The God that is presented in the Bible ( Exodus 20 and 21 as well as in other early books of the Bible is a god of vengeance reprisals and punishment that governs the whole universe. Believe it or not, this is the one god that millions of people have been worshiping all over the world for thousands of years and still are in varying forms. If this is the god that atheist reject, it is understandable that they find such a god unacceptable. Modern thinking people find it difficult to put their faith and trust in such a god. A god that these people can worship must be present throughout the world and the universe as we know it today.
Most people believe that love exists as a natural bond or spirit between people,as well as between people and their pets or between animals themselves.This bond or spirit is a living force that permeates everything and everybody, and is present and available to everybody all over the world all the time. By nature this spirit of love encourages and promotes faith. courage, truth, hope, compassion, friendship and peace. This spirit can truely be our God. This God can become a guiding force in our lives if we accept such guidence . It is not some kind of super being in the sky that governs everything and everybody on earth with an iron hand like a gigantic puppeteer.
Christians should rethink what kind of god they are worshiping. It should be the same God that Christ worshipped if they are truly Christians and are followers of Christ. In John 4: 24 Jesus told the woman at the well that God is a spirit and those that worship him should worship him in spirit and in truth. Love, as we know it. can be considered to be one revelation of the spirit of God.
If all the people all over the world that call themselves Christians, placed their trust in this god of love instead of a god of reprisal and punishment, consider how wonderful this world would become. If we follow Christ’s admonitions, we should not only love our neighbors but should love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to those that hate us, and pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us (Math. 5: 43 and 44). .
Suppose the United States would retire all its military people and equipment, and forget being the most powerful nation in the world. All these military people and all the trillions of dollars for military equipment and support could then be used all over the world to feed starving people and to help nations in need of financial help. There would no longer be any need for war.People all over world could love us and wouldn’t have reasons for hating us any longer..This nation could then honestly call itself “One Nation Under God”
As we know, the forces of nature such as floods, earth quakes, tornadoes, wind storms and hurricanes all over the world can cause horrible losses of life and property as well as serious injury to many people almost daily. The United States should have active teams of personnel with the necessary equipment and supplies ready to respond instantly to help these people without having to wait for an act of Congress. Again, this nation could call itself “ One Nation Under God”.
Robert W. Smeaton
A debate between an atheist and a Lutheran minister inspired Mr. Smeaton to write his thoughts on the subject so other people could compare their thinking with his. The problem is that people have different perceptions of what God is like. He thought that it would good to put his thoughts down on paper so that others could compare their perception of God with his.
1/24/03