When she was six, my daughter Hannah asked, “What’s God?” I am not sure what I replied, but I certainly assured her that it varies for different people and whatever she thought about it was OK: God is not trapped in one religion. We all have “gods”, for we all hold faith in things unseen— principles, affections, opinions and other intangible sources of conviction, inspiration and direction. The particulars of what we trust, however depend on our personal proclivities as we react to individual, social, economic and political influences.

Beyond personal experience and cultural impacts, “What’s God?” can be approached from three significant perspectives— with personal spirituality, in shared religious organizations and through abstract theological standpoints. By spirituality I mean whatever we put our personal faith in without recourse to formal constraints. At this level, trusting the mysterious love we feel for a child, being enchanted at sunset, or enthused in euphoric acclamation, for example, count as meta-physical experiences. Religious and secular organizations develop this inherent spirituality and mold it into shared forms of expression that are easily accessible, popular in appeal and comprehensive in scope. Academic and philosophical abstractions about what organizations represent serve to foster, develop and nuance shared convictions.

How we conceive God is also influenced by where we claim to find Him/Her/It. Neurotheologists locate the source of religion in the brain. Other sources, such as the soul, heaven and everywhere are common deific choices. Believers claim that God can be reached in prayer and received in contemplation. And belief in something greater than ourselves goes beyond physical senses to inspire our whole being. In archaic terms, it involves believing “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with thy entire mind” (Matthew 22:37, KJV).

But what is a God? It is whatever we put our essential faiths in. Faith is based on the transcendent lesson to let go of fears, preferences and predictions in order to welcome fresh perspectives, innovative possibilities and unexpected outcomes. And we can offer whatever we relinquish to wherever we find emotional safety, psychological poise and extended options. Millions of recovering addicts affirm “God” as a generic name for where we put what we let go. God is whatever prompts fundamental change in thinking or actions (see Hazeldon). This might be music, nature, the universe, humanity, a nameless deity (Top 5 Higher Powers) or the fellowship of AA meetings themselves: G-O-D, Group Of Drunks.

Throughout history in every society, religious and secular believers have found solace, challenge and renewal through faith in abstract convictions based on personal and shared values. Indisputable evidence shows that faith in an irrevocable benevolent force beyond human control can help develop humane instincts and heal destructive traits.

For we who are sceptics, atheist, scientists and cynics, however, God and spirituality can seem to be supernatural anathemas. Metaphysical terms are often linked to voodoo and superstition, repression and cruelty. They can be dismissed as redundant and damaging. Yet even eminent atheist Raphael Lataster writes “while current scientific knowledge does not confirm the existence of gods/God/divine forces, such things might actually exist, and may or may not be confirmed in future.” (Lataster Dawkins Interview).
 
So… what’s God? For me this question belongs at the back of my little mind, because only actions and attitudes can fully pronounce where I place my faith.
 
© Richard Holdsworth 2015