What do you believe about God? (Regardless of whether you believe in God or not.)God is a sometimes useful metaphor or symbol, a representation of ultimate mystery and unfathomable power, or a necessary thought on which to balance other thoughts that are useful to the organization of society, sometimes an obfuscation or excape. And in general, I would agree with Gautama Buddha that questions of God are distractions from what is more profitable to pay attention to. Furthermore, even Christian theologians from fairly early on have known something about God that the Christian faithful have often missed: that while God can be said to BE, God cannot be said to EXIST.
If that doesn't clarify for you (and how could it unless you're already thinking that way), here's what I said recently to to a mixed-faith bunch when they oversimplified UU positions in less than positive ways:
"There may or may not be a God. But if there is a God, there is no question but that God loves all creation, including each individual human being. There may or may not be a heaven. But if there is a heaven, there is no question but that everybody goes there. There are more hells than there are humans. Each of us lives our hells - or escapes them - in this life. Ethical living garners no eternal reward. It is for here and now - to make greater happiness and to fulfill one's obligation to act to secure the conditions for the happiness of generations to come."
The great mystery, the ground of being, being itself, the source, the force, the isness in all, the all itself - some beautiful myths inhabit this area. If those myths help one live a stable and ethical life here and now, they are good for that person. But knowledge? there is none in this. God? Maybe, maybe not. We can put off worrying about it until after we solve the things that we can have knowledge of.
2 responses:
Paul,
I'm afraid that I have to ahem. . . *question* your use of the phrase "there is no question" in this blog post. I seem to recall a U*U saying or slogan which asserts that -
"To Question Is the Answer"
Is there *really* no question but that God loves all creation, including each individual human being?
Is there *really* no question that everybody goes to Heaven if heaven exists?
Do I need to provide answers to the above rhetorical questions?
Hopefully not.
Believe it or not the WVC for this comment is - turism
Hi Robin! It's been a while!
You are absolutely free to question everything you wish to question. Frankly, though, I find the UU love-affair with questioning and seeking a bit overdone.
That aside, though, my response in quotes was from a non-UU setting in which I presented that wording (my own) as representative of ONE UU view. And the UU Salon question was about what I believe about God. And I do believe that there may or may not be a God, but if there is a God, there is no question but that God loves all of creation including each individual person.
Any question regarding that is someone else's belief, not mine. :)
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