Ignoring the Obvious?

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As it says on its website, this blog is written mainly for “those who have given up on God and/or religion,” and in a broader sense, for all of us who are searching for God (including me; writing it allows me to carefully consider the quality of my own faith).

Giving up on religion, of course, is not the same as giving up on God. I’m sure everyone who identifies as "spiritual but not religious“ would agree, as well as those of us who consider themselves spiritual as well as religious.

But sometimes I wonder whether people who have given up on God or religion are, as the old idiom goes, "cutting off their nose to despite their face." They may have old doubts that could possibly be resolved; old quarrels with clergy that don’t warrant cutting God off; have the idea that religion, or belief in God, is outdated and irrelevant; the notion that all religious people are hypocritical. Or just see God and religion as boring.

Warrant Slamming the Door on God?

Maybe it’s just me, but I believe that none of these reasons warrant slamming the door on God. And I wonder if many people are ignoring the obvious.

So, what is the obvious?

The Hebrew book of Leviticus gives us a clue: “It is not up in the sky. You do not have to ask, ‘Who will go up and bring it down for us, so that we can hear it and obey it?’ Nor is it on the other side of the ocean. You do not have to ask, ‘Who will go across the ocean and bring it to us, so that we may hear it and obey it?’ No, it is here with you. You know it and can quote it, so now obey it.”

The writer is referring to the Law of Moses, which ancient Hebrews believed is “written on our hearts.” St. Paul also used this term in his letter to the Romans. It suggests that a sense of what is right and wrong is, from birth, is part of our consciences.

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But many - and I am among them - believe that a sense of the existence of God is also “written on our hearts,” that humans have a kind of intuition of a “higher power,” a creator, a benevolent being who is in charge.

I think that’s what is meant in the famous saying attributed to St. Augustine: “For you made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”  

I understand how some people may be upset with "organized religion," as if “unorganized religion” would be better. Fact is, evidence suggests humans are organizers by nature, and though it may have been in a primitive form, Jesus himself organized his disciples into what has become a “church.”

One of the most common questions from people who “don’t get it” regarding God and religion is “Where is He/She?” “If God exists, why is He/She silent?” Why doesn’t He/She communicate with us?

To me, answers to those questions are also obvious, but they require some insight into human history and its relationship to a divine being. Over a period of well over a thousand years – from the author of the oldest book in the Hebrew Bible (believed to be the Book of Job) to the last in the New Testament (believed to be Revelation) - as humanity’s capacity for understanding increased, God revealed him/herself in the Bible.

Inviting Us to Respond

And in many ways, God is still revealing him/herself to us – all through the eyes of faith – and inviting us to respond. “If today you hear his voice,” says the psalmist, “harden not your hearts.”

For Christians, the “super-revelation” occurred when God became human in Jesus. And God continues to be with us if we can detect Him/Her in others, for instance, during worship and prayer (“Where two or three are gathered….) and in the everyday occurrences of life.

And if it’s religion you’ve given up, maybe it’s time to rethink it. Maybe it’s time to consider returning to the faith of your childhood or adolescence. Maybe it’s time to reconnect with God through his people.