Religious Beliefs Don't Rely on the 'Existence' of God

March 10, 2007

Source: Centre Daily

http://www.centredaily.com/220/story/35847.html

Do you believe in God?

A simple "yes" or "no" response to that question provides little information about your theology but calls for much more extensive dialogue. Even if you doubt or deny the existence of God, full understanding requires more information about the God whose existence is questioned.

Strange as it may seem, "existence" may not be among the most important attributes of God. That seems counterintuitive. Why waste time discussing something that doesn't even exist?

I happen to believe that the question of the existence of any particular deity is ultimately undecidable. On the question of the existence of God, I'm an agnostic.

For me, the more important question is: "If there were a God underlying the reality within which we live, what would that God be like?" And what implications would that have for how we live?

I'm reminded of the famous newspaper editorial, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." The point is that the values and ideals represented by the being in question do exist and they do inform our decisions about how to live.