Reconciling Belief in God in Today’s World
If you’re like me, you struggle to reconcile your spiritual beliefs with the death, destruction, and hate in the world. This article stems from my personal effort to acknowledge daily events while remaining grounded and comfortable in my beliefs.
Reconciling Belief in God in Today’s World
An earthquake strikes under the Indian Ocean and the resulting tsunami kills over 150,000 people.
Conflict, violence, and murder prevail in Iraq and many other countries.
God loves us.
God does not punish us for human behaviors.
We attract our life circumstances and situations, as individuals and collectively as nations and cultures.
How can we reconcile these apparently conflicting statements? Did these 150,000 people, many of them children, really attract death by drowning? How can God love us and allow so much destruction? Do the daily doses of death, murder, and mayhem demonstrate there is no God?
As a person who believes in a loving, non-punitive God, and the ability of humans to create their life circumstances, I sometimes struggle to explain recent world events in terms of my beliefs. Yes, I can construct a scenario that fits within the tragic facts of today’s world and my beliefs; but that proves nothing. Each of us can construct our own version of truth based on our beliefs, explaining the deaths, destruction, and conflict of our world. We can’t really know the truth or truths, and it probably doesn’t matter.
More important than explanation, is finding a way to feel positive and loving while moving forward in life each day. I cannot view life on this planet from the perspective of God—not while I’m in my human existence. I can only go back to the fundamentals of life in which I firmly believe, and which bring me comfort and peace. I can only build the life I choose to live—because this is my life.
The fundamentals of my life are:
- I am here to experience life in all of its diversity; some of life’s experiences are uplifting, others are challenging and disturbing.
- Life is eternal; my human body is finite, but my soul lives forever.
- I can know what my soul desires by being attentive to my emotions; positive emotion means I’m living as my soul desires, negative emotion means I’m going the opposite way.
- When I feel positive, I attract more of the same, and vice-versa.
Extending these fundamentals to today’s happenings, I believe:
- I cannot fully understand why there is so much violence and bloodshed, destruction and hate.
- I can only choose how I wish to be.
- I choose love, peace, compassion, and hope.
- I choose to love all beings, regardless of whether I agree with what they do.
- I choose to love each of life’s events, regardless of my level of discomfort. - I give my energy and attention to positive, loving aspects of life.
When I follow my soul’s desire, identified by how I’m feeling, I live my life’s purpose. Living my life’s purpose impacts the world in ways beyond my comprehension; this is the most I can do.
What are your fundamental beliefs of life?