Faith and Critical Reason: Living Religious Diversity, Essay Example

The concept of God or gods presents a question of loaded terms, because this same word represents a global variety of belief systems regarding the existence of one or more gods- if any. Once a system of belief takes hold within a group of people, the believers usually start by explaining their beliefs, their reasoning, the source of their system, and how their religion differs from others. Usually this means that believers explain why only their ways of belief can be ‘right’. There are exceptions, of course, such as the Hindu doctrine of ishdaveda, which postulates that Jesus might have indeed been a representative of a greater divine presence. (Rambachan xv-xvii) Despite the arguing about whose god is the ‘right one’, most believers follow similar rules based on their faith. Are these gods really so different?

Keeping the gods separate proves its own challenge when many of the rules of believers are the same. Also, most faiths say that a god or god has certain roles, duties, or special symbols that belong to them. In Christianity, Jesus is called a fisher of men, a shepherd, a king, lord of hosts, etc. and represents only the semi-human form of a single god with three separate divisions. Similar to this three-part, one god belief, Krishna’s character divided into father, lover, and child types during his journeys, which are very similar to the ancient parts of the Bible. (Muhammad 9-10) Robert Stade wrote an entire book on the different religious roles and names in Islamic faith. Allah also is the creator, the protector, the king, the provider, etc. Both gods speak of non-believers. In Islam, they receive bad luck and trials, but in Christianity these trials test faithfulness and may be considered a mixed blessing. (25-38) Believers relate to this idea that the good actions done in this life will be rewarded in an afterlife and that, like people, God shows different sides. Paul Tillich wrote that God is the ultimate concern of man, the one thing that becomes more important than anything else. This concern fills each of the different roles and functions of people. He also claims that the concrete cares of life cannot become this ultimate concern because they are not ultimate in their nature. (Rowe 274-276) In other words, Tillich supports the normal belief that God has power over everything, knows everything, and can be everything and everywhere. Our God must be ultimate over understanding.

True obedience to God causes the person to give their separate personality up. Jews inherit some of this power through their blood as part of the ancient nation of Israel. They have a concrete reminder of their part with God, which would make them the ultimate nation in Tillich’s writings. (Ariel 26-27) Johnson poses another theory—that the Jews who were born of the Israelites became part of a living religious tradition affected by their time and knowledge of God. Even the people under the guidance of God or gods are subject to the divine will, the “pattern of their lives was shaped by unseen forces”. (Johnson) The actions of man prove to be a combination of will and a grander pattern governing their behavior. Many a person has felt this combination of drive and a higher sense of what should be accomplished, and this higher sense gave responsibility to the normal man. However, Hindu religion places God in among man- not as some great floating force far away, pulling the strings. While many of the other religious systems of belief require followers to learn about holy books and histories and follow the rules set out in them, the Hindu belief follows no definite structure and continues to grow as it embraces influences from other countries. They do not set about to prove the non-existence of other gods but to consider the possible truth of the beliefs of others. (Rambachan 2-4) In theory, Catholicism accepts possible truths. Clooney writes that Philippians 4 gives Christians a blessing for the acceptance of other possible ways of seeing the Bible. (17)

When a bus advertising campaign in the United Kingdom boldly stated that there “probably is no God”, complaints arose almost immediately. However, in order to take down this ad, a judgment on the probably existence of God would have to happen. (Beckford) This problem applies to every faith and non-faith, because who among us is qualified to decide? A leap of faith crosses the space between reasoning and believing, and in the gaps falls what we know, guess, and believe about the concept of God. Knowledge itself proves a sort of death, a passing away from the ways that man knew before. Johnson writes of death as a possible gateway to a different kind of life which sees all things beyond this world as possible and feels the gateway to the other world as a full promise, “a reality greater than the fragments of everyday life.” This greater reality has a variety of faces and rules, but the purpose remains the same: the search for a meaning greater than just survival. While many feel this indicates that there are no gods, the reader may reason that this assumption is manmade. The reality of this presence, the all-powerful being is the unknown.

Works Cited

Ariel, Yakov. “A Faith Worth Preserving: An Introduction to Judaism” in Five Voices, Five Faiths: 23-42. Print.

Beckford, Martin. “Atheist bus adverts could lead to watchdog ruling on God’s existence.” The Telegraph. 8 Jan 2009. Web. Retrieved from < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/4177717/Atheist-bus-adverts-could-lead-to-watchdog-ruling-on-Gods-existence.html>.

Clooney, Francis X. Comparative Theology: Deep Learning Across Religious Difference. 2010.

Johnson, Elizabeth. “Ancient Story, New Chapter,” Quest for the Living God. New York, NY: The Continuum Publishing Group. 2007.

Muhammad, Ovey. “Jesus and Krishna.” Asian Faces of Jesus: 9-23. Fall 1989.

Rambachan, Anantanand.“To Recognize and Love God in All: An Introduction to Hinduism”,  Five Voices, Five Faiths: 1-22.

Rowe, William L. The Meaning of ‘God’ in Tillich’s Theology. The Journal of Religion, 42(4): 274-286. Oct. 1962.

Stade, Robert. Ninety-Nine Names of God in Islam. Daystar Press, 1970.