It’s interesting to observe how defensive some people become when I use the word ‘God’ around them. Here are some common responses that I face:
1. “I’m not religious”
2. “I’m an atheist”
3. “I don’t believe in God” (weak atheist position)
4. “There is no such thing as God” (strong atheist position)
Here are my standard responses to each of the above statements:
1. “Neither am I”
2. “Me too”
3. “Neither do I”
4. “I agree”
It all boils down to our understanding of who or what God actually is. For some people, as soon as they see or hear the word they immediately associate it with religious dogma, Christian evangelism or the image of a wrathful/vengeful white-guy-with-a-beard, sitting on a throne in heaven issuing commandments — a superior being who one either believes in or doesn’t. For others, the word suggests some kind of divine intelligence or order within the universe, which they explicitly deny, believing instead that everything happens by accident.
I do not associate God with any of these things. Like the weak atheist, I don’t believe in God. Unlike the stout believer and the strong atheist, I neither hold a belief that God exists nor a belief that God does not exist because, to me, God has nothing whatsoever to do with beliefs! I prefer to say that I feel God. God is more a knowing within my heart than a thought within my mind. To me, God is another word for ‘Life’ or ‘Unconditional Love’; an energy that flows through everyone and everything. To me, God is a quality, not a noun. It describes the essential nature of Who I Am. “I Am God” is not a blasphemous statement; it is the Truth. That said, the word ’Godliness’ might be considered a more accurate reflection of my meaning here: “I Am Godliness”.
The way I see it, we have a choice: to either acknowledge and connect with this energy, or to deny and disconnect from it. When we are connected, we experience love, joy, passion, wonder and excitement. When we are disconnected, we experience fear, loneliness, anger and lack of purpose.
For me, the word ‘God’ is a valuable reminder to embrace the love (Godliness) within my own heart and to continue living from that place — because, in doing so, I light the way for others. By simply acknowledging the unconditional love that is both within and around me, I show others how to do the same for themselves. And there is no greater teaching than that.
