Does God exist, yes? Does God exist, no? Does God exist, why ask?

For centuries, scholars, philosophers, and just plain common sense has told us that three questions: What is God? -- What is life? -- What happens to us after death?" are the ultimate human mysteries.° In spite of this, all the major religious organization (and most of the others as well) have assigned numerous answers to these three questions and declared their answers to be reality.

They have no scientifically provable evidence to support their claims. In some religions there are clear words to the contrary in their own religious texts. ( Such as that which appears in the Christian Bible in Ecclesiastes 11:5, RSV,)°

In spite of this, the leaders of these religions have declared that they know what God is, how He functions, and what He wants you to do and not do. They have create a set of beliefs, rituals, and behavior that are to be strictly adhered to by the believers. And they tell their followers, "You'd better get in line because that's what God wants."

In order to see the absurdity of such claims, we have compiled a rather long list of human beliefs about God.° Look at the list and ask yourself: "How many of them do I believe in?"

Q. What Is God?

Beliefs not Facts: When someone speaks about God, they are referring to that unknown and unknowable source of all that transcends understanding. Thus, they tell us absolutely nothing about what God actually is or isn't. They are, instead, expressing what they believe about God. Even atheists who believe that there is no such thing as a source or a creator are only expressing an opinion / belief.

An Analogy: Suppose a someone you had recently met for the first time called you on the phone, and in a rather urgent and emotional voice said, "The moment I saw Charlie, I knew Charlie had been bitten by something. What do I do now?" You'd probably start by asking who or what Charlie is. Is Charlie, your husband, your daughter, you dog, your pet fish, or a stuffed toy? What bit Charlie, a mosquito, a shark or, the love bug. You'd probably also ask what were the circumstances under which Charlie was bitten, and what condition is Charlie in right now?

Well, having a discussion about God without defining what you mean by "God" is about as rational as offering a treatment for Charlie's bite without knowing anything more than, "Something bit Charlie."

Requirement for a Meaningful Discussion: To have even a semblance of mutual understanding, one must first define that is meant by the term God. In addition to the page you are now reading, please see the pages titled: Imagine a God . . . and Spiritual Awareness.° Readers are also directed to the section on our "Relevant Biblical Passages" page titled, Physical (body) Versus Non-physical (Spirit)° On that page, pay particular attention to Ecclesiastes11:5,RSV°

Second, one must understand that the discussion would be about religious beliefs and not about that unknown, unknowable, seemingly infinite "Source of All That Is" which is commonly referred to as "God."

Third, nobody has any definitive answers. Nobody can say, with provable certainty, that he or she is right and that everyone else is wrong.

Fourth, one would also do well to begin any such discussion by distinguishing between religion and spirituality. See the page titled, Religion Versus God.°

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