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The Difference Between God and Religion

8/18/2012

 
PictureIf believing in God means believing in a mighty being at the top of a religious hierarchy, then I'll be an "atheist," too. That kind of God, to me, is like the cartoon God from Monty Python.
They are not the same thing.

Our society, it seems, has become so confused about religion that we don't really seem to understand what a religion is. Because of that, we don't really seem to understand what it means to experience God, either.

Seeking God and identifying with a religion are different experiences. Yet, many people seem to think that a person who does not identify with any particular religion must, therefore, be an atheist. That is an insult both to God and, I suppose, to true atheism. Religions are human institutions that, at their best, help people to experience and be close to God. However, the relationship between a religion and God is like the relationship between a radio and music. Just because you don't have one does not mean that you can't experience the other. 

I am thinking about this because a reader of this blog recently sent me a message (you can, too, by going here), wondering what I thought about the growing number of atheists in our society. The reader identified himself as an atheist and wondered how I "remain true to [my] faith." 

You don't need to be a mind reader to realize that a true atheist would not be concerned with the struggle to maintain faith. Atheism is the conviction that there is no God or gods; no ultimate source of meaning, truth or morality in the universe. How could a true atheist struggle with faith when atheism denies the very basis of faith? I had to assume that the message I got was from a person who wanted to experience faith but was frustrated by an inability to find a meaningful experience of God in any religion. Here's part of what I wrote back:

It is my belief that many people who call themselves atheists are really just anti-religion. Maybe that's true for you, too. I think there is a difference between faith and religion.

A true atheist would be someone who believes that our existence is a complete accident of chance, that our lives serve no purpose and have no meaning, apart from what human beings ascribe to their own existence. A true atheist would believe that there is nothing intrinsically good or bad about any human action—from the perspective of the universe, a murderer and a humanitarian are equals.

I don't believe that and I don't think that there are many people who do if you really push them on it. To me, faith is just the gut feeling that our lives continue to matter even after we have died, and that the way we choose to live matters, too—not just because of our biologically programmed preferences, but because there really is such a thing as right and wrong.

Religion is another matter. Religions are systems of beliefs and practices that are designed to enhance the experience of faith. Sometimes they help people to uncover deeper levels of meaning in their lives; sometimes they are just a tool people use to justify the beliefs and behaviors they would have chosen anyway. Religion can give people insight and provide a framework for making good choices in a difficult world. Religion can give people an excuse to hate and be greedy. For the most part, religions, like people, do a little bit of both.


I got back a grateful response from a reader who acknowledges a desire for spirituality to fill the emptiness of life. Is that where you are, too? What do you believe?

I encounter a lot of synagogue-going Jews who say, "I don't believe in God." That seeming contradiction is certainly a possibility. The synagogue is a place where people connect with Jewish community and ethnic identity, not just God. But I can't help but think that many of those "atheist Jews" are people who are frustrated or confused by the way that our society defines religion and belief in God (and that puts me in their camp, too). 

If being religious means believing that your religion embodies the perfect truth, then I will choose not to be "religious," either. If believing in God means holding that there is a mighty being at the top of a religious hierarchy, then I'll be an "atheist," too. That kind of God, to me, is like the cartoon God from Monty Python. 

But that is not how I define religion and it is not how I experience God. For me, having faith in God is the experience of accepting that my life matters beyond the satisfaction of my desires and beyond the frailty of my body. To me, God is manifest in the realization that I am here, and so are you, to fulfill a purpose and truth that is greater than any one of us individually. 

No religion, and no human institution of any kind, can pretend to know the entirety of that purpose and truth. Rather, religion is a system of concepts and practices that help us discover the experience of God. Religions that work, don't work for everyone. Religions are not necessarily the best way for everyone to experience God. I believe, though, that they can help most people.

And I notice that most people who say that religion does not work for them have never really tried one. Religions require discipline and practice to work. You wouldn't claim that exercise has no effect on your strength and endurance after only doing a few push ups. Don't claim that religion doesn't work for you after only enduring religious school as a child and attending a few services. If you don't make a commitment, you are unlikely to experience a benefit.

We struggle to know God and to experience God, even though we can never be certain how God will touch us or be revealed to us. That experience, that process, is the way I understand what true faith is. It is a journey that we can each travel, and religion can be a map to help guide us on our way.


Other Posts on This Topic:
The Tebow Effect
Beha'alotecha: Eldad and Medad

Barb L
8/19/2012 02:25:47 am

I have been struggling with this post since I first read it last night. I completely get the difference between God and religion. Where I get hung up is the line "from the perspective of the universe, a murderer and a humanitarian are equals". The universe is a huge, mostly empty place. Humans occupy a miniscule, really laughably small part of that universe. Within 1000 years, probably less, humans will probably be extinct, having used up the resources needed to sustain human life. From the perspective of the universe, humans, and therefore also their actions, are completely meaningless. I have no doubt about that.

Within the context of my life, my family, my students, my community,
my micro-universe, I still want my life to hold meaning, to be one
that was worth coming into existence. The fact that I exist is chance. Most of the things that I experience are chance. Yet, I
still want to believe that there is something bigger than me, something that has touched my life, something that I can contribute
to. If you want to call that God, fine. I don't believe that "I" was
put here for a purpose, but I still think I might as well do something
meaningful while I'm here, even if the universe doesn't care a bit.
If you want to call me an atheist, that's fine, too.

Reb Jeff link
8/19/2012 03:00:33 am

Thank you, Barb, for your comment. I find it beautiful and honest.

Yes, we are overwhelmed and awed by a universe that is vast beyond our ability to comprehend. Sometimes, that vastness makes us feel insignificant. Yet, at other times, we are utterly convinced that what human beings do, how we treat each other and the values we live by, have tremendous significance and importance—even a significance that goes beyond our own preferences and social mores. The experience of God can come out of trying to resolve that apparent contradiction.

We recognize that our lives don't add up to very much. We are not the center of the universe. Yet, the choices we make and the way we find meaning in life matters to us very much. "God" is in the struggle to answer questions like: Why do we care so much if our lives are so insignificant? Why shouldn't we just do whatever pleases us and satisfies our desires since all the consequences will be wiped away in a thousand years or so? Why are we so convinced that our life matters?

For me, the encounter with God is not in any set of "correct" answers to those questions. It is in the struggle to understand what the questions even mean.

Susan Le Gresley
8/20/2012 01:55:55 am

I think God is wonderfully puzzling. Those who feel comfortable with a kind of recipe in a religeous format, eat a spiritual meal that is tried and tested.

I like the idea that God moderated the taste of the manna to each persons palate. Also that it is our own desire to know God that is rewarded with revelation. If God presented himself as limited only to our own ability to understand Him, then there would be no aspect of spiritual development open to us.

Hearing and seeing God in every day things and the people around us takes an awakened sense of self that is 'Not God'. Definately knowing we are the Radio/TV that receives a signal and translates it into a projection that is both comprehensible to ourselves, and like Reb Jeff, able to project that message to others.

Perhaps the world we live in today is so used to 'flicking channels', because we want constant excitement and rhapsody in our worship, we forget that God is also more keenly heard in quiet places, alone places, and wilderness places of our seeking Him.

Reb Jeff link
8/20/2012 02:05:48 am

"Perhaps the world we live in today is so used to 'flicking channels', because we want constant excitement and rhapsody in our worship, we forget that God is also more keenly heard in quiet places, alone places, and wilderness places of our seeking Him."

Thank you, Susan. That is just beautiful.

Rajeev
1/28/2013 11:02:56 pm

Nice article Reb. I also wonder what the truth of religion is? I personally believe in God. but what common sense says, goes totally against the system of religion. it seems that the religion is more of a conspiracy to keep people from realizing their true potential and keeping them away from God.

Reb Jeff link
1/28/2013 11:46:38 pm

"...what common sense says, goes totally against the system of religion."

Rajeev,

I suppose it depends what you mean by "common sense" and what you mean by "religion." I agree with you that there are expressions of religion in our society that seem to be little more than systems of thought to reinforce what people already believe about their own importance and the correctness of their beliefs. I do think that religion can be more than that. In my experience, religion can be a path that challenges us to confront our preconceived notions of our purpose and place in creation. Religion can be a system of beliefs and practices that help us live ethical, compassionate, courageous and beautiful lives.


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