Over the years the early concepts of spirits and gods evolved through various forms of polytheism to the monotheistic religions of today. Although science has demystified many of the fears and superstitions of primitive man by transforming much of the unknown to the known, we still look to religion to provide answers to those questions regarding the creation of our universe, the creation of life, and the concept of God as the supreme creative intelligence for all that exists.
While most religions have preached that God loves us as his creations and wishes us to live in peace and harmony, history clearly reveals that achieving this has fallen far short of the ideal. Something has not gone right and it’s probably extremely unrealistic to think that any significant change will occur in man’s approach to religion. Nevertheless, I'm suggesting that this may be the time for us to reassess our concepts of God and religion. As with a golf shot gone astray, it might be time to take a “mulligan on religion”.
For thousands of years various forms of religion have been a positive force in serving vital needs in the lives of billions of humans. However, in spite of many positives, there has always been a dark side to religion. Human sacrifices to the gods, severe punishments following convictions of heresy, the burning of women suspected of witchcraft, wars between various religious groups, and violence between religious sects have been relatively common events throughout history. Today, the negatives seem to be accumulating at an increased pace and are further tarnishing the image of religion. The hatred displayed between the Muslims and Jews in the Middle East, the barbaric 9/11/2001 killing of thousands of innocent people by radical Islamists, suicide bombings, brutal stoning and beheadings, “honor killings”, conflict between Muslims and Hindus in India, random killing of Muslims in the U.S., planned attacks on religious leaders, defacing of religious books and artifacts all reflect the growing animosity between various religious groups and why this may be the time to take a “mulligan on religion”. Before further describing what is meant by this and developing such a proposal, a bit of history should be reviewed including the general concepts of God and religion.
In order to explore the relationship of God to religious philosophy in any rational way, key terms must be defined. In order to allow for sufficient latitude in the following discussion, the definitions will be intentionally very broad and nonspecific. For example, God will be defined as the ultimate creative force in the universe and religious philosophy defined as any system of beliefs developed by mankind to address the nature and will of God.
While some would want to further embellish these definitions, it’s advantageous to begin with very basic definitions that a majority of us could agree upon. Further elaboration of these definitions can be eventually added as they are revealed through rational analysis. For example, there are those who would argue that their own particular religious philosophy is not of human origin but rather was revealed to mankind by God. In essence, their religious philosophy, or as we will refer to it from now on as their religion, came from God. However, to do this at the outset would essentially negate or at least significantly diminish other religions. It would give unfair preference to one of many religions and would immediately stifle the goal of exploring the relationship of God to religion in a rational way.
Assuming that the above starting points are accepted, the first question that will be considered is - what is the origin of man’s concept of God?
An essay presented by The Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance¹ provides a concise description and an answer to this question that is consistent with the perspective presented in the chapter on “Religion” in my book “A Path To The Gold”2. In essence, God, or initially a group of Gods were imagined by primitive man to aid in orienting himself in a seemingly hostile and vastly mysterious environment and as a protective mechanism to help him deal with the anxiety related to his own mortality. The essay traces the evolution of the God concept from the various spirits of primitive cultures through polytheism of the Greeks, Romans and Celts to monotheism of most present day religions. In brief, the concept of God was invented by man as a secure foundation that would allow him to face the trials and tribulations of life, the vast unknown universe and a frightening uncertain future. Much like young children find security in their parents, humans of all ages find security in the concept of God as a guardian who helps them negotiate the minefield of life.
Associated with every God concept is a detailed story that relates God and man. Much of this takes the form of instructions from God to man on leading the kind of proper life that will please God and warrant his protective guidance. While these stories may differ significantly, most religions teach that their particular story is accurate and sent to man from God via a prophet. Thus, in accepting this belief, each religion tacitly brands the stories of other religions as inaccurate and of human origin. Such a scenario, at best, sets the stage for philosophical controversy if not more aggressive forms of conflict such as we are witnessing today between certain factions of Muslims, Christians and Jews. It’s interesting that the origins of these three major religions have much in common, which may in fact contribute to the problem. Other religions such as polytheism of various indigenous cultures, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, etc. are farther removed, probably dismissed as irrelevant, and of no threat to the dominance of the major religions. What we are dealing with is simply another example of human “pack behavior”, albeit based on an extreme level of emotionality that we call religious faith.
In suggesting “a mulligan on religion” I want to stress that it is the human implementation of religion that is referred to. In doing so, particularly care must be taken to retain essentially all of the beneficial aspects of religious faith while eliminating those negative aspects that have led to the kind of conflicts referred to above. A strong religious faith has numerous benefits, especially in ensuring the psychological security of its followers. That must be maintained in spite of proposing a somewhat new paradigm for viewing religious institutions. The new paradigm will evolve as an attempt is made to bridge the gap between the material world domain of religious institutions and the concept of God, which is the essence of the spiritual world.
While realizing that religious faith is a highly subjective and emotional construct of the human mind, it is also recognized that rationality is one of the most advanced, if not the most advanced, capability of the human brain. Abstract thought and rational analysis allow humans to arrive at ideas and conclusions that have a significant probability of being accurate and reflective of reality. If one believes that God has created man, one must also believe that God has provided this capability and that God has intended man to use it.
Probabilistic Rationalism is a process described in “A Path To The Gold” for reaching conclusions that have a high probability of being accurate. This process will be used to develop a new paradigm and to address key issues relating to God and religion.
How can we best refine the initial basic definition of God based on the current state of human knowledge?
In attempting to further define God, it’s important to consider that there are three categories of current information or knowledge, the known, the unknown and the unknowable. Scientific investigation is the principal activity of man that brings about expansion of the body of the known. It is a material world activity that converts the unknown to the known. In all likelihood most information or potential information falls into the unknowable category simply because of man’s limited range of perception of the vast universe. Included in this are all aspects of the spiritual world. Scientific investigation cannot address the spiritual world or any other component of the unknowable realm. In such areas, no measurements can be made, no data collected and no objective analysis can be performed. This concept was discussed in somewhat greater detail in “A Path To The Gold”.
The concept of God exists strictly in the spiritual realm of the human mind. As previously described the concept of God has been around since the days of primitive man. The concept has taken many forms but God has always been regarded as a Supreme Being (s), creator(s) of everything in existence who seemingly needs to be obeyed and worshiped. In all cases where God has supposedly informed mankind of his will, this has been provided by human prophets. There has never been an unambiguous message sent directly from God simultaneously to all, or at least, to a large number of individual humans. It’s often been thought that natural phenomena are messages from God. Floods, famines, earthquakes, the appearance of comets and even solar eclipses have been interpreted as messages from God. However, there is no unambiguous proof of such an interpretation. Humans have written the sacred books such as the Bible and the Koran. Religious institutions regard them as the word of God but those are unproven claims that can only be accepted as a matter of faith. There is simply no unambiguous evidence for a direct link between the spiritual world and the material world.
In spite of suggesting that God is not of the material world but rather of the spiritual world which exists in the human mind, it is simultaneously rational to hold that God is very real. That the concept of God has existed in the minds of literally billions of humans throughout the ages is an undeniable fact and is one and the same with the existence of God. The rationale for this conclusion arises from the basic premise that God is of the spiritual world and not of the material world. As previously pointed out, facts concerning the material world are revealed through scientific investigation as it brings knowledge from the unknown realm into the realm of the known. Conclusions concerning the material world are rational when they agree with scientific factual information. For example, one can go from Los Angeles to London by traveling either east or west. However, it would be irrational to travel to the west since that distance is approximately 11,400 miles while the distance traveling east is less than half that at about 5,400 miles. Science provides quantitative objective data to yield material world facts. Conversely, no such quantitative data arises from the spiritual world and ideas regarding matters of the spiritual world are by definition subjective and, most importantly, personal. Thus if someone believes that God is a three headed woman 14 inches tall, then that person’s concept of God is just that and, furthermore, is just as valid as anyone else’s concept of God or, in fact, as is an atheists belief that there is no God. The usual form of analysis cannot be applied in this case because there are no objective facts to base such an analysis on. Thus, the only reasonable conclusion that one can come to regarding the spiritual world is that any belief held by any person is true for that person. It is a belief formulated in his mind concerning the vast realm of universally unprovable or unknowable knowledge.
This brings us to the most difficult, and likely the most controversial, task. We must now propose a universally acceptable concept of God as well as a revised view of the place and role of the world’s religious institutions. In attempting this, it is recognized that we are walking a thin line between the material world and the spiritual world. Great care must be taken to use objective analysis only where appropriate, i.e., in dealing with facts of the material world. Opinions expressed about the spiritual world are only opinions, although, the idea of reasonability can be applied to support these opinions.
A Concept of God
Modern science has provided two remarkable theories that vastly expand our knowledge of our world and, in fact, the universe. Einstein’s theory of general relativity and quantum theory are particularly appropriate as we contemplate a rational concept of God. Although knowledge of advanced mathematics is needed to fully understand these theories, Stephen Hawking has provided a translation in layman’s language that reveals fascinating new insight into the laws of nature as they may apply to the creation of our universe. It’s beyond the scope of this document or this author’s capability to attempt to paraphrase Professor Hawking’s brilliant book, “The Grand Design”3, but this beautifully concise work is absolutely recommended. The following excerpts from “The Grand Design” provide only a sneak preview of the concepts described by Professor Hawking.
“In the early universe – when the universe was small enough to be governed by both general relativity and quantum theory-there were effectively four dimensions of space and none of time. That means that when we speak of the “beginning” of the universe, we are skirting the subtle issue that as we look backward toward the very early universe, time as we know it does not exist.”
“The realization that time behaves like space presents a new alternative. It removes the age-old objection to the universe having a beginning, but also means that the beginning of the universe was governed by the laws of science and doesn’t need to be set in motion by some god.”
While the above quotes from Professor Hawking’s book would seem to diminish the concept of God, an alternative argument can be made that it actually elevates the concept of God from that of a creator and guardian who looks down upon us as his creations and desires to be worshiped and obeyed, to the central essence of everything in existence. As such, God exists within each of us, in every cell in our bodies. God exists in every atom and in every elemental particle in the universe. God exists in every spark of energy in the universe and as the ultimate truth at the foundation of all natural laws including those remarkable laws of nature revealed by the general relativity and quantum theories. God exists in every aspect of the spiritual world including every thought conceived in the minds of humans. God is not a separate entity but integral to everything.
If we care to attribute to our concept of God a desire for mankind, it’s suggested that desire might be for us to obey what has been called “The Golden Rule” - “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. If all humans could learn to obey that rule, it would result in an end to wars, violence and nearly all forms of evil. There would be little need for other directives, including the Ten Commandments. Likewise, the greatest single piece of advice coming from God might be that “God helps those who help themselves”. This is compatible with the concept of God presented and suggests that the strength and power of God is found within us because God resides in every cell in our bodies. If prayer helps in this regard, pray. Don’t pray with the expectation of external help. We should use prayer to summon the power within to achieve our desires or our ability to help others.
While the above is my proposed concept of God, it’s no better and no more correct than anyone else’s alternative concept. Everyone’s concept of God is real and correct for them personally. There cannot be or should not be any call for a universal concept of God. God exists in each individual’s spiritual world. That world is unique for each person and is a product of his or her own human mind. No person should question or criticize another’s beliefs or lack of beliefs. All are equally valid and all should be respected in the spirit of total religious tolerance.
Religious Institutions
Religious institutions are of the material world and, as such, exist for those desiring a bonding with others who possess similar thoughts on God and religion. Membership in a formalized religious institution should be optional and secondary to one’s personal religious philosophy. The religious institutions currently in existence will, in all probability, continue but should be updated to focus on the “Golden Rule” and to be purged of any and all elements that are contrary to that rule. Religious books also need to be updated and all references that contradict the “Golden Rule” should be eliminated. The concept of dominance by any of the formal religions should be rejected and a tone of total religious tolerance adopted.
No shelter from secular prosecution should be provided by religion for any illegal acts of hatred or violence. All religions should disavow all violence or acts of unkindness directed by one person against another. That means we must see an end to such barbaric acts as honor killings, suicide bombing, stoning, beheadings, hate crimes, etc. carried out in claimed accordance with any religion. Holy wars and Jihad need to be recognized for what they are-attempts to hijack a spiritual cloak for human evil and material world violence.
Concluding Remark
In my view, the time has arrived for the human species to carefully consider taking a “mulligan on religion”. The extent of evil emerging in the name of religion at this time means that survival of our species may well depend on such a reassessment. In an age when we’re only steps away from nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists and fanatics, we need to control the powerful forces of religion with a measure of rationality. The religious institutions of the world must profess total religious tolerance and reject those who refuse to live by “The Golden Rule”. No form of human evil or violence should receive any protection under a cover of freedom of religion. Religious tolerance should be absolute but so should adherence to “The Golden Rule”.
Finally, I am enough of a realist to understand that the chances of such reforms taking place are slim to none. Not only would it be extremely unlikely to reverse centuries of religious tradition and indoctrination but vast networks of human interests involving both wealth and power exist that would resist these changes. In spite of great odds against a proposal such as the above every gaining global acceptance, the potential for dramatically improving the future of humanity makes the effort worthwhile.
References:
1. How Concepts of God Have Developed Over the Ages: religioustolerance.org/god_devel.html,
2001/2008
2. A Path To The Gold by J. Stuart Fleming: Create Space, 2009
3. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawkin and Leonard Mlodinow: Bantam Books, New York, 2010
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