Is God Real?
Is God even real? What is the truth behind a creator deity? Why do so many different religions say different things about the nature of how reality was created and the nature of an omnipotent, omnipresent creator deity?
The best way for me to explain the nature of God, or even whether or not there even is a God, is through my own contemplations of the topic and observations of the beliefs of others and reality (specifically the nature of biological and cosmological evolution).
To my own understanding and reason, it seems that science is a completely neutral and mostly unbiased way of explaining what existence is. It is free of religious dogma and superstition. It is not based on what you hold sentiments for or emotionally feel attached to. It’s methods are solely based on reason and observation.
From what we know about evolution, modern humans have evolved from the great apes. The great apes have come from previous mammals. Those mammals came from reptiles. Reptiles, from amphibians. Amphibians, from fish. Fish, from early crustaceans. Crustaceans, from amoeba. Amoeba, from the primordial soup (many evolutionary scientists see this as being where life began). The primordial soup was a collection of chemicals originating from the very early earth. The earth (as far as I know) came from the belly of the sun as parts of it escaped it’s body and cooled down to form solid matter. To my knowledge, there could’ve even been other solids floating around in the cosmos that gravitated onto the earth and added to it. The sun and all of it’s mass came from the solar nebula. The solar nebula came from forces of gravity and the process of accretion (the coming together of matter). And all that matter and gravity ultimately came from the big bang. What is commonly believed is that all matter, particles and energy came from the big bang. Some physicists believe that we may actually be living in a continuum of an infinite number of big bangs called the multiverse. Where am I going with this? What does this say about God?
All things come from the big bang as far as we know. And even if there is an infinite number of big bangs, it’s all existing in one infinite space… key word, infinite. Understand that your body is made of cells, which is made of molecules, made of atoms, made of subatomic particles, made of quarks and deeper than that we’re not too certain of. Some theories are going around such as string theory. But something else to note is that all particles are made of and rely on energy, which cannot be created or destroyed. Energy is immortal. Immortality is the breath of infinity… there it is again.
What I want to say next may seem philosophical, but I see it as being more observational or realistic.
You ARE… alive. You ARE… a being. You ARE. You know you’re 100% alive and a being because you feel, you think, you do and you speak. You hold beliefs and you make art and you dance. You perceive meaning. Just say this to yourself… ‘I AM something’. notice how you feel your chest. There could be a feeling of peace there. Peace is the purpose of all religions.
Anyway, you as a living being come from your parents. your parents came from their parents. Going all the way back into evolution, we all descended from the primordial soup. Is that truly where life began? Like I said, you know that you’re a being and you’re alive. You could only have grown this aliveness from what was already there. Your parents had life and gave you life. If the primordial soup is not alive, how could it have possibly created life? I believe it is a misperception of modern science to believe that life spontaneously came out of a pool of ‘dead’ chemicals. I believe that there was some form of very basic life or consciousness in the pool of chemicals. It is only a modern human perspective to believe that life started at the pool of chemicals, but nature on the other hand has no perspective on what is life and what is not life. It is just one form that is constantly going through change (from chemicals to amoeba), I believe it is a modern delusion to see it as a black or white thing. We may perceive chemicals as being a very ‘dumb’ form of life, just as we perceive animals as generally being dumb. But animals at least possess another type of intelligence that many modern humans generally don’t have, which is the intelligence of intuition and instinct. That feeling of being something… that peace (the solidity within) and that awareness of reality, I believe, is what is in the rocks and in the chemicals. I believe the sun is alive and I believe the entire cosmos is alive… I believe all of existence, all realms and universes and anywhere there is a thing (the totality of all things), is ONE living thing. If I’m alive and a being, I come from other beings and all beings came from a very basic form of life (chemicals), and even all those individual chemicals came from one sole existence (as all things in all realms and universes did), then that must mean this whole continuum of existence is alive and aware, it is a being. Just look around you, it’s everywhere. Even inside of you… even in your dreams and in your imagination (other realms where things can happen). You are a function of this being. You are a cell in it’s body. Many tribal cultures believed the great spirit is all around us.
This is what I believe that God truly is, above all religions and ideologies and why there is a God. God is an infinite being that created all things and is the giver of life and the soul. God is the ultimate source of mysteries and meaning.
Why do so many different religions say different things about God?
I believe it’s their own experiences and interpretations of life that cause God to speak differently to different people. God is infinite, therefore God cannot be contained in clumsy words or human utterances. There will always be distortions in expressing divine truths… One entity cannot ever fully grasp the totality of God within their minds or speech.
Mystical visions and experiences are usually the inspirations to start religions. divine revelation. Many different people have visions coming from a divine source, yet they all say different things about the nature of divinity. They all have visions and messages that accurately predict the future or distant events that they couldn’t possibly know, but will say different existential or mystical truths. The nature of psychic and mystical abilities is that they are guided by what you understand or believe. If you follow a Hindu path, your visions will accurately predict the future but will talk about Krishna and karma as truth. If you follow Christianity and have the gift of prophecy, your visions will predict the future accurately but will be talking about Christ and redemption as truth.
Another thing is the nature of healing, happiness and conviction. If one path provides you with utmost healing and happiness, is this evidence that the religion is the truth? ‘Christianity brought me so much healing and happiness, it’s obviously true’. Other religions make others happy and provide healing for them. It’s not unique to one religion. Same for when religions say that there will be deep convictions in time when you dedicate yourself to the path. You could have a deep knowing, but that’s not unique to one path or religion. Different religions say different things, and many will be deeply convinced that their path is the real or right one. This obviously can’t be true. But practice your religion as long as it helps you.
Even the same with miracles and magic. All religions have miracles and magic. God does not keep miracles and magic for one religion solely.
God is the sum of all things plus beyond what any individual’s mind can comprehend. God is the provider of life. After all, how could dumb, dead particles create the human experience which is full of beauty and meaning? There had to have been some form of life already within them, only becoming more complex as time went on. That sense of life comes from the creator.
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Talking about all this God stuff can be very ‘out there’. It needs grounding. Ultimately, what would be the purpose behind God creating life in the first place? In other words, what does God want for his people?
It’s very simple. God just wants people to live good and happy lives primarily. To spread joys and love everywhere you go. To be grateful for the things you have and for who you are. Your skills and talents. Is there any truth that is higher or more universal to all than just living a good life with plenty of joy and kind actions? God does not judge based on whatever religion you follow. You will suffer in life, but God is there to ease that suffering and give strength and blessings if you let him in your heart. And that is simply by believing!
