinking existentially is a gift that humans were granted, and even though it can be fascinating to some, it is terrifying for others. Not knowing the answers to life’s questions requires people to create their own reality, which some people find overwhelming and intense; because it is! When people have these answers, they do not need to spend the effort coming to their own conclusions because their blueprint is already laid for them.
On the other hand, an individual finds comfort in the fact that we don’t know the answers; essentially because if we don’t know, why be scared or overwhelmed? The act of. “knowing the unknown” is one claiming to be wise when one is not. But, when one acknowledges the fact that we don’t know an answer, and more than likely never will, yet still makes an effort to find an answer, this shows intelligence.
Religion and God, to me, do not go hand-in-hand. Most religions view God in different ways, which always led me to the question of, “What actually is God?” Because there is no definite answer, we create an answer for ourselves based on our own perceptions and morals. That is why you can take two individuals who practice the same religion, and get two different answers to that question.
Perception is essentially your reality, so whatever you see with your eyes and think with your brain is your reality. With this thought process, it still lands you on the fact that we don’t have a real answer; just an answer for one’s self. To get the closest thing to the real answer, you need to view God at face value. The creator of all things; the reason for the existence of everything. We are nowhere near finding the evidence to answer this question, or even taking the steps to do so.
There are theories, such as the Big Bang and God Particle Theory. These make sense, but who are we to say that they actually happened? They are called “theories” for a reason; “A theory is a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses and facts.” (American Museum of Natural History) They are very logical, but we weren’t there to experience them. If the existence of everything was a product of a reaction, what was the reaction composed of? Or, what if the universe was the reaction, and we were the product? It is a brain-twister, which is why I love discussing it.
If the Big Bang Theory is the way it all happened, was the Universe in its entirety created in one sitting; just one huge mass of space that isn’t expanding or moving anywhere? Or, has it been constantly expanding this whole time? There is a theory that the Universe, since the Big Bang, has been constantly getting bigger; essentially creating itself over and over again with no end. This makes sense, because if it created itself to begin with, what would cause it to stop all of a sudden? Saying that the Universe is not moving or expanding seems very ignorant to say, considering we are smaller than atoms compared to the size of just the observable universe; so what gives us the right or reason to say so? This also applies to the opposing view, except there is more evidence backing constant universe expansion than there is claiming it to be inert. With this, you see, if the universe is expanding, it is constantly creating itself. Whatever is going on inside of the Universe that causes it to constantly expand is, naturally, the universe itself because the universe is composed of everything inside of it. This idea lands me on the idea that God is the universe, or panentheism.
I am a very open-minded individual, and am very aware that I have absolutely no right to claim that I am right and anyone else is wrong, because I myself, just like you, have no real answer! I love discussing this topic because it can only be discussed theoretically. As humans progress, we gain the ability to answer questions we have never had an answer to. But God; this is a question that I believe humans will never be able to fully understand. This is why I believe religions to simply be a manual. They tell you the right way to live, believe, and think; based on the views of whomever it was that created them thousands of years ago. The creator of religions created their own reality, so why can’t you?
Bashing religions is not my thing, but when someone’s views are objectively incorrect, my brain doesn’t allow me to accept them. Don’t mistake, there are many individuals whose lives have been positively changed because of a religious affiliation. Good for them! If religion is what keeps you on a good track of life, I support you. I do, on the other hand, have an issue with being told I am wrong because I don’t believe something that was written thousands of years ago.
God is an extremely complex topic, and should only be approached with proper thought. Belief systems should not separate us; they should bring us together. Why do you believe what you do? Why do I believe what I do? Let’s exchange wisdom, and learn from each other. This is how we progress as a species. If we want to move forward, we need to be able to universally come to the conclusion that none of us know shit. That shows intelligence more than reading books that have been altered over thousands of years.
