Godliness revisited

Whether ‘believers’ or not, the idea of God is pervasive in our over-complicated little lives. God is either our friend or foe, based on the circumstance dealt. An unfortunate but true universality. As much as we love and exalt God when times are good, if someone dear to us is at death's door, we will choose to beg God for a recovery, often as a quid pro quo for confessing our sins.

But if the person nevertheless dies, we are prone to doubting the hand of God and becoming embittered, rather than accepting the inevitable and moving on. So, I ask you, does the presence or absence of God in this situation help or hurt? Does the imagination of God provide an easy way out for those that are otherwise weak or irresponsible. Is God a crutch of convenience? And most of all, does the 'beggar' in each of us ask more from God than we give to Him? A relationship that leaves much to be desired.

Then there's the God that embodies the highest of all wise beings. Someone or something that we can all look up to and aspire to. A unifying and omniscient point of reference that instills in us a deep sense of humility. A proxy for meaningful belief systems, and an embodiment of all our great and giving leaders. This is the type of God that helps us nurture our young and provide them a shared sense of community and purpose. This is a God that encourages us to discover ourselves, be responsible, and love others even during adversity. Even the most agnostic and atheist amongst us will agree that whether or not God really 'exists', His basic tenets help many of us channel an innate spirituality and creativity into mutually productive endeavors. God for many of us is the most active listener and coach.

Finally, there's the God that some would have us believe continually wields a sword over our flaccid and guilty necks. This God is meant to tame our inherently virulent and sin-prone selves. This God believes less in encouraging our goodness, but in stemming our badness. He demands that we worship idols and conduct endless rites and rituals. And at the end of our utterly worthless lives He judges us and decides whether we should be sent to dance in the kingdom of solace, or to repent in the brutal netherworld. This is a God you don't mess with. This is the God that powerful politicians seem to coincidentally extol. This is the invisible hand used to keep you in line. This is the God that the famous scientist and theologist Albert Einstein referred to when we said "If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed."

So, I ask you, why are you a 'believer'? Are you a blind believer because you were taught no better? Are you worried that you will be judged more for your lack of beliefs than the level of your giving? Are you on a religious bandwagon because the alternative is to be cast aside as a heretic? Or maybe you are religious because you are truly inspired by what God stands for, and know no better way to co-generate peoples' aspirations.

And similarly, I ask, why are you a 'non-believer'? Are you so scientific that you've irrefutably proven God's non-existence? Are you embittered by how God and religion have been usurped to create oppression and suffering? Are you irritated by how your relatives confuse superstition with your essence of God? Are you incensed by how some use the unattainability of God as an excuse for not taking personal responsibility in their lives? Or are you simply a 'believer in waiting', biding your time till you one day you have the time and wherewithal to explore your own spirituality.

As I myself explore my personal connection with an enigmatic ideal termed 'God', I yearn to engage others in a genuine debate. Let us leave aside the lofty and threatening notions of "if the universe is infinite, only God could have made it!" and "my God is the only God" and "if you challenge God, he will strike you down", and rather ask "what aspects of giving, rather than taking, can we emulate and put into practice in our lives?" After all, if God isn't about giving, responsibility, and tolerance... I'm sorry to say, we need to start over.