Answering the question, Why?

A friend of mine posted the following question and wanted to share my response. She has a good post about her first experience with The Book of Mormon. The thread in her post is also worth a visit.

Whether or not you cared to read the above about my own spiritual exploration, I invite you to contribute to my research. For any who would care to answer, I'd like to know simply: Why do you believe in the divine? Monotheist, polytheist, whatever your religion, I don't much care. I'm not even (right now) interested in why you choose your particular religion. I'd like to know, in your own words, why you believe there is a god. Have you felt the divine spark? Do you think you have seen, heard, or felt god? Simply do you find the universe impossible without some sort of great creator(s) out there? If you were raised to believe in god, has there ever been a time when you doubted that and had to find your faith on your own?

Such a good question. I have come to realize that there are multiple perspectives. So even thought I have dismissed the idea on a separate omnipotent entity, I no longer dismiss those that do view God in that way. My perspective is that God is the combination of the consciousness of all living things. We possess amazing power and knowledge as a whole. But that is my humble perspective. Even those that do not see any divine presence and figure everything is casual, I respect their perspective as well. There is no 'one truth' but 'multiple truths'.

Because I accept multiple truths, my choices for a 'religion' is limited. I associated myself as a pagan for a long time. But with being a single father, I wanted a more structured community to be a part of. That led me to Unitarian Universalism.

But I think I have a more exact answer for you question, "Why do you believe in the divine?". I need to know that there is something bigger than me. That as a whole, humankind is inherently good and we all have the capacity to love. Why do I believe in the divine... to give me hope that we can improve our world, spread love and understanding, and teach the next generation that there is a reason for living a life full of love.

So would you say that yours is a conscious choice of belief, such that it's possible? You would like to believe these things are true, and so you choose to believe it. Much in the same way that in a dangerous situation, you might tell yourself it's all going to be okay?

Yes, belief to me is a conscious choice. That may be my existentialist upbringing showing, but whether we are responding to an emotional or supernatural experience, I propose that we have to accept or dismiss that experience. Therefore it is a conscious choice to believe in something. In many different folklores, choice is one of the definitions on being human.

I certainly support the notion that choice is indeed a very large and necessary component of being human. This is why I find it such an extraordinary combination with contemplation of that which is not human, or more than human.

I've always figured that if there is a god, he offers free will because we're more entertaining that way. We are capable of the unexpected. But why be so mysterious about his existence? Why not be outright about it? Why offer choice, and make it a difficult one? What worth is real faith like that? I don't know.

If as you suppose, divinity is a label for the super consciousness of all human (and all?) life, then choice is part and parcel of it. The existence is in the awareness, and the awareness is in the choice. That is in itself an interesting meditation.

I respect your choice, and I wish you good things with it, for yourself and your daughter. I think it's wonderful!