I did. From the very beginning of my religious journey, I expected whatever I read to make sense. In my mind, the truth on any subject should never require suspension of disbelief. Fantasy does.
Monotheism > Polytheism
The ancient religious books didn’t address my concerns. They seemed to be written for people who were more prone to superstition, impressed by the mundane, and quick to see miracles in the ordinary. The urge to worship was common and the tendency to personify the inanimate was prevalent. The focus was more about who or what to worship as opposed to whether or not to worship at all.
Recognizing the Creator of all as the only reality worthy of the title “God” is more sensible and desirable than idolizing the created or imaginary. It felt so obvious to me that everything we could witness or experience has an origin that I didn’t see any reason to bother questioning it. Unfortunately, the lack of a clear understanding of why there must be a Creator or what the Creator must be like makes space for doubt to fester into denial.
Answers for Modern Questions
We don’t know it all, but we know enough to not rely on the supernatural for answers about the natural world. Even while trying to figure out which religion I should follow, if any at all, there was a nagging desire for something that made faith unnecessary and denial unreasonable. Am I alone? If you weren’t indoctrinated into a belief system at a young age, I would expect such a feeling to be normal.
If you’ve ever felt that way and know what I’m talking about, what did you do to overcome it? I became obsessed. I refused to give up and give in to faith, denial, or indecision. I must have driven myself crazy in the pursuit of truth because I think I actually found it. What I discovered is so different from what we typically expect when we think of God that it explains why true understanding has eluded us for so long.
Honest Question
Are you capable of changing your mind about God? Most people aren’t. It is easy to get stuck into old habits and beliefs without even realizing. Our identities are so interwoven into our values that change can feel more like betrayal than growth. Regardless if you’re religious, atheist, or somewhere in between, what you believe about God can be so deeply felt that any criticism of that belief seems like a personal attack.
As we get older, we tend to forget that the ugly part of learning is finding out what we previously thought was right is actually incorrect. The idea that we can’t understand God has given us shelter from the rude awakening of education. While I picture myself as a hero, introducing cold hard facts into a faithful subject must make me the villain of your story—an unwanted intruder to your Inner-child’s safe haven.
Before you get offended and become defensive, ask yourself: Without a logical basis for belief, what is supposed to convince those who don’t want to believe in God? What will protect those who want to believe from the fraud and deceit of those willing to abuse their trust? Deep down, you know the truth about God should make sense.
Wishes Granted and Prayers Answered
To those of you who wished there was a way to understand God that didn’t insult your intelligence, your wishes have been granted. If you ever prayed for a concept of the Creator that was consistent with itself and everything else we have reason to believe, your prayers have been answered. You must be willing and able to break out of the comfort zones of personification and imagination to receive it.
Because the truth is so far from expectation, it seems complicated upon introduction. It is really quite simple. We use common sense to figure out what must be true about the Creator and use the foundation of math for supporting evidence. After considering all the implications of such a revelation, we unlock the ability to appreciate both sides of the opposing perspectives of an absolute reality.
This breakthrough in theological thought delivers on the promises made by every other life philosophy. If you want to be as confident about what you believe about God as you are that 2+2=4, continue this journey of discovery. Explore the unseen constant of math, and you will find God. Apply what you learn to life, and you will find peace. Welcome to Intellectual Righteousness.