I have found God, and Its name is Pure Creative Chaos.
Because of Einstein’s most important discoveries, I have come to understand that what we call “gravity” is really just the spacetime continuum growing and shrinking of its own volition.
For a clearer description of all of this, please see the post entitled “Do Black Holes Equal Universes?” in the Natural Sciences section.
Anyways, mainstream science would have us believe that the universe all of the sudden exploded like a fire cracker and was instantly endowed with its “laws”. This is the biggest crock ever perpetrated by mankind!
The universe is composed of a substance called spacetime (aka mass-energy) that is an undifferentiable whole. This substance lives and breathes just like an organism. Viva Spinoza!
Our universe has a parent black hole that is constantly feeding energy into it (this is dark energy!) and many child black holes – which are actually universes in their own right – that are constantly sucking energy from and breathing energy back into our own universe.
We are living in a wonderfully entangled multiverse that is always feeding off of itself!
The point of all of this is that I have developed a cosmology that fits in perfectly with my philosophy. At this point, I have come to understand that the universe is trying to tell us to exist with the same sort of continual creative energy that it does. Viva Bergson!
So, I don’t need to have “blind faith” in order to believe in an infinitely powerful Supreme Being.
It’s always right before our eyes, from a beautiful flower all the way up to that awesomely dynamic cosmic force formerly known as gravity!
I think the only concept of god really worth talking about from a practical standpoint is Einstein’s (spinoza’s) god, where nature itself is an expression of a higher power, whether it is alive or an intelligent entity it doesn’t really matter.
It has no bearing on human affairs.
This is why I believe deism is probably superior to all other theologies: Unless you are pulled into another dimension and given power to manipulate matter and energy at will and have it demonstrated to you, saying you know what god is, is just saying “I know some deep-aspect nature of the universe, which is a Personally Objective Non-transferable Understanding.” or simply “PONU” I was wondering if I should add the T? It’s a term I’ve coined in my head that I’ve had stewing in there for a while.
Belief in God is an opinion. Justification in God is an endeavor. Acceptance of God is a personal experience. Faith that God exists encompasses the sum-total of the previous statements.
I personally have no problem with the Grand Unified Theory of the existence of this physical universe. Your description of there being a Supreme Being almost appears to be a scientific approach to Apologetics.
When I explain my Christian admonishments to others I am told I am ‘prostelizing’. Therefore, I am shackled in trying to explain my belief of God without offending other’s ‘sensibilities’. Sort of like asking a teacher to explain math without numbers. In this too I realize the burden of proof falls on me. God will not be found if He is not sought out. In order for this to occur, faith has to be the basis of the search. I know of only one person who was coerced by God to make him believe of His existence. It is the Apostle Paul, whose name changed from Saul. One of Rome’s biggest denouncers of Christians who turned out to be one of God’s greatest deciples (if I am allowed to say to so).
If one’s search for God without faith going totally on empirical scientific evidence, it will be like looking for water in the desert…probable, but highly unlikely
In questions of science the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. - Galileo
It is possible some people (even most) while being taken to services carried this thought with them throughout their religious brainwashing. Some may be satisfied with that staus quo vein of belief.
In my upbringing, attendance to church was sporatic at best. Living solely with my father and brother without my mother (who left due to my dad’s abusive attitude), going to church was a disjointed events. At least my dad did on occasion take me to church. His practices were different to what he tried to introduce my brother and I to. For that I am grateful.
My experience with God were founded in a stronger light when I conciously sought Him out from my teen years through adulthood. As some may view me as a poor Christian due to my sparce ritualistic tendencies, I feel the Lord is with me always. Where people may let me down, God will not. We should be thankful for everything that comes our way, good or bad. Mainly because however insignificant the reason, it is relevant even though we don’t see it.
The capriciousness you speak of due to our environmental landscape has a stronger subjective meaning rather than lending to the macro side of it. When we get to the appropriate time of life where we can set aside how our parents forged our thoughts, we can look to God on more of a personal level. I am going to make a recommendation of church attendance in a non-denominatial form. Look for a church that doesn’t inflict humanistic doctrine in their creeds or constitutions. Find one that focuses on teachings of the Bible and leaves out egoistic manifestations.
I too have thought a long time on this very subject. I am 53 years of age, so I have filtered many layers inductive points of view. Not knowing your age (and I am not asking) it is possible you may not have had time to winnow different lines of thought to get your feet firmly founded in such reasoning. The older I get, my faith builds as more things become enlightened to me because I earnestly seek it
Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.