The Problem With "God"

I was struck by this passage from The Power Of Now by Ekhart Tolle:

"The word God has become empty of meaning through thousands of years of misuse. I use it sometimes, but I do so sparingly. By misuse, I mean that people who have never even glimpsed the realm of the sacred, the infinite vastness behind that word, use it with great conviction, as if they knew what they are talking about. Or they argue against it, as if they knew what it is they are denying. This misuse gives rise to absurd beliefs, assertions, egoic delusions, such as “My or our God is the only true God, and your God is false,” or Nietzsche’s famous statement “God is dead.”

The word God has become a closed concept. The moment the word is uttered, a mental image is created, no longer, perhaps, of an old man with a white beard, but still a mental representation of someone or something outside you, and yes, almost inevitably a male someone or something.

Neither God nor Being nor any other word can define or explain the ineffable reality behind the word, so the only important question is whether the word is a help or a hindrance in enabling you to experience That toward which it points. Does it point beyond itself to that transcendental reality, or does it lend itself too easily to becoming no more than an idea in your head that you believe in, a mental idol?

The word being explains nothing, but nor does God. Being, however, has the advantage that it is an open concept. It does not reduce the infinite invisible to a finite entity. It is impossible to form a mental image of it. Nobody can claim exclusive possession of Being. It is your very essence, and it is immediately accessible to you as the feeling of your own presence, the realization I am that is prior to I am this or I am that. So it is only a small step from the word Being to the experience of Being. "

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For some reason, I have always had difficulty with the word "God" -- so much so, that often, when it is just tossed out there, I feel a wave of resistance or annoyance run through me. I have always found this sort of funny, as I have, over the past few years, come to embrace my own interpretation of "God". Perhaps I am simply aware of all the thousands of meanings and definitions and images and problems that have been attached to that word, and my immediate response to it is one of skepticism and agitation. I think "flakey" and "stupid"... even though I actually think "God" (at least my own interpretation of it) is anything but.

Whenever someone asks me if I believe in God (which isn't very often -- people tend to avoid questions like those except for me), my first response is always to say "Well, yes, but..." and I go on to define exactly how I interpret it and what it means to me personally. I have difficult using the word God myself, and usually find myself replacing it with words like "energy", "being", "divine", etc. depending on who I am in a conversation with. In this day and age, "God" has been given a bad rep, and the youth of my generation are resistant to exploring, understanding, and personalizing God because they associate the word with religious war and suffering, new-age flakes, and Jehovah Witnesses ringing their doorbells. In 2007, it is definitely way cooler to be atheist and anti-religion (not that the two have to have anything to do with each other) ... and I feel the need to be careful about when, where, and with who I share any of my "God"-related thoughts.

The spirituality that I experience is very personal and has little to do with anybody else. I certainly like to discuss and debate the ideas I have with others who are willing and open-minded and like to share, and I continue to grow and open myself up to new possibilities and interpretations... but I certainly feel no need to pass my experiences on to anyone and make them "believe" in what I do. I do not consider my beliefs to be any kind of absolute truth... they are simply what make sense to me and help fulfill me right now. I do, however, think it is unfortunate that people nowadays are so void of any spirituality. I suppose some people don't care about it or feel the need for it, and some people don't know how to access it or separate it from the religious institutions that they dislike. There is no one spiritual philosophy for everyone.... but I think if a holistic lifestyle is important to you, it is then important to recognize your spirit and the ways in which it is affected by everything around you -- in both the physical and non-physical realms. Maybe you have trouble understanding what everyone calls "God", but can feel the energy of the earth when you lie on the grass; or are overcome with emotion by a piece of music; or feel the urge to dance in the rain; or know the experience of unconditional love flowing out of you into another human being. All of those things can be spiritual experiences, can potentially be the experience of God (or whatever you like to call it), and the more we recognize those kinds of moments as being so, the more we can be free and discover our whole selves.

Maybe the word "God" doesn't do it for you like it doesn't do it for me. The word has definitely lost whatever meaning it once had. But perhaps there is a voice in you that tells you that there is more to the world than meets the eye; that we are really part of something special, exciting, and beautiful. I think that voice is worth listening to now and then.