I fully share your belief that God is far more concerned about the degree to which we humans love and care for each other and for the earth, than in our intellectual assent to metaphysical propositions of theology. Isn’t that the clear message of Jesus’ parable of the great judgment scene? The parable of the good samaritan? The beatitudes? The second greatest commandment that we love each other as we love ourselves, which scripture says is like the greatest commandment that we love God with our whole heart? I have always wondered why conservative and traditional Christians don’t pay more attention to these vital teachings of Jesus. Maybe their focus on the metaphysical propositions deflected their vision of Jesus’ supremely rational and idealistic teachings. But that’s speculation on my part.

Thanks, again, for your inspiring column.

–David Messner

However, as a person of Faith, when you start talking about what God wants or expects from mankind, I think you are talking off the top of your head when you don’t back it up from a theological point of view. When you make an argument give it some foundation from somewhere other than your own or your friends’ opinions.
You state: “God does not have an ego that can be wounded by our disbelief about God’s existence.” I don’t know what your particular religion is but God DOES have an ego as expressed in The Christian Bible. In both the Old and the New Testament God DOES want us to believe in Him, heart and soul. Further, Islam also holds its followers to a belief in Allah, the Bible, and the words of the Prophet Mohammed. Jews also believe in God, (Father of Abraham who entered into a covenant with his chosen people.) Again, in these religions, followers are cautioned to believe in a ONE true God, and there are consequences for not believing or for worshiping idols. Yet you state something about God’s sense of self that billions around the world don’t know.

Further, when you suggest “A world where humans love and care for each other and this planet even at the expense of acknowledging God, rather than believing in and worshiping God at the expense of caring for one another and the world” you are essentially espousing a humanist viewpoint. Such thinking is hardly novel, yet I feel sure there will be those who think your take is fresh and new. You should, at least, be honest with your readers about which philosophers have influenced your thinking.

On a personal note from my own religious studies, your longed-for world of love and caring minus God is not a possibility to believers—whether they be Christian, Hindu, Buddist, Muslim, Jew or Jainists, believers know mankind is seriously flawed. That is why, in every religion there is a mandate for the believer to correct his/her human nature so his/her soul can achieve a better goodness.

To put it another way, the very foundation of all religions is the sincere belief that man can’t achieve a better nature without help and guidance from a higher power. That’s the similarity of religions.

But, it is not the similarity of religions that is ultimately most important. No, it’s the DIFFERENCE that is important. Indeed, if not for difference why wouldn’t we all just worship and follow ONE religion? Only Atheists, Agnostics, or shallow members of a religion would recognize no distinctions. Serious followers of a faith know those distinctions; they know WHAT they believe, WHY they believe and how it’s DIFFERENT from what others believe (or don’t believe in the case of Atheists) To NOT KNOW is to be simple minded or lazy about your spirituality.

So, real and meaningful religious faith boils down to this: We can’t believe all religions are right because to believe in everything is to believe in nothing. We must have faith that our particular religion is the right path, otherwise we might as well spin a wheel or reach into a hat and pick one at random.

While we can and should treat all people kindly, there’s just no sense in blurring the obvious; each religion has specific precepts based on long traditions of study and enunciation of doctrine. And just as surely, each religion impacts the cultures surrounding it. Based on your excerpt, what you would like to see is a watering down of all religions so the impact on all cultures is minimal. Of course, as you know, you aren’t the first to that world.

Separating religion and culture seems quite daunting, I don’t know where would one even start.

Cheers,

Samir

Letting go of “God” would be a good step in letting us see our common Humanistic beliefs. Maybe more inter-religious marriages like yours would be a step in the right direction.