When I was young, I spent many years searching for the answer to this question. For insight and guidance, I explored various Christian denominations, other world religions, New Age and lesser known alternative spiritualities, Jungian and mythological research, Existentialism, Atheism, etc. etc. etc. I pondered the intractable logical paradox of "The Problem of Evil." I spent about 15 years wandering and wondering.
And then one day, I had an epiphany and started to laugh.
"Does God Exist?" is the wrong question. It is irrelevant whether God exists or not. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that humans (for whatever reason) have a deep, abiding need for some conception of Divinity and/or spirituality, a need that has existed since we first climbed down from the trees. It is a fundamental aspect of our very humanity and is therefore important to us, regardless of any objective truth or lack thereof about the existence of Divinity in this universe.
Moreover, a sense of spiritual wonder and wholeness is entirely independent of any concept of the Divine. Some of the most spiritual people I've ever known have been atheists.
This insight put an end to my search for "The Truth" and I let go of any need for literal belief in the Divine. I still love the concept of Divinity and am, for example, devoted to female imagery of the Divine as a necessary and healing antidote to misogyny in all mainstream patriarchal religions. But now I regard everything as Mythology. This does not diminish its importance but instead, places our human psyches and needs at the centre of our spiritual lives, which is what it's all about anyway.
Next week, I'll post my thoughts on the dangers of literal belief.
oooooh, i really like this post. i am extremely spiritual but not at all religious. so many people think that believing in 'god' is the answer. i think we miss what we need to see when we focus on a god.
ReplyDeleteI love this post. I realize our beliefs are very much aligned, although I couldn’t have explained it so well.
ReplyDeleteNicely explained.
ReplyDeleteI love your thoughts on this, Debra. I consider myself spiritual and do believe there is something beyond our grasp of 'the other'. After working in a hospital for many years, I do believe in miracles and sometimes those don't come from doctors or medicines. My hubby, I think you know, is a pastor and I consider him 'religious'-but I consider myself a believer and spiritual. I am always accepting of others' beliefs and never try to change them. Blessings to you- Diana
ReplyDeleteI have not been questioning as long as you have Debra. The quest is an important part of life for sure.
ReplyDeleteA very insightful post. I think I arrived at a similar place by a different route. One step on that route included a brief reflection on the the Buddhist koan whereby the young monk asks his master "Does a dog have a Buddha nature?" to which the master replies "Mu!" which I understood to mean "no, but not no" and at which point I burst into laughter. Yes, some questions are the wrong question. So I think we share a bit of our path in common. Happy springtime. Be well.
ReplyDeleteOh most definitely yes. There is a great creator or " top god" in most every civilization and there are flood myths, creation myths, vengeance and quests... Excellent post, Debra! -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI became a pagan back in the 80's...it answered more of my questions than Christianity did..but I really want to see where this goes.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the question. The universe exist and there are so many things unknown about it. We study it and learn more questions to ask.
ReplyDeleteI do believe religions have a positive role, BUT they often have a dark side to them.
I have asked a few people about the existence of hell. I don't believe in hell. Many people have a hard giving up the idea of hell. I think because punishment is a need they have.
Wonderful post, Deb!
ReplyDelete@ Bill Lisleman -- I don't believe in Hell either but you're right -- the idea of eternal punishment can be an attractive and satisfying fulfilment of our desire for vengeance and justice, so long as it's other people who have to go there, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your perspective in this blog! I am spiritual but gave up on the "religious" going to church thing ... If I want to pray, I can do that anywhere!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your follow-up on this subject!
Not a fan of organized religion, though I grew up in the tradition. I think it's an invention of extroverts, usually male, who insist that everything's about community and sticking together. So they create reasons and rules to shore up their own needs. Including rules and regulations about God, which I suspect they invented in their own image!
ReplyDeleteI'm an atheist. I seriously doubt God exists. Wishing that there was one is no evidence for his existence.
ReplyDeleteNicely put.
ReplyDeleteThis post does very well to highlight your eloquence of thought and pen/keyboard. Please keep HRH away this time! Your messaging is exquisite, and I'd hate to see her ruin it.
ReplyDeleteGratitude.
Interesting take on religion and spirituality.
ReplyDeletePersonally, about the only time I go to church these days is for weddings and funerals. I'm neither an overly religious person nor an overly spiritual person. I think to think I'm somewhere in the middle.
I do add some religion/spirituality to my writings from time to time, but usually with a modern twist applied (e.g. Purgatory, Hell and Angels)
I think I could've been something of a pagan in another lifetime as I really do enjoy hiking in our local mountain and really getting in touch with myself while doing so.'
I'm quite accepting of all faiths & practices and as long someone doesn't go proselytizing hardcore, I'm good to go.
Your concept is very interesting. I can tell you had a great deal of thought behind it. I can't wait to see the next post on this.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Debra! The entirety of human history is but a blink of an eye in geological time, yet humans believe there must be some special magical reason for our existence. If a giant meteor strike hadn't wiped out the dinosaurs, we'd still be small, furry rat-like mammals hiding in underground burrows! The first Law of Thermodynamics has always applied: energy is neither created nor destroyed, it can only be transformed. So lets stop fucking up the planet or we'll cause our own mass extinction event. I, for one, would not welcome cockroach overlords!
ReplyDeleteI love this post and I love your spirituality. I too gave up the questions and am living my best spiritual life!
ReplyDeleteI don't regard any of it as true but do enjoy pondering the supernatural as a bit of fun and distraction.
ReplyDeleteA serious post from Debra? Will wonders never cease?
ReplyDeleteI do not think the question of whether God exists is irrelevant, independent of whether we have a psychological need for the divine. If God exists and is anything like the one in those Jack Chick tracts, then I am in for a bad eternity regardless of whether I believe in Him or not.
Is the concept of Hell merely a social construct to keep people in line when there are no discernible consequences for behaving badly/against the wishes of the powerful? Or is it a real promise? That seems relevant to me, and we don't get rid of that problem by confidently wishing it away.
I like this.
ReplyDeleteI am very spiritual, but not at all into organized religion which seems hell-bent, pun intended, on separating us.
@ Old Lurker -- Well, if someone's going to live their life in fear, hedging their bets in case God and Hell are true, I hope for their sake that they will thoroughly hedge their bets by believing in every single religion, spirituality and cult because what if they pick the wrong one to hedge their bets with? That would be a disaster.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Paschal's wager on steroids.
DeleteI believe a formalized religion is essential to those who do not realize they have the ability to understand kindness and respect and practice them independently.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was a nice boost for my anxiety. Thanks, Debra!
ReplyDeleteI guess the standard response is "all those other religions aren't true because the Bible says it has a monopoly on truth", but I always found that argument rawther circular. One might make the argument that the dividing line is between believing in some God (regardless of flavor) and no gods, but that opens the door to believing in Universalism, which won't do at all.
I actually ponder this question alot and vacillate between belief and skepticism. But one question always stumps me: Why would an all-powerful God allow so much suffering in the world? P.S. Pray for Ukraine.
ReplyDelete@ Joanne Noragon -- I like your twist on things!
ReplyDelete@ Old Lurker -- You're foreshadowing my next week's post on the dangers of literal belief. I'll address universalism then too.
ReplyDelete@ Eileen in Fla. -- Precisely! The persistent presence of evil means that God cannot fulfill all three of the basic necessities for the existence of divinity -- a being that is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful, because if God did meet all three characteristics, evil would not exist. That's the unsolvable "problem of evil."
ReplyDeleteWay too many cosmic questions for a Wednesday; try next Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteI find being Spiritual preferable to being Religious. It seems Denominational Religion has very little to do with having any kind of Relationship with the Creator or Creation... it's more about forms and fashions of their particular legalistic rituals and dogma of what their specific version dictates and requires of it's followers. Nature and connecting to it is my preferred place of Worship, it's all so glorious, so interconnected, so Awe inspiring that my puny Mind cannot comprehend just how magnificent it all is orchestrated. Only Man and our pesky interventions have usually fucked things up in the Natural World... remember during early harsh Pandemic Lockdowns how Mother Earth and her Creatures rebounded and self-corrected for that Divine moment we were out of her way!
ReplyDeleteI ponder the occasional coincidence. That's about it.
ReplyDeleteBlogger Debra She Who Seeks said...
ReplyDelete@ Old Lurker -- Well, if someone's going to live their life in fear, hedging their bets in case God and Hell are true
Infinite Hell?
Well, those who think about it is just too stu... err, narrowminded
so they do not understand what Infinity is.
It is not 1000 years plus something. :-)))
Infinity... that is a thing that could eat that God.
Well each and every kind of "great gawd".
Not even if there'd be so many gods as grains of sand in the Ocean.
As atoms in the whole Universe.
It'll swollow em all and will not even feel it.
Bu-ga-ga-h!!!
Ahhh.
ReplyDeleteNot very much into Jeebus or any other mythology. Dogma irks me. I was raised a catholic, was altar boy, yadda, yadda, yadda.
I'm really looking forward to your next post, though. I suspect we are pretty much on the same page.
XOXO
P.S. the only god I want to visit me is Thor. Twice on Sundays.
God is real
ReplyDeleteHe watches like a perv when you masturbate
He gets mad when you vote left
And nothing pisses him off more than not being a hypocritical Christian who doesn't practice what they preach
The story of Noah's Ark ruined religion for me forever. The sheer weight of every two INSECTS on the planet would have sunk that boat especially in those seas. And what about the who carnivores living with the herbivores in such close quarters. And I still want to know why they left the unicorns. Just left them behind. I heard the song.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said, Debra! We are very much in sync. I am very far from being religious. I detached myself from that a veeeeerrrrry long time ago. Organized religion gives me a headache. For me, it's more about how we live our lives and how we treat others rather than whether we believe in some divine power or not. Some of the most religious people are sometimes the biggest offenders.
ReplyDeleteThank you! This is more how i see things. I am still carrying some baggage, because that is how my ancestors brought me here. This was an encouraging post.
ReplyDeleteReligions exist because humans can't accept the finality of death.
ReplyDeletethe Ol'Buzzard
"Simple Question" ~ lol! I go back and forth on this one, but I've found that it is difficult for me to be an atheist. I find myself praying and talking to God a lot, even as I'm thinking He/She doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteHumanity has searched for the Divine since, as you said Debra, we climbed down from the trees. I think all the different mythical, cultural expressions of religion throughout time are humanity's attempt to connect with the Divine. If you look at different religions you see the same ideas recycled in new ways. Religion has veered into some terrible wrongs, but that's not surprising since they are human institutions.
If there is a God who created the universe and beyond, He/She is beyond our capacity to grasp or understand. I don't believe in hell. I'm uncertain about heaven, and I don't find the Christian concept of heaven very appealing. I was raised as a Baptist, but I attended different churches. I don't go to church currently. I'm upset with the hate and intolerance and hypocrisy of "Christians."
The bottom line is, we really don't know. I believe I have a soul, but I have no clue what happens to it after death. (I often joke that I hope there are libraries in heaven.) It's irrelevant as you said. All I can do is live with gratitude for the gift of life and treat others as I would like to be treated. I try to focus on kindness, generosity, and love. Too often I fall short.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post. Take care!
I don't know where to start ! Enjoy your weekend..
ReplyDeleteThat is a really neat way to look at it. LOL, I'm not sure I have definitive stance on anything, but staying curious and open to wonder has been helpful so far, so that's what I'm going with.
ReplyDeleteThis is why you are the smart one!
ReplyDelete