I wish to preface this post with a disclaimer: I do not have all the answers. Neither am I saying that the answers that I do have are the correct ones. I have my doubts about what I believe in, as do many others; it is why religion has become synonymous with faith. Faith is not a surefire, 100% money-back guarantee deal. Otherwise it would be knowledge or fact. This post is going to be filled with concessions of doubt, but there will be things that I am very confidant that I am right about.
The question is one humanity has wrestled with since we existed: Is there, or are there, a god or gods? My short answer is yes. But just saying so doesn't make it true or convince anyone of its credibility. Don't worry, I am able to back up my beliefs.
The main reason I believe in a higher power is that things exist. Everything that exists, be it water, air, people, or animals, has a beginning, middle, and end. Thinking about it on a cosmic scale, our universe exists so it must have some sort of beginning. Some have suggested that it began with a Big Bang. Their theory may actually be correct; I can't prove or disprove it. But I would say that they don't think far enough. The Big Bang is an event, a thing. What caused the Big Bang? Something had to kickstart it, since up until now science has been unable to find any instances of spontaneously generated matter. If that day ever comes then we should all reexamine our beliefs; until then, my only conclusion is that some sort of higher power, a "god" if you will, exists outside the laws of our universe. For me, this is an irrefutable fact with our current knowledge.
So "god" exists. So what? What does that mean for humanity? That is an excellent question, and one that I am far less confidant that I am able to answer. Here are the basics of what I think:
1. God is Singular
I arrived at this conclusion through simple elimination. The main concepts for divinity are "monotheism", a belief in a single God, "polytheism", a belief in a pantheon of gods, and "spiritualism", a belief that means god isn't really a sentient existence, but is a sort of divine morality and/or unity. I reject the idea of a polytheistic pantheon, because each of the gods in it would have to be different from each other in order to be distinct and would therefore conflict with each other. Looking at the ancient Greek and Roman polytheistic religions, their gods were petty, selfish, and constantly at odds with each other. They essentially amount to being incredibly powerful humans with human characteristics and flaws. I certainly wouldn't want to worship a deity with that kind of personality. I admit that I don't know much about the spiritualistic point of view, so I cannot say for certain that it is false, only that it doesn't feel right to me. I was raised with a Christian, a monotheistic, point of view, and it is this view that I am most familiar with and most comfortable with.
2. God is Powerful
Most, if not all religions, believe that God was responsible for the origin of the world. If this is true, then God must be unfathomably powerful.
3. God is Absent
This is the belief that runs most counter to what I have been taught. The analogy I use is that of a clock; God created the universe, created the "clock", wound it up, and set it in motion and didn't bother with it again. This I believe is true at least for modern times. If religious texts like the Bible or Quran are indeed true, then God wasn't always absent. It seems like it has only been more recently that God left us to our business. I have not seen any evidence that would be considered "miraculous" or an instance of "divine intervention".
So there you have it, the foundation of my religious beliefs. They are not complete and will almost certainly change over time, but it's what I have to work with now. I wrote this post not to antagonize or criticize or upset, but to cause people to think and consider their own beliefs. Sometimes you just don't know you have other options until you see it. I apologize if it got too wordy or technical, or if some of the logic just doesn't make sense to you. In that case, wrestle with it. Don't just write it off as nonsense right away; try to understand it. Even if you don't agree with me, your faith will be much stronger for the struggle. I hope this post will help you in your search for a higher truth.
