The Seven Great Spiritual Questions: 1 of 7

1. Does God exist?

It seems we'll be starting off these questions with "The Big One" – does God exist? There are so many ways to answer this question, I think. A simple yes or no isn't possible, though. We simply don't know the answer to this question. Or do we?

Is it even possible to answer this question? Do we answer the question as individuals, as a collective, based on observations, feelings, common sense? My common sense differs from your common sense, and so on and so forth. We can examine this question through so many filters...psychological, physiological, spiritual, philosophical, and scientific. First, though, I feel I must answer this question with a question: does it matter if God exists?

I have many friends who are "hard core" Atheists – they typically either stopped believing in God at a certain age, or they never considered the possibility of God in the Judeo-Christian sense. Some friends of mine are Agnostic, and consider themselves in search of the truth of God...whether that means existense of a god-deity, a force that flows through all of creation, or if the universe is nothing more than a happy accident. Both groups of friends lead happy and fulfilled lives, experience good times and bad, and feel connected to something greater than themselves through social networks, charitable deeds, and random acts of kindness. They are not "punished" for their disbelief or questioning, any more than anyone else on this earth is...good things and bad things happen to them just as they happen to a "believer." They are not interested in life after death, because they are focused on the present, and making life enjoyable as it is now. I commend that. I support it. I am amazed by it, because it is not something I understand. But, given this answer, it would seem to be that it does not matter if God exists...yet it does to me.

So the question itself might not matter in the long run, but it is a personal question. I am a questioner, searching for answers. Even though I have plenty of answers that I am satisfied with, and I do believe that God exists, I will continue to question in order to understand the Universe that surrounds me. From here forward, I will continue this essay explaining how God exists to me in my experience, as I've already established that I believe God does exist. Interestingly enough, just because I believe God exists does not answer the question itself. :) My history of religious exploration and development starts from when I was a child. I was raised Catholic until age 11, when my parents went to a Southern Baptist church. This was not a conservative church, however, as they honored what is called "the priesthood of the believer." This is the ideology that no person needs to go through a priest to meet God, nor do they have to swallow everything the Reverend puts out during a sermon. If it doesn't make sense to you, don't practice it, provided you obey the basic precepts of the Christian faith – particularly "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

I continued to question my beliefs, though. God as a single deity didn't seem to make much sense to me. The Universe was a gigantic place, with infinite possibilities. Plus, what about all the world religions that existed alongside of Christianity? Could they all be wrong? What about all the religions that existed before Christ came to earth? I could not accept that everyone else was wrong and there was only one way to believe. I could not believe in a God that was petty and jealous...it seemed too politcal for a being that created the entire universe. Also, I didn't appreciate the growing divide between religion and science. I prefer the Big Bang and Evolutionary theories over the Creationist story, and I could not see the logic in Creationism. From there, I started exploring Wicca, which gave me the freedom to see God in multiple forms, such as a Goddess, the Earth Herself, and to see God in nature. Yet even that didn't answer my quest for knowing God. Then my father passed away – and once again I had my doubts about what God was – that it all was just an accident and we just lived and died and there was nothing more. I caved under the weight of grief of all the people I lost in my life. When I turned inward, and began studying Buddhism, I started to find answers...not just in one religion, but in all of them.

God is not a specific being looking down on us waiting to see if we will behave properly and then reward or punish us for our good deeds or misdeeds. I say this because of my own observations on how my Atheist and Agnostic friends live. Now, one can argue that those friends will be served a fiery punishment at the hands of Satan once they are dead, but based on my past, I cannot look at the vastness of the universe and accept that any God would be inclined toward all-or-nothing thinking. God is much more than our conciousness can comprehend. God is a force that flows through every one of us, is something we can connect with by connecting with each other, engaging in prayer, looking within, and reaching out to that mystery. It has no gender, and is all gender, it has no form, and is all forms.

While you consider this, consider the enormity of the universe, and the mystery that lies ahead of you in your lifetime. Live in the paradox, live in the mystery.

For me, God exists no matter what we name it – Universe, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Great Spirit, Gaia. What matters is that we are comfortable with our own answers and aren't afraid to seek more.

Namaste,
The Transpersonal Psychologist