This is not an attack on those of you who believe in some sort of creator or supreme being. Despite the fact that Atheists are often attacked for their beliefs, I have generally been very tolerant towards anyone who wants to talk to their God whoever or whatever that may be. Of course, that does not mean that I do not hypothesize why anyone would believe in the idea of a God. A being that cannot be directly seen, touched, or empirically verified naturally raises skeptical questions for many people, me included. To answer this question, I have had several different insights. Many of these go back to my early days of rejecting God the Father. Here are a few of my beliefs on the enigmatic question of “Why does anyone believe in God?”
- The Need for Comfort:
People who feel helpless want to believe that someone is out there who can help them. God can serve this role because believers often see God as omnipotent and omniscient—both all-powerful and all-knowing. God is more powerful than any superhero created by Marvel Comics. If I can only make an intimate connection with God or indeed make him MY GOD, then I can tap into his infinite power to help provide for my needs. Perhaps it is to give me back my health or to provide wealth or to smite my enemies. MY GOD will help me when I ask him to through the intercession of what are called prayers.
- The Search for Meaning:
People often rely more on emotion than logic or reason. People are swayed more by stories than by facts or data. They want to believe in a supreme being because they cannot think of any other reasons for how the universe or humanity was created. Rather than relying on something that sounds as incredible as the Big Bang Theory or The Theory of Evolution, they want to believe that there is some type of purpose in creation. Einstein did not want to believe in Quantum Physics because he did not want to believe that “God played dice with the universe.” Humans have a need for a logic of sorts to describe our purpose for being here, but it is not a logic of science.
- The Power of Culture and Upbringing:
Everywhere you look there are allusions to God. In God we Trust on our coins. One Nation Under God in our Pledge of Allegiance. Our leaders say prayers to a God before beginning major political events. We sing endless songs extolling the wonders of God. People are taught from infancy that God will take care of you if you only believe in Him. As a Catholic, I learned to pray before I went to sleep at night:
Now I lie me down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul will keep,
If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul will take.
Amen
I have several friends who had pancreatic cancer. Many of them prayed or had friends and relatives who prayed for their remission or cure. Not one of them lasted more than six months before dying of this horrible disease. I can cite a litany of other times when God has failed to intervene on humanity’s behalf, but it would not make one iota of difference.
Deeply held beliefs—especially those formed in childhood—can become extraordinarily resistant to change, even in the face of contradictory evidence.
People want to believe that God helps humanity. People want to believe that God is kind, compassionate and full of infinite love and patience.
- A New Perspective on Why People Believe in God:
History is filled with brilliant scientists, philosophers, theologians, and ordinary people who have wrestled with these same questions and reached very different conclusions. The existence—or nonexistence—of God has resisted definitive proof for thousands of years. Perhaps that is one reason the debate has endured for so long. It reminds us that, regardless of our convictions, intellectual humility is appropriate when confronting questions that may ultimately lie beyond our ability to answer.
Lately, I have had a different perspective on why people believe in God. If my other reasons are less than charitable, this one is I believe more complimentary toward humanity. As I reflected on my earlier explanations, I gradually realized that none of them fully captured why millions of thoughtful people believe in God. There seemed to be something deeper involved.
I began to realize that it would take a very egotistical person to say that “I don’t need God” or that “Science can solve all of our problems.” It is a little like the ancients who wanted to believe that the Earth was the center of the universe or that the Sun revolved around the Earth. It might just be the height of egotism to think that creation revolved around human beings or that God revolved around human beings.
I once wrote that God did not make man in his image, but that man created God in his image. Regardless of which way it was, humility and humbleness would dictate that we do not make humanity the center of the Universe. I don’t have any answers to why we are here or even what I am doing here. I have made my own purpose in life. I have not had any divine callings. I have never heard the Voice of God or any other voices for that matter. I sometimes pray for my friends or humanity only because it can’t hurt. Perhaps, there is a benevolent God listening to my prayers. I would give you a hundred to one odds that is not the situation but greater minds than mine have reached different conclusions.
The realization of our own limitations and frailties may just be the most powerful motivator for a belief in God. Who among us would have the audacity to say that they can prove “God does not exist?” Who among us would have the audacity to judge God by the state of the world? Who among us could say that other people were “stupid” for taking the time to pray to a God?
Maybe God is not a crutch so much as a recognition of our own limitations and frailties.
Whatever your reasons for believing or not believing in a God or Divine Presence, I hope you find peace and tranquility and compassion for others in your beliefs. If there is a God and he is a loving compassionate God who cares about human beings, than surely he would want you to demonstrate the same kindness and love towards others. This includes everyone and not just people who belong to the same church as you do.
Aging Capriciously 