GOD & MEANING

By Gregory

Religion, as the Latin root word implies, is a tying together, a binding – of myths, assertions, values, hopes, and practices – into a more or less coherent tradition that at the end of the day is intended to provide meaning. Meaning refers to a sense of identity, place, and belonging, a foundation from which to begin attempts at answering the “why?” questions in life.

For some religions, but not all (think Buddhism, Taoism, Religious Naturalism, etc.) God is an essential part of the religious equation – a key part. God plays various roles, for some strictly conceptual, for others, conceptual and practical.

Defining God is a slippery task, for the notion of God resists definition. When speaking of the Divine metaphors abound – none of which fully capture or satisfy the fullness of what people are attempting to explain and what many people experience under the category of God.

For some, God is a person, a friend, and a father/mother. Many who claim God as person understand God as a living, relational, vibrant, reality that they feel in personal relationship with. Others tend toward less intimate notions of the Divine – God as force, or power, or ground of being, or ultimate principle, and so on. For many of these individuals, God is a concept that plays a role in their thinking and experiencing of the world, but for whom Divine personal identity is elusive.

God has suffered a bit of a set-back over the past two hundred or so years. There are growing numbers of people for whom God no longer makes sense, for whom God no longer plays a role in a worldview that provides meaning. For atheists, agnostics, and those just no longer interested, God has retreated to the background of their thinking and experience, or has been expunged altogether.

In my opinion, there are good reasons for this retreat. Our individual and collective notions of God are rarely, if ever, static. Various ages have entertained different understandings of Divinity. God for the ninth century BCE Jew, is likely vastly different than God for the second century BCE Greek, which is likely vastly different for the eleventh century CE European Christian, which is likely vastly different for a Christian living in the United States today.

I would argue that God is irrelevant and meaningless for many people today, because our common ideas about God have grown irrelevant and meaningless. (More on this, in future posts.)

On a practical level, given that God is inherently connected to notions of meaning, there is also an inherently personal dimension to the role God plays in a person’s life and thinking. I can’t claim to experience God the same way as you do. Nor can I claim to think exactly the same about the Divine as others do. God, to be meaningful, must be personalized. And this personalization is healthy and necessary. Of course, personalization always runs the risk of idolatry, but without personalization, God remains just a distant concept, and an ambiguous one at that.

An important fact to consider is this – I cannot explain the meaning of someone’s experiences and life to them – only they can do that for themselves. Yes, I can aid by asking probing questions, helping sift through possible scenarios of meaning, but at the end of the day, meaning is personal – only the individual can tell you truthfully what something means to them, for them.

The same is true for God. I can offer my own understanding to aid the understanding of others. I can ask questions, present challenges, and suggest additional approaches. But I cannot define God for another.

And nor should I. And this is the hard part. So many of us have experienced triumphalist, smug, overbearing, tyrannical views on God being shoved down our throats. Further, many of us have experienced God being used a weapon and a justification for other’s attempts to control our thinking and behaving. I cringe any time I hear “God says …” knowing that what likely follows that phrase is ego-projection, manipulation, boundary violation, and self-serving power assertions. Few of us are genuine prophets. And most of us would be far better off not trying to play that role.

There are several ramifications to this truth – one of which is that we should be highly reluctant to interfere with other’s thinking about God. If others want to engage in such conversations, great. If not, then best to mind your own business. And unless another’s views on God is about to lead them to infringe on your personal autonomy or civil liberties, its likely best to simply respect their views unless invited to do otherwise.

We each must discern the meaning of our lives. This is not a solitary task, but ultimately a personal one. The same applies to our thinking about God and the role the Divine plays in the meaning we find in and to our lives. And humility and respect for others means we should tread lightly in such matters.