Okay, God

As far as subjects go, this is The Big One, bigger and more complex than what I can express to you or even to myself, but it’s worth a try.

Being or existence precedes everything, Self-created, eternal and infinite. As these qualities are beyond human comprehension we’ve made up stories and theories that we can relate to that explain it, interesting but far from certain. Existence preceded any Big Bang or any Creation event, real or mythological, that tries to explain it. We are curious. We want answers, so we make them up. They may be comforting, but they’re just stories.

Existence is not the opposite of non-existence, it is the opposite of the inconceivable emptiness: nothing. Being itself is the original miracle, the inexplicable and wonderful is-ness of everything. It has always been and always will be. The stuff that fills up the universe, all the things like space and time, light and air, all is recent by comparison, no matter how it came into being. What precedes it, what we adore, what we consider Sanctified, is the fact that it is.

The word for this is God, as there is no other way in common usage to express it. The Vedic notion of The Self, or Atman, the Judaic expression YHWH, the Native American notion of universal blessedness are place-holders, expressions of understanding something that cannot be understood. Jesus called it Father (Abba) suggesting qualities of a loving, nurturing parent. Following Christ means attributing these qualities to Life.

As a Christian, I believe in God, the origin and provider of life, which indicates a moral nature, an inherent goodness, a way. Some call it Tao. We cannot conceive of God, really, but we can recognize Its attributes and strive to follow them in our behavior, our sentiments and our devotion.