Defining God

How do we achieve a task as intricate as that of defining God? How would we live up to the demands that this task would require? What we must first realize in approaching the concept of God is that the word "God" is only a term - a label - that possesses no more reality than the concept placed behind it. Given this knowledge, we can be made further aware that the word "God" has already throughout history been given a vast multitude of definitions. In the process of defining God we will come across such views. Based on the content of each view we encounter there will be emphasized both a negative and a positive aspect of that view. Afterward, the positive aspects of these views are combined to construct a version of God superior to all previously presented views.

Some people say that God does not exist. In this view the laws of the universe are given the credit of governing space and time. In this view, however, these laws are 'self-contained' and exist independently of any external influence. The satisfactory aspect to this view is that it demonstrates the concept of order: the action of law upon the universe. The faulty aspect to this view, on the other hand, is that these laws are labeled as being self-contained. A self-contained system of universal laws, you see, is an impossibility. Quite clearly, something external to the system of laws must exist to organize the laws and designate their roles. Something must exist, furthermore, that maintains the laws of the universe: an element that "breathes life" into the laws, without which the laws of the universe would shrivel up and plunge into oblivion.

Some people believe not in a single God but in many gods. In this view mythical deities are given the credit for the order we observe in the universe. These deities usually possess human-like qualities. The satisfactory aspect to this view is that it attributes a cause - the deities - as being responsible for the order we observe in the universe. This is a step above the flawed reasoning that the laws of the universe are self-contained - that it is possible for the laws of the universe to exist without having been assembled or having need of being maintained. The faulty aspect to the view being discussed, on the other hand, is the fact that the deities mentioned possess human-like qualities. For example, an earthquake may be the result of an underground stampede of cattle. Thunder may be the result of someone striking a giant gong. These myths, so to speak, are unfavorable in the sense that they are not accurate portrayals of reality. They were constructed by minds that were not aware of the role that laws play in the universe. Though these myths achieve the same end result as a law would, they demonstrate a lack of knowledge as to why things do what they do.

It is by applying the positive aspects of the views of God just presented, and by removing the negative aspects, that we can construct a version of God superior to all previously presented views. The ideal God is a God that is not associated with any kind of myth or unreality. This God, in turn, would be the God that "breathes life" into otherwise dormant laws. This God is the God responsible for assembling the laws of the universe, and is the God who constantly maintains those laws. This God is the cause of order itself. This God is the element behind all manifestation. This God is Mind itself, the force animating all that exists, and the means through which all existence and reality is made possible. This God's existence, you see, solves the paradox of the 'self-contained law' by acting as the external force necessary for laws to operate. What makes this situation a notable accomplishment is that while an external force is at work, the undesirable myths and unrealities associated with the external forces that other gods represent are not included along with it, making the resulting version of God nothing other than the ideal version of God.