God On Shaky Ground: A Very Different View Of The Guy In The Sky

Oh, no! More heresy... 

Here’s something you may not know. The word “God” is not found in Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek or Latin Bibles. It’s uncertain but the word may derive from old Indo-European languages, particularly Persian and might possibly come from Pagan sources.

The name of God, biblically speaking, has been a source of disagreement for centuries. The word God is not really a proper noun; rather, it is a title. For the most part, that symbol has been applied to an enigma: a loving, caring Creator/Father, as well as a vengeful, jealous and seemingly power hungry dictator. To name, then, is to seek to define, and hence, to limit by the definition. Christ (anointed), Buddha (awakened), Prophet (news bearer)—all titles, not names. A capital letter does not a deity make!

Now, it’s not necessary to give up the word. But it is important to remember to see it as a symbol, not a name. In my life, I now use the word God to represent Mystery, the Source of All That Is, the Ultimate Unnameable, Undefined, Unlimited, and Everywhere Present. 

• God as Experience. As I walk through the world, I am constantly reminded of the Presence by what I see, feel, taste, smell, touch.  Everything is a miracle. My experience is the way God experiences this small portion of the universe. 
• God as Relationship. I recognize not only the Presence of God in the world, but the immanent presence of God in my life. God isn't a unique and separate entity. God is the very essence of my being. I not only stand in the Presence of God, I am the Presence of God, standing. I am a single point of consciousness in the Infinite Consciousness. I am connected to everything. Forever.
• The most reviled claim of all: I am the Mystery, I am the Experience, I am God in Expression. And so are you. There is no separation between the Creator and the Created.

Deny it, reject it, believe as you choose. Still, God as described by the religions is probably weak at best, delusional at worst. You now have a choice to see it differently.

One Power, One Presence, One Energy, One Reality, One Life, and that Life is your life, my life. Right Now.

"There are only two feelings--love and fear. There are only two languages--love and fear. There are only two activities--love and fear. There are only two motives, two procedures, two frameworks, two results--love and fear. Choose today which one you will serve." (Attributed to Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig)