Define Your God 2
Sunday, November 19, 2006
This is sort of a collection of thoughts presented in questions that began to breathe while I was studying for my world religions course this fall. I was in a class of about 15 people. Only one student, in my opinion, presented any solid statement about their position on religion. That was the atheist. By solid I mean that he was firm, unwavering and concise about his beliefs.
All the others seemed unsure about their world-view, more speculative about questions that should have tested their knowledge. At the very beginning of the class, the professor made a blanket statement that everyone has a god. Everyone has something they will contend for as their belief system or world-view. Not everyone, apparently, realizes this and often even with realization is seriously challenged in trying to identify their individual god.
After the finals, there was an oral presentation, which operated as a panel discussion with each student representing a religious position. No one was permitted to present their own personal religion, all had to choose something that was not their own. I saw, during this evolution, much more conviction and foundation than at any other time during the course. But I think that was being required to put study into the religion of choice first, which made sure all of us had at least a minimum of platform offences and defenses to work from. No conviction in defending a foreign idea, of course. But it was enlightening and is partly influential in my idea for this “Define Your God” series.
I haven’t formulated anything in a direction leading to specifics yet. I don’t know if I’ll get to specifics. I think it will be easier to just ask questions for now.
Do you see that you have one? Everybody does.
Is your god just like you? Do you have a personalized, on-call, pocket-god that appears only when you want or expect? Maybe you believe in something that is finely tuned to your own characteristics, either a mirror reflection or maybe an exact opposite?
Is your god a position or a platform? Do you stand on the invincible fact that there are no gods? If so, what fills the position in your life? Does a philosophy or ideal guide you? Who came up with that philosophy? What is the basis for the ideal?
Or do you base everything you do on another person or group of people? Are you trusting someone to provide a perfect how-to or how-not-to example? If so, what quality do they have that qualifies them for the position of Ruler Of Everything You Are Or Do?
Does your god have a resume? If you refer to a person as the “director” in your life, have you scrutinized that person’s vitals?
What does your god do for a living?
What does your god want you to do?
What does your god like?
What makes your god happy?
What makes your god mad?
Does your god say anything?
Is your god manifested in a big guilt trip?
Is your god sure to show up on a rainy day?
Is your god around in spring when the flowers are out?
Is your god more likely to appear after the kids smashed the flowers?