A Better Understanding of How We Use 'GOD' in Conversation
"GOD"
has three levels of meaning.
Atheists argue there is no such thing as God. But their arguments are muddled because they
cannot build a coherent alternative to moral goodness, science and religious beliefs that are associated with the common all-encompassing
concept of "God." Their arguments usually vamp into hate-filled rants against religion; particularly fundamentalist
Christian beliefs.
It's time to clear the air of frustrating religous arguments by defining God on more meanigfull
terms.
Find which of the three definitions fits your needs.
1.
G.O.D. (abbreviation for Grand Original Design) Synonyms include: Existence, reality, laws of the physical
universe, time and space, organic life (biology) and the Big Bang Theory (not the TV show). Science is not in conflict with
G.O.D. because it is through scientific discovery that we gain greater knowledge on how reality (G.O.D.) works.
Grand
Original Design defines reality through the laws of physics and biology.
2. God (Abbreviation
for "goodness") Synonyms include: Transcendent love, opposition to evil, well-being and happiness, spiritual
optimism for a better future, compassion and helping others to a better life.The location of Goodness (God) is in one's conscience.
The conscience is a fluid mixture of reason, beliefs and imagination. It forms a moral compass to guiding behavior. The Moral
Compass is composed of four points: Good; Bad; Strong; Weak. We can plot our leadership style by using the Moral Compass.
Everyone is biologically endowed with spiritual energy (the will to live) and that propels our behavior to survive and thrive.
Our concepts of Heaven and Hell are states of mind through which we struggle daily. Our living spirit ends when we die. Heavenly
peace, after we die, is the end of all awareness.
Goodness resides in your conscience.
3.
God of the Bible: The mythic God of the Bible is not a divine revelation of a supernatural power that fundamentalists
believe. History shows us how the stories in the Bible were created by human hand over many centuries of interpretation. The
best use of the Bible is to take its parables as a moral guide to better living and triumphing over evil. Thomas Hobbes' famous
saying: "Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short," summarizes well the human condition; yet the stories
in the Bible teach important values that helps the reader to generate a moral compass that guides behavior toward a better
life. The consequences of sin and the rewards of goodness are felt by the living and not a final judgment after death. The
Bible's strength is about belief in personal goodness triumphing over personal evil. The creation myths in the Bible (e.g.
The story of Creation and the Garden of Eden, etc.) have long been dispelled by scientific discovery.
The
God of the Bible resides in your imagination. (That is why there are so many variations and abuses of "Biblical Truth.")
Is
there an intelligent design to the universe?
Yes, using the impeccable laws of logic, one can only conclude
that without a G.O.D., the universe would not exist--only incomprehensible random chaos would exist. Put another way, G.O.D.
gives rise to intelligent thought (e.g., mathematics) and behavior. If there is no such thing as G.O.D. there would be no
basis for biological or artificial intelligence.
It is the nature ofG.O.D. that science seeks to discover.
G.O.D.
is not the mythical god of conflicting religions and philosophies; historians can trace the development of religious beliefs
without the special cause of "divine intervention."
By separating the meaning of "GOD" into three
distinct levels, one can gain clarity and purpose in life--even in the most trying of times!
My thinking on this
subject is inspired by St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica: The Five Proofs of God's Existence--though he would
disagree with my conclusions.
