Is Our Definition of God Evolving?

Imagine that our definition of God is evolving, in our world of shifting knowledge. While many argue it is self-serving to have a changing God that fits our constant demands, history shows us that this is not the first time God has evolved. Tribal societies believed in magical gods, goddesses and superstition that merged into the mythic, or theist, view. Psychologists teach that people progress in consciousness from one level to another, and every time we go up a level in consciousness, our world view changes.

Jim Marion, author of "Death of a Mythic God" in an EnlightenNext magazine interview, claims that the last 3000 years held to a mythic God after magical gods gave way to “a ruler, a punisher, a patriarch (97). Why would we expect this view to remain unchanged?

Whether we accept a spiritual intelligence, co-creator, integral spirit, or use other words, perhaps we believe in God, even if, or because, our definition and understanding of that entity have changed significantly.

Marion, Jim, an interview by Carter Phipps, “The Death of the Mythic God,” EnlightenNext, Issue 38, October – December 2007, 95-102.

The Demise of our Old Definition of God

There are five basic approaches to God:

· theist
· atheist
· agnostic
· pantheist
· panentheist

For the first three, God is defined as an entity “outside of time and space who created the world and judges, rewards, and punishes everyone in it” (Shapiro 16). While theists believe in the existence of this God, atheists do not and agnostics aren’t sure.

The Pantheists’ God is the same as nature; god is nature and nature is god. Panentheists, however, believe in a broader definition that “includes and transcends the universe” (16). This is the belief that “everything is within God.” Panentheism includes pantheism, since nature is part of the universe but goes beyond to include more than just this physical world.

The theist view of God is the one that most of us grew up with and the one has dominated. Many writers, however, are recording the demise of this old definition. Current views include a more integral God, as many people are moving away from the director and controller.

Shapiro, Rabbi Rami. “Why Aren’t You An Atheist?” Spirituality&Health, March – April 2007, 16.

There is a Reason for Everything; Nothing Bad Happens

There is a reason for everything. Nothing bad happens; only the right things occur in the world and in our lives. As difficult as that is to accept at times, this is the rule. This is life. This is what we learn from spiritual concepts. Life isn’t about the way we think it should be or the way we want it to be. There is an order to the universe. There is a reason for everything, even if we not aware of that reason.

Law and order exist in the universe. There is a cause and effect in the world. We are not victims. Our decisions create certain effects; we cause the outcomes that occur. And we can change our events to include better reactions. We can begin this moment to perform the actions that will have the results we want. When we accept we are part divine and reflect something bigger, we can change and become better humans with smarter decisions.

This is an excerpt from my Do It Yourself Guide to Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps, available for only $3.00 as an immediate download at http://nottinstitute.org/

We are Connected to One Another and to the Divine

What if we realized that no matter how down we felt, we were assured that we are not alone, not separate, not all by ourselves, but part of something larger? We are connected to the world; all is one. While that might not provide any immediate or definable solace, the idea promotes a long term sense of security, a sense that whatever happens, we are never disconnected. We are never really alone. We are connected to everyone, and we are connected to our Creator.

A bond with everything in life. On a practical, daily basis, might we be happier? Most often moments of sadness relate to a belief in isolation from someone or something. If there is no separation, despite a seeming physical one, the sadness lessens. If there is no separation, why would we continue a deep sense of feeling abandoned?

This is an excerpt from my booklet Do It Yourself Guide to Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps, which can be purchased and downloaded at http://NottInstitute.org

Louise Erdrich's novel, Love Medicine - a spiritual comment

I admire Louise Erdrich's characters in this novel. She portrays Native Americans with their strengths and weaknesses, and while we may not initially like many of the characters, they grow on us as we experience their stories. Despite lives ruined by government interventions, booze and hard luck, there is a resilience that generates our respect.

I write about spiritual books, books that provide a connection to the divine without being religious. There is spirituality in Erdrich's characters: in the commitment to themselves, to each other, and to the return home to their past. This is a practical spirituality, a belief in something greater than ourselves. Spirituality is not about naming a God or a Higher Being; it is living as if such an entity or belief exists and matters.

Despite all, her characters rise up as an admirable group, a group that deserves respect for their strength and reserve. Yes, that is the human spirit overcoming the mundane. That is a practical spirituality, a larger-than-life view.

Her characters force us to care. And we do. We want to be better people without realizing why, as we watch them rise above the human condition, no matter how depressing or abusive their lives. Her characters do that. So must we.

Spirituality is More Than an Academic Pursuit

Spirituality is more than an academic pursuit. We must practice our faith. While for some that is obvious, many focus solely on cognitive awareness and intellectual study. As Ken Wilbur, my current favorite philosopher, points out in Integral Psychology, we need personal involvement to know what it "feels" like to be spiritual, not just theoretically know what others say.

Wilbur talks of the need to "transform consciousness," not just change our view of the world, which is an intellectual activity. Practical knowledge of how to save the world is important. To complement that, however, what are we doing to change and save ourselves?

Thinking is not enough for spiritual development. We should interact differently with ourselves, others and the world. This change is precipitated by interior stages of growth. Inner transformation is crucial to balance the outward actions. Getting in touch with our own thoughts and ideas helps. Meditation or alone time is important. We can't just read about what it is like to meditate; we must be quiet and listen. Somehow, we must "experience" the spiritual.

We should weigh our daily demands

with our spiritual quest.

In that search, we need personal and internal growth,

not just mental pursuits.

Seven Books To Assist a Practical Spiritual Quest in 2009

Remember that we are body, mind and spirit. We exercise our body and develop our mind, but what are we doing for our spirit? If you are looking for direction for your spirit in 2009, here are seven books that might assist.

1. 
   The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence by Deepak Chopra
   Without our consciousness, or our thoughts, there is no physical existence. We, collectively, create our world. Our thoughts bridge the virtual reality and the physical world. This is a complicated concept, but the spirit domain is the source of the coincidences we find in our lives. Tapping into this domain, into this unlimited and undefined area, we observe the synchronicity in our lives. Then we can create, on the physical level, the lives we desire.
2. 
   The Mystic Path to Cosmic Power by Vernon Howard
   “Man’s task is to awaken to his true identity. The Kingdom of Heaven is within. Spiritual truths are discovered with an entirely new kind of thinking, quite distinct and vastly superior to the mind that builds bridges and sells merchandise.”
3. 
   On God: An Uncommon Conversation by Norman Mailer with Michael Lennon
   Mailer states that God is a Creator, but one that is still evolving. Mailer considers that we are developing with God and, because of this, He needs us as much as we need Him. Perhaps Mailer’s view is egocentric, but he may be right. If we are still progressing, why wouldn’t our Creator be doing the same?
4. 
   Sage-ing While Age-ing by Shirley MacLaine
   MacLaine, in one of many discussions on various topics, defines soul mate as the one person that is exactly like us. There is only one for each of us, but this person is often too intense to be around. Twin souls have been together before and find it easier to relate. Companion souls have not been together in many lifetimes but recognize each other immediately. Perhaps a twin or companion might be more compatible in this lifetime.
5. 
   The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, and Miracles by Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D.
   Dr. Lipton claims that our environment, which includes nutrition, emotion and stress, influences our cells. We know that DNA passes on hereditary traits, but he cites research from a new study, epigenetics, that shows gene modification from the environment is also passed on.
6. 
   Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry of Values by Robert Pirsig
   The narrator, traveling across country, attempts to define “quality.” What he finds is that we all know what quality is; there is no need to define it. The search is important, but the answer is within. Our quest to define “spirituality” is similar. We know what it is for each of us. The search is important, but the answer is within.
7. 
   Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
   We can transcend the two parts of us, the human side that is civilized and tamed, and the “wolf” or shadow side that is wild and instinctive. We can’t disown our less-than-human side. We need to let go of one in order to not fear the other. Then we can rise above both and glimpse that other world of spirit.
   

For a more complete discussion of these books, please visit my website at http://www.nottinstitute.org