Belief in God

I am a longtime fan of UConn women’s basketball and watch every game. Paige Bueckers is their star player and is frequently interviewed during and after the game. Early in every interview she takes a moment to say, “All glory to God.” Paige’s thanking God for helping her get through difficult times on and off the basketball court reminded me of the major role that belief in God plays in many people’s lives. She is typical of many believers.

Now, let me throw you a curve ball. What if there is no God? It doesn’t matter. It is not the existence of God that matters. It’s the belief in His existence. In the example of a sports competition, people on both sides pray for success, and depending on their faith, many on both sides will find something in the outcome to thank God for. Their belief in His existence gives them hope, strength, courage, and other benefits, whether He exists or not doesn’t matter.

I must admit I am baffled by people wo are suffering from a horrible debilitating painful illness who pray to God to cure it; and give God credit for improvements without blaming Him for causing the pain in the first place. If God is all-powerful and all-knowing, doesn’t it follow that He is already aware of the issue, and may even have caused it?

Then I expand my sample and consider the whole planet. It’s a mess. We have wars, poverty, famine, disease, intolerance, greed, and other horrible conditions. Why? I hear platitudes like, “God is testing us.” Why? I was raised as a Christian, but gradually drifted away from any organized religion (There is an oxymoron for you.) because there were too many questions for which there were no satisfactory answers. I was told to have faith. The more I tried, the more I realized that faith was just a euphemism for self-delusion. There is no evidence it is true; you just have to believe it is so. So, is religion a good or a bad thing?

For Paige and the millions of people like her who are comforted, encouraged, strengthened, and enabled by their religious faith, it is a good thing. All religions, not just Christianity. Nearly every religion has some version of the Golden Rule as a foundational tenet. You don’t have to believe in God to have a strong moral compass and a guiding set of values.

I don’t believe in God, but I hedged my bet by living a good life, just incase I find myself at the pearly gates and need to provide a resume.