Good God

Faith in a loving, benign, fair and just God is a wonderful thing. Those who have it are very blessed. They have a purpose beyond our mortal life. They are part of a community that uses time to build a group of like-minded people with rituals of joy, worship, supplication, celebration and mourning. Such events are generally calming, relaxing and healing. Believers have specific, clear rules – sometimes quirky to others – which they can decide to obey or not. In many religions believers can be forgiven for their transgressions and sins – something which may encourage good social behaviour, desperately needed in today’s world.

Not everyone can have such a faith. By definition faith involves doubt. If you ‘know’ something, you cannot ‘believe’ it, that is language logic. Your faith may be powerfully strong but as ‘faith’ it is not proven. The gift of faith is the greater for that. Many, including me, believe that bringing children up within a faith provides stability and guidance through the tough years of learning how to live. They must also be taught to think for themselves, of course, if they are to be able to decide whether to retain the practices and behaviour of their childhood faith later on.

For those who do not retain their faith there is a void that is difficult to fill. While faith involves doubt, a strong faith provides a continuity that steadies a personal life craft even on the roughest of waters. On the other hand, a personal faith can be selfish. “Save my soul” is a goal that could neglect others’ needs – but most religions regard helping other people as essential to saving your soul. If the purpose of religion is to help our neighbour it is certainly good. A belief in God is not necessary in order to do that.

What for those whose faith deserts them or who abandon it? They find a gap, perhaps a loss of ‘certainty’, in their lives. Can they replace that and, if so, how?

Each of us is an individual so every case will be different – I can only speak from my own experience. I found I was unable to stand in front of other people whom I respected and many of whom I knew, and recite a creed some of which I did not believe. Truth may be intention but among a congregation of people dedicated to speaking the truth to declare a belief in unproven events not scientifically known to be correct was, for me, a contradiction too far.

Then I found myself with a need for several things. First, a worthwhile purpose. I had been purpose driven for my family and my career but now I lacked a purpose for life itself. A testing ground for a better after-life had been a potentially comfortable, if challenging, idea. Second, I lacked someone to thank for all the blessings I and others receive. Third, I had nobody to pray to. As a believer in the efficacy of prayer I was stumped about who I should address. Fourth, and rather selfishly, I no longer had the benefits of assembly with good people of great diversity and a unifying reason for being together.

?Purpose came easily: to do whatever I reasonably could to help other people while living as full and enjoyable a life as is compatible with doing so. Someone to thank and to pray to has not been totally resolved but I see no reason for that to prevent me from giving thanks or praying anyway. If such efforts go nowhere, performing them does no harm and benefits me. I was asked by a good friend? “So who, now, is your God?”? I replied “You are, and so are all the people I know or hear about – in fact, all the people on earth”.?

They may lack the perfection usually attributed to the God of Beyond but they are excellent for my time on the planet. Moreover, if I attribute to them what I was taught belonged exclusively to the God of Beyond it may even be of some help to them with their struggles.?

So what do I think happens when I die? I simply don’t know. I would like to be reunited with those I have loved and who have loved me. If it is a giant cocktail party where I am expected to queue for thousands of years to meet someone famous I would prefer not – if given a choice. If I am to be judged I cannot imagine what the judgement will be. Possibly horrendous. If there is nothing, then my life will have been a fantastic experience that ended.

I think we each have a soul though not necessarily an immortal one. Our soul can be developed on earth by appreciating what we have, striving to see that others have at least as good as us and paving the way for even greater joys and understanding for our children.

That is my faith. I will be very happy if it is a part of yours, too.

Good morning

John Bittleston

Your views are always welcome at [email protected].?

Please do tell us what you think. That is how we learn.

18 December 2023