While petitioning for Masonry, I got asked this question a lot. Seeing as I’ve raised the heckles of many readers of this journal with atheistic rants, I think it’s appropriate to answer the question here. Consider this the “John’s Faith FAQ.”
We spend all of lives,
going out of our minds,
looking back to our birth,
forward to our demise.
Even scientists say
everything is just light.
Not created or destroyed,
but eternally bright.
— Live, They Stood Up for Love
Of course, many are probably not interested, so here’s a
What is God?
(from Merriam-Webster:
1 capitalized : the supreme or ultimate reality: as a : the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshiped as creator and ruler of the universe b Christian Science : the incorporeal divine Principle ruling over all as eternal Spirit : infinite Mind
A supreme or ultimate reality. Yes, I believe in a supreme or ultimate reality. I believe there is a reality that governs our actions that contains unbreakable laws. I call this reality, “Physics.” Some call it “Nature.”
Now, I also believe that reality itself is “divine.” (I’m pushing this word just about as far as it will go.) That is, all of Creation is sacred. Everything is holy. We all come from the same source: we were all created from the same stuff. I believe our current model of “the Big Bang” is close enough to what actually happened that we can trust it as realiable. Because of this, I believe everything is connected to everything else. We are made from the same stuff.
You, me, the rock, and yes, even the land and the ship. (Sorry, just had to slide that in there.)
I believe religion does its best to articulate this truth. That there was a source of creation (whatever mask you want to put on it) and that all things are linked to that creation. Whatever face you want to put on it, the mask doesn’t change the fact that each and every religion in the world essentially teaches the same thing:
We Are One. And whatever you do to another, you do to God.
This statement only made sense to me when I realized that all particles in the universe were once one teensy, tiny sub-atomic particle. Well, not even a particle, but a singular spec of existence. Doing harm to another is, in essence, doing harm to yourself. And God.
Another question the Masons asked me was, “Do you believe in an afterlife?” The answer is, “Yes.” Physics teaches us that nothing in the world is ever destroyed, only transformed. The matter that makes up “John” will turn into something else. And that matter will turn into something else. And that matter, and that matter, and that matter… All the way down the line.
So, do I believe in God?
Yes. I do. I believe all of creation is holy, sacred, and unique. A power that governs our lives with laws we cannot disobey. God punishes us and rewards us for our actions, although It isn’t always fair. More importantly, anything we do to our fellow explorers, we do to God.
Ah-men.