My Political Rant Book

God (Just my Personal Beliefs)

I believe in God. I do.

(in my belief) He's an infinite power, a force that brought about the existence of the universe. A first cause, so to say, the trigger that caused the Big Bang and everything that led to here. Because when I look at the beauty of the world around me, and strange similarities in species, it does all seem so scientific and evolutionary, but it also feels like a perfectly cohorent story, the journey that brought us here.

Because although I know the world's ridden with problems, infested with them, I wouldn't say that's on part of Him hating us. I think God is a higher power, yes, Our Creator, yes, but I don't think He's responsible for every action of ours. I don't think He's all powerful, but I don't think He's under-powerful either. He can control us, to a certain extent, but human choice and will overrides at some point, and He may have set the path in action, but I don't think He stops to bend and pluck thorns off it all the time. Only sometimes.

I know faith and belief in God are wild rides. You have to trust your gut, work with the hope, work with Him. He may not answer, but those of us who believe, through any medium, source or religion, see miracles happen. Although some of the points atheists make against religion do stray me away from that path, I don't agree with them on the existence question. Because I've hoped, I've prayed, and I've seen the miracles working. Small, science-abiding ones. 

I know I have a moral compass, but morality can't be the fruit of only human society, as atheists argue. Morality has changed, and changes across regions, across civilisation, from one mind to another, but I believe in the intuition of some of the very basic tenants of morality that humanity possesses. Because I've seen the consistency of patriotism, love, devotion, hardwork all in there somewhere. Some of it's logic, some of it's hope, and the rest is a leap of faith: so I get to believe in my irreligious, shapeless God, who I refer to as He for purely convenience's sake. I don't believe in heaven and hell, but reincarnation, and karma as things. I do believe in enlightenment. But I don't believe in extreme selflessness, self-righteousness, devotion to the Almighty without thought, like some other religions that hold these tenants do. 

Because I don't think belief in God, prayer to God defines how good we are. If He did create us, think the way we please Him is not by bowing down to Him forever, by gloating on his ego forever. It's by flourishing as His creation, protecting the Earth and its creatures, that are all his creations, by the way, that we'll make Him proud. Because what does God care if one believes in Him or not if said person also saved a thousand lives, saved His creation? I'd go on to argue that our belief or non-belief isn't important, that atheism isn't a big deal to Him, as long as we're good humans. And working against His creation, that's true sin.

I get that this is all too idealistic, all too black and white. Of course nature and science has hierarchies. Of course the food chain continues, but I don't think that's defiance of the creation's order. I think that's how the creations flourish. There are many other loopholes in my belief though, many questions that can be poked at with holes in my theory, but it's grey areas. Because God may not be grey, but the world is. Creations are. Humans are. And I think God's okay with that, as long as the grey isn't too dreary, as long as there's hope for good prevailing.

You could question me at length. "What is good?" "How can I believe in science AND God?" "What proofs do I have?" But I don't have to answer any of that, nor explain my theology or conclusions to anyone. My connection with My Creator is solely between me and Him. I'm not answerable to any book, any scripture, any pastor, any priest. Because if we were all born with the merging of a sperm and egg, which is something that evolved as biology as a effect of the First Cause, then I don't think there needs to be a special training or position or place of worship to reach Him. We're born as equals, which means we all can access him equally.

 Hell, you don't even NEED to reach him. You can pray, sure, but after praying if you go commit mass genocide I don't think He'll be happy you gave Him attention. He's probably happier with the humanitarian atheist. 

And most importantly, as far as I'm concerned, I'm an irreligious theist, which means to me God is a very private thing. My connection to Him is private, and my own thing, and I don't care if you have a connection with Him through the Bible, the Quran or the Bhagwad Gita, or not one at all, as long as you're not defying the good of His creation. Which again is too idealistic, but I can't get into the small details, and exceptions, and don't need to. Because my ideals are subjective, and most importantly nobody holds any authority over my beliefs or how I connect with God, and I don't have to explain my beliefs to anyone. Something which is a huge disadvantage for devoted religious people who may be committing, in the eyes of others in their religion, 'sin', and thus are called out for being "fake" (insert religion).

Also, don't do that. Don't commit the No true Scotsman's fallacy, and call out people for being "fake" whatevers, because chances are they can retaliate right back and call you out on something that might not make you a true whatever in some context.

Anyways, since I don't need a community for me to pray to God, or talk about Him with, I won't have that problem. But these are all my beliefs, and I don't hate anyone who has different beliefs, or none at all, unless you commit actions that deeply shaken my sense of morality (that may or may not stem from those beliefs of yours)