Do I believe in God?

I do not believe in an anthropomorphic god. If, indeed, there is a god that created the universe, it could not possibly be humanlike. Any entity with that kind of power would have to be something so far beyond mankind that the human mind simply could not comprehend it.

When you consider that the universe was created out of an immense explosion an estimated 15 billion years ago—the so-called "Big Bang"—that produced uncountable billions of galaxies, each composed of hundreds of millions of stars, many of which are orbited by planets at least a small percentage of which may be much like the earth that we live on, and that this universe includes various states of matter and energy that we are only now beginning to realize exist, the idea of all of this being cobbled together by a bearded man-like figure wearing a bed-sheet is just plain silly!

Why is there such a thing as the universe at all? We don't know. We will probably never know. And no matter how loudly religious figures proclaim, religion cannot give us an answer to that question either. The best it can provide is mythology and random speculation. If there is a consciousness behind the creation of the universe, any human being who claims to "know the Mind of God" is either possessed by a kind of megalomaniac madness or is a con-man attempting to prey on the ignorant and gullible. We've seen—and are still seeing—many examples of this.

If I believe in God at all, I do not believe in a physical entity. My concept of "God" is just that—a concept—an abstraction. And the concept is spelled with an additional "O." Good. The question then becomes, "what, exactly, is Good?"

Good is that which enhances Life. Evil is that which is detrimental to Life.

A whole religion can be (and, I believe, a few have) been constructed around this simple beginning. And an omnipotent, omniscient bearded old man sitting up on Arcturus 12 (known locally as "Heaven"), granting prayers, writing down people's sins, marking the fall of sparrows, and hurling thunderbolts at those who tick Him off is totally unnecessary for such a religion.

With this as a basic premise of my beliefs, how can I possibly ally myself with the Christian religion? I go to a Christian church from time to time, not because I believe that the mythology expressed is historical fact, but because in the broad sense there is much truth in the mythology. Jesus advocated that which enhances Life and urged people to eschew that which is detrimental to it. The essence of Jesus' teaching is to be found in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), and in Matthew 25, verses 35 through 40. The church I go to attempts to follow these teachings as closely as possible. And it is inclusive, not closing its doors to those whom many other churches feel are beyond the pale. It is a signatory to the "Reconciled in Christ" document, which, in essence, says

As a community of God striving to be inclusive and open to diversity, we, the members of Central Lutheran Church, welcome all people to join us as we struggle to better understand the mysteries of God's teaching and purposes for us. Although our world can seem to be a place of alienation and brokenness, Christ calls us to reconciliation and wholeness. We are challenged by Christ to care for, to love, to understand, and to listen to each other, regardless of our race, age, gender, marital status, physical and mental abilities, sexual/affectional orientation, national origin or economic status. We celebrate the special gifts that each has to bring.

Central is heavily involved in what is referred to as "social ministry." In cooperation with several other churches in the area, Central provides meal programs, to see that those in need can find at least one good, nourishing meal every day of the week, and is involved in programs to provide housing for the homeless. It also conducts "alternatives to violence" workshops in local penal institutions and in the community at large. And it also houses the offices of the national director of the Lutheran Peace Fellowship. Like others who attend Central Lutheran Church, I believe that you can't just sit back and bellyache about what you feel needs to be done in the world. If you really mean it, you have to get down in the trenches yourself. My support of Central Lutheran Church allows me to multiply my own efforts in this kind of endeavor.

Considering my agnostic—or possibly atheistic—position regarding the existence of an actually entity called God, I'm not sure what some of the other folks at Central would think of this, but I have a suspicion that many believe pretty much as I do. What is important there is not the nuts and bolts of each individual's theological beliefs. What is important is, are you willing to stick your neck out for what you think is right?

The Reverend Jim Wallis, editor of "Sojourners" magazine and author of The Call to Conversion (which deals with the growing gap between the rich and the poor in the world) and God's Politics : Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, points out that there are over 3,000 verses in the Bible regarding the poor, and strongly asserts that matters of poverty and war are moral values too. Members of the Christian Right merely shrug off these core Christian values and limit their consideration of "moral values" to abortion and gay marriage. In addition to his writings, Rev. Wallis appears on radio and television and travels the country giving lectures and speeches. He is truly a modern day prophet in the tradition of the prophets of old.

Pro-Life. How can someone be truly pro-life if, while they are opposed to abortion, are unwilling to provide the social services necessary for a poor single mother to help her care for herself and her child? And how can one be pro-life if one is willing to send young people off to kill or be killed in a war that the vast majority of the world's peoples have declared in no uncertain terms to be wrong?

Do I believe in God? That depends on how you spell it.

Don Firth