My idea of God.

The nature of God is something that's been on my mind lately. I'm reading a book called Finding Darwin's God, by a professor of biology at Brown University, who happens to be a devout catholic, named Kenneth Miller. His book addresses the theory of evolution and the real challenges it presents to the western worldview of humanity, and also how the apparent conflict between evolution and creation can be solved. I'm not far into it, yet, but it already has me thinking. Lots of people, when they view the indifference of life, nature, and other human being toward one another, see no other explanation than that God must not exist, or must not be benevolent, else how could He allow such things to happen? If we are His children, why doesn't he care about us, or His other creatures, enough to protect us from such evils?

There are lots of other concerns that arise as we learn more about the natural world: like, if God created the universe, and his aim is to create living things, especially men, then why is there so much waste in the universe? Why have 99.9% of all species who have lived on earth gone extinct, and why do we share so much in common with other animals, especially primates, if we are special, and created in the image of God?

I'm not going to systematically try to answer all of these questions right now, I just wanted to put them out there, and, perhaps, through the course of this project, I'll get to them in time. For now, I just wanted to share some thoughts I have about the nature of God. Most of them are shared by many of you, I'm sure, but maybe some of my views will be unique, and worth reading.

I believe that God is a man. By "man," or "human," I don't necessarily mean a Homo sapien, but a being capable of self-knowledge and meaningful and abstract thought, also a being who has the power to act, and not only to be acted upon by external, physical, or chemical forces. I believe He is immortal and perfect: that He lived a mortal life, much like our own, but encountered a means, by the laws of nature, to overcome death. In addition to avoiding/conquering death, He has gained all knowledge and become Lord of the universe by gaining the trust of its elements as an able, just, and benevolent ruler.

I believe the relationship between God and the universe is similar to that between a gardener and his garden. Because God is, essentially, human, His greatest joy comes in helping other humans gain knowledge, and enjoy the blessings of eternal life and perfection which He enjoys. I believe He invests into our salvation.

I believe God subjects Himself to all the laws of nature, in order to keep the trust of its elements (His husbandry), but is able to manipulate them to His designs because of His superior knowledge of them. He uses natural processes to organize, not create, order in the universe, and make life possible. The emergence/creation of living things, especially intelligent living things, is His greatest joy, but it is costly, and difficult: thus, there is much "wasted" space and matter in the universe, and life is, relatively, scarce.

I believe that God is worthy of our worship. I believe that the church I belong to is true, and among the reasons I continue to believe, and be Mormon, is that I think it is more advantageous to believe and be part of this church, than to belong to another church, another faith all-together, or not to believe. I've studied other Christian religions, other world religions, and all of the pungent arguments of the agnostic and the atheist, and I still feel this way. I find that being Mormon is: good for my moral/ethical development, good for family bonds, provides a welfare system and social support network, provides opportunities to serve (and travel), gives me strong emotional stimulation, gives comfort and meaning in life, death, and suffering, hope for a better future and an eternal life with family, as well as redemption/salvation, hope for a chance to become like God, and it provides me with intellectual stimulation and inspiration. For example: I doubt I would be so interested in coming up with my own idea of utopia, or Zion, and trying to live by its principles, if I was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I firmly reject the idea of a pantheistic or mystic God, force, or intelligence. I believe He is a man, our Father: that He loves us, and that He wants to help us become like Him, as I love my own son, and want him to succeed and be happy.

Imagine...

You know that song by John Lennon, Imagine? Well, even though he and I don't see eye-to-eye on certain issues (like religion), I've taken his advice. I've tried to imagine a world where there is no inequality, no injustice, and no struggle for the basic needs of life. It wasn't easy. It forced me to think about things in ways that I wasn't always comfortable with, and, sometimes, to come up with answers that contradict what I have been taught to believe.

Last Christmas, Shauni bought me a slew of good books, several of them are now on my "favorite" list. Among them was Plato's Republic. I know most people have heard of it, but few have managed to read it. That's propably because it's not an easy read. It's one long series of questions and answers on the topic of creating the ideal society. Plato was a student of Socrates, the famous Athenian philosopher and teacher who was condemned to death for "corrupting the youth of Athens," and since Socrates never had the chance to write any of his own ideas down for posterity, Plato took it upon himself to represent his master in many written works, the most famous of which is the Republic.

I loved the book, mostly because I was so surprised by the relevant things it talked about. You wouldn't think that life in ancient Greece would be very simillar to life today in America, but I was surprised by the insight into human troubles that was demonstrated by the author: the inherent nature of man, the tendency of groups of people to gravitate towards various types of government and behavior, the tendency of governments to change over time in a predictable way, etc. The book also tackled other major issues like the source of internal conflict and motivation (stuff for a psychology class), as well as basic economic principles and more abstract stuff, like the role of art and music in society.

Basically, what Plato, and Socrates, envisioned was a highly stuctured society where labor is clearly divided and defined, virtue and justice are taught as concrete notions, not ideals only, and society is ruled by itself with the help of a special class of warrior/priest/nobility who are not born into their position, but chosen for their aptitude at an early age, and who receive no material reward for their service, and view being apointed officers as an obligation or duty, rather than an honor. He predicted that such a society would withstand the test of time, and be a model for other societies to follow. But those who did not wish to live its principles would not be forced to stay.

Towards the end of the book, after the plans for the new city have been made, the men involved admit to themselves that such a city would probably never come to exist, but that the just man, and the ruler, should live his life as if he lived in that city:

I understand; you mean that he will be a ruler in the city of which
we are the founders, and which exists in idea only; for I do not believe that
there is such a one anywhere on earth?
[Socrates] In
heaven, I replied, there is laid up a pattern of it, methinks, which he who
desires may behold, and beholding, may set his own house in order. But whether
such a one exists, or ever will exist in fact, is no matter; for he will live
after the manner of that city, having nothing to do with any other. (the Republic, Book IX, last paragraphs)

I skipped a lot of good stuff, like the analogy of "the cave" and his theory of forms, but I might mention that later. What I liked about that quote was Socrate's statement that a pattern for his Republic is laid up in heaven. Such a model for a perfect society does exist, and we have only to find it. I believe that, and I call it "Zion."

An invitation to my mind

Welcome to the mind of an interesting man: me! I have been considering doing something like this for a while now. There are so many things that I think about daily, and, when I share them, people often tell me that they value my views and are refreshed by my unique perspective. I hope you will, too.
This will be dedicated, mostly, to philosophical musings about humanity, science, ethics, politics, and spirituality. Occasionaly, I will also write about the things that are most important to me: my family, my faith, and the meaning of life.
If you're intimidated by such heavy topics, don't be. I'm no expert, and I'm no preacher. But I am an idealist; therefore, I am constantly intrigued and baffled by the world around me, and I try to understand it. The biggest reason I want to write my thoughts, is that I want to better understand myself. Sort of like a long, drawn out, personal statement. Maybe this will even help me get into medical school! Who knows?

('Gnothi Seauton.')