The ‘God’ conversation …

Don’t you think it’s strange that when asked if they believe in God, most people answer yes or no, without first defining what ‘God’ is, or sharing something about what God means for them?

Let’s see what the Compact Oxford English Dictionary says. ‘God’: ‘A superhuman being or spirit worshipped as having power over nature and human life’. Interesting. An atheist must, therefore, believe in ‘God’ (based on this definition) because regardless whether there really is a God, it’s a fact there are people all over the planet who worship such a being or spirit supposed to have such powers.

But if we adjust the definition to, ‘the creator and supreme ruler of the universe’ - I’d say the atheist can now safely assert their belief that ‘God’ does not exist.

You might also believe in a higher intelligence that is essentially unknowable but able to be experienced in a profound, life-changing way. But having said that, whether you describe that using the word ‘God’ or not, is up to the individual.

Question: if you choose not to label a transcendental realisation or transformation as an experience of ‘God’, does that make you an atheist?

Don’t worry, this is not a test and there’s no score out of a 100. I just think we need to share our understandings about what we mean by ‘God’, for any real communication take place. In my view, It would be better to acknowledge that upfront, rather than talk at cross purposes.