god

show me a sign

finding out what God is really like

starfish

on this page

One option for living a meaningful life is to believe in God. This page considers how we might know God, and how we might examine the different world religions to see if they may be true.

The following are the pages in the belief section.

This section is still being developed, and pages are still being edited.

can we know god?

Some things about the world that suggest there may be a God (see clues). But what's she like?

Maybe he's like a father in heaven, or maybe it's more like an impersonal force. Maybe she really cares what we do, or maybe not. This really matters because it may affect how we choose to live.

For example, if God doesn't exist, we can get on with our lives without thinking about it any more. If God is impersonal, or can't be known, it probably comes to the same thing.

But if God is personal and knowable, we would be advised to take notice - he could have a big effect on our lives. If she is evil, we might try to work out how to avoid trouble or appease her, but if she is good, we may have a lot to gain. "If God exists, the most important thing in the world is to know him." Cecil Rhodes

But how to know? We surely can't just believe what we like - a lot of people treat religion this way, but that would only be valid if God doesn't really exist to contradict our ideas.

There seem to be three main possibilities.

Option 1. All religions may lead to God.

This is an attractive idea. It gives everybody, whatever they believe, the opportunity to experience God and an afterlife. But it is hard to see how it could work. For example, what if our local religious practices included human sacrifice, as did the religions of the Mayans and the Canaanites?

It seems then that at least some religions don't lead to God, or even acceptable behaviour. So, like everything else we know, some things are going to be true about God and some are not. Either he cares how we behave, or he doesn't. Either she approves of some sorts of behaviours, or she doesn't.

It may be that God doesn't mind which belief we hold, but it doesn't seem possible that all beliefs are equally true. Some say it is arrogant to believe that one religion is true and all the others are false, but:

  • We don't have to think if one belief is true then all the others are totally false. We can surely believe that truth can be found in all sorts of places, but that nevertheless, some beliefs capture more of the truth.
  • In the end, the world is like that - some things are true and some things are not. If one thing is true, its contrary is false. In politics, relationships, ethics, employment, leisure, etc, we all have to make choices.

Option 2. God may exist, but wants us to live a good life without any promises or threats from him.

This view is superficially attractive. It provides the comfort of believing we are not alone and that death is not the end, and it doesn't require us to hold to any particular religious beliefs. It is a belief often held those who are not strongly committed to any religion, but is less common among those who have committed themselves to knowing God and following a religion (they may find it insulting to their faith).

However, this view presents some difficulties for the honest enquirer.

  • It is virtually impossible to be confident whether this view is right or wrong. There is no evidence for it beyond our own hopes. Pretty much all the religions of the world claim that their way is true and others are not, so it is hardly a unifying viewpoint. It seems to be based more on hope than logic.
  • If it is true, how do we know what this God thinks is 'good', how do we know how God wants us to live? Most religions have many common ethical teachings, but most also teach some different things that God requires from us. Why should God (if she exists) be happy for her children to have quite contradictory beliefs? Thus, like the previous idea, it doesn't take us very far.

Option 3. If God exists, and wants us to know him, he would do something to let us know.

The previous two ideas do not seem to take us very far - we are still left having to consider what God may be like.

It can very nice to think about the human search for God, but it is an idea which raises problems. If we mean a deep and meaningful search, via philosophy or meditation, it seems to leave out those with insufficient intellect, education, spiritual awareness or time to make the search.

So if God was fair, surely she would give us a few clues, give us something to go on which virtually everyone could understand. Surely God is at least as eager as a parent trying to communicate to a newborn baby through the glass at the hospital? And surely there'd already be millions of people who had already found him, or the way?

So if we want to have a go at 'finding God', we should maybe start looking for a religion, or teacher, or idea which has already gained large numbers of followers. We may not find our answer, but it's a logical place to start. And we might just want to ask God (if he or she exists) to show us the truth.

cartoon

a brief guide to the major religions

So if there's a God, and we are correct in assuming he would want us to know, which, if any, of the world's religions might be God's way of showing us? First, we'll take a quick look at the different types of religious belief available, and then in the next section, choosing my religion, we consider if any of them seem more likely to be true than the others.

There are many religions in the world, but books on comparitive religion often refer to the twelve major religions which together are believed by more than 80% of the world's population. Some of the main features of these 12 religions are shown at a summary of world religions. These religions can be broadly grouped into four categories with the features as shown below.

In each case we should ask ourselves: Is there sufficient evidence to show that any of these religions is true? Could they all be more or less true? Are there reasons which make these beliefs less plausible now than when they first began? We shall look at these questions further in choosing my religion.

monotheistic (middle eastern) religions

  • main religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Baha'i,
  • distinguishing feature: belief in a single, powerful, creator God,
  • include about 51% of the world's population.
  • originated in the Middle East,
  • revealed religion through one founder plus prophets and scriptures,
  • history is important (and linear),
  • emphasis on ethical living,
  • the purpose of life is to gain God's favour (albeit by very different means in the different belief systems) and so attain the afterlife,
  • they have exerted significant influence on western civilisations from the later Roman Empire onwards, including the growth of modern science and the development of modern democracies, social welfare, education and medicine.

These monotheistic religions are of a type most familiar to western people. Because they have historical founders, and in many cases scriptures that include historical material, they are open to some level of historical testing. Their beliefs are such that if one is true, the others can only be partly true at best.

dharmic (indian) religions

  • main religions: Hinduism, Buddhsm, Sikhism, Jainiam,
  • distinguishing feature: living in accordance with one's position and the behaviour that goes with it ("dharma" means something like " the nature of things" or "proper conduct") in order to attain nirvana (see below),
  • include about 20% of the world's population.
  • purpose of life is, through right living, to attain nirvana = release from this life and the cycle of rebirth, and union with God or the essence of the universe - approaches include ethical living, asceticism and detachment from the world,
  • varying beliefs about God, from no belief through polytheism (each god is an "emanation" of the essential life force) to monotheism,
  • originated in India,
  • the other dharmic religions are based on Hinduism (which is the oldest) and/or a reaction to it.

The central idea of the dharmic religions, that release from this life is desirable, might be unfamiiar to westerners, who tend to enjoy life as it is. Dharmic religins do not stress an intellectual approach and historical or philosophical "proofs", as the monotheistic religions do, tending to rely on the "proof" of experience as their demonstration of truth.

taoic (chinese/japanese) religions

  • main religions: Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto,
  • distinguishing feature: living in accordance with the "Tao", which may be roughly defined as "the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order" (Wikipedia),
  • include about 6% of the world's population,
  • originated in China and Japan,
  • various beliefs about God - generally non-theistic or polytheistic (including spirits and ghosts, and ancestors who have become divine beings),
  • often practiced syncretistically, especially in conjunction with a form of Buddhism,
  • respect for ancestors, family, society and government, as part of living in accordance with the Tao.

These religions combine, to varying extents, respect for "right living" and the practice of "shamanism" (quasi occult beliefs and practices). As with the dharmic religons, the taoic religions tend to rely on the "proof" of experience as their demonstration of truth.

other religions

  • a variety of less structured beliefs, including Spiritism, tribal and pagan religions,
  • distinguishing features: mostly animistic and shamanist 'tribal" religions,
  • include about 6% of the world's population,
  • originated worldwide, but mostly in Africa.

These religions generally do not attempt to demonstrate their truth, but form part of local cultures to which people belong by birth.

non religious

  • people with no stated religion, which includes a small percentage of agnostics and atheists,
  • includes about 17% of the world's population.

Most people in this category are not actively anti-religious but indifferent to religion. However more "militant" atheism has become more prevalent in western societies in recent decades.

going further

Learning about the world's religions is interesting, but our goal in this part of reason & belief is to come to a conclusion about whether any of these religions point us to the true God who made the universe and the human race, as discussed in clues. To do this, we need some way of making judgments about each religion. Some ideas for this are provided in choosing my religion.

links