On the one hand, God is all-powerful, controls our lives, and has created everything. Also, God must convince people to believe in him through fear tactics. Religious belief holds that God punishes those who defy Him and rewards those who have faith in Him.
This seems black and white. Yet religions have mixed messages about the purpose of God’s wrath and rewards. If God is loving and the ruler of this world, why do we have so much pain and tragedy? If God is wrathful, does He genuinely love the human beings He created? How could he allow a sinless child to suffer in sickness and die, yet the most sinful murderer lives?
I’m sure the studied theologians and those with their Doctor of Divinity have all this figured out. But lay folks can make no sense of it. If God is all-powerful, why do we have wars, famine, and pandemics causing all this suffering? If God rewards the faithful, why do greedy individuals thrive while religious followers suffer in poverty? It seems people who live the way religions prescribe are those who suffer the greatest, not the least.
Many people leave religion because they don’t see the sense of God allowing suffering. It makes no sense that an all-powerful deity would allow suffering, especially the suffering of the faithful or innocent, therefore, God must not be real. This is the most sensible conclusion. God, as the authoritarian ruler, in control of all our fates, and in charge of all life on Earth, is an illusion.
But does that mean that there is no God?
Maybe.
Let’s explore Divine existence from a non-religious perspective. After all, if God predates humanity, He also predates religion. Religion attempts to know God, discover what God wants, and get closer to God. Many of those who leave religion do so because they become disillusioned with the interpretation of God that religions provide. Breaking free of religious belief opens pathways in all directions and the true adventure of spirituality begins.
Throwing away religious beliefs is one way people come to the spiritual path. They wish to get to know God without the precepts or texts and without the tenets or rules. Spiritual seekers challenge the belief systems of their upbringing, opting to explore the Truth of Divinity on their own. They don’t want to learn about God. They want to experience the Divine.
Experiencing Divinity in its purest form develops a personal connection that shifts from belief into Truth. Yet, this takes work. Our beliefs are deep down in our core. Even if you were not raised in a religious background, it is probable that preconceived notions of God as the Boss still have an influence on you. This belief hides in many aspects of our lives and our consciousness. To challenge this, we can ask ourselves what if that was not true? What if the opposite were true? What if God is not the Boss? Instead, what if we are in charge? What if you are in charge of your life and humanity is in charge of the Earth?
That would explain a lot.
That would explain wars, suffering, and poverty. That would explain tragedy and sorrow. That would explain all the hardships we go through. But it does not answer if there is a God or not. If God is not the Boss, then what is God?
I’m glad you asked.
This is the part where you follow your curiosity. The more curious you are, the more you will learn and discover how to explore your own consciousness and the more you will get answers. The more you seek, the more you will find. Keep seeking.
The conclusion may always be elusive. Like seeking the edge of the universe, we know there must be a limit to it, but we may never find it. The discovery is in looking for the answer. The definitive answer to “What is God?” is life’s adventure. Accepting the quest to find the conclusion, even though it may never be revealed.
How to begin
You must first take stock of what you believe already. To evaluate where you are with your beliefs, start with some questions to meditate on.
Do you believe in God? If you don’t believe in God, why don’t you? If you believe in God, why do you?
Asking yourself these direct questions can bring up some interesting answers. Keep going.
Have you had an experience that is miraculous or spiritual? Do you have a sense of something you can’t define?
Do you believe in a consciousness that guides and helps you?
Have you asked for help from unseen forces and gotten it? Have you asked for help and not gotten it? What experience has influenced your belief?
These questions and others like them take us on a journey. To go on this journey, we must be very brave because it does not reveal answers until we let go of preconceived notions of what the answers will be. Allowing any answer to be true and exploring what that means to our own identity is courageous. When you shift your belief, you shift yourself. Yet, no matter how open you are, you will resist shifting. Shifting requires challenging your ego, and your ego hates a challenge.
But you can do it. Just start by asking one question at a time. Divine discovery awaits you.
For support on this path, join our “Radical Self-Trust” group starting December 6th. Each month will have a theme and this December we are exploring practices to dive deep into our belief systems and build upon self-awareness. We meet weekly for discussion and new practices!
More info is here: https://janetkadow.com/radical-self-trust/
Contact Janet at janet@janetkadow.com, or call or text 619.866.4405.