Can the Term "God" Still Be Used?

Here is another entry stemming from my discussion over lunch with a good friend from seminary. We both were commenting on the use of the term "God" and how we managed successfully or unsuccessfully to handle situations in which the Deity was invoked. We each proffered substitutes such as mystery, the holy, ground of being, etc.

This may sound all a bit silly but it is serious enough to the us as we both find ourselves embedded in religious traditions that are ordered around and based upon the term "God" and the connotations specific to our respective traditions. And, while in theological circles there may be plenty of impetus for the gradual replacement of the term, it is doubtful that "God" is going away any time soon.

I am a Roman Catholic who likes to sometimes attend High Church Episcopal services (I like the smells and bells). In either setting there is no escaping "God" in the theistic sense - not that I would expect otherwise. What I do then is try and interpret liturgy, hymns, and the scripture in light of my own beliefs - a process that I don't think is that far removed from what any other parishioner might do in trying to find portions of the mass or homily that apply to their own life.

When I hear or read of God referred to as a person, I perceive it to mean the whole of creation. When I hear or read of God's power or action, I perceive it to mean creativity and the things which have brought myself and the world the this moment. When I hear of requests or petitions made to God to bring about or cause a certain end or result, I perceive it to be first, an expression of hope and longing and secondly, a reminder that the faith in which these statements are made requires action of myself and of the community to live out and work toward those things we would pray to be accomplished.

And when I hear or read of worship and praise to be given to God, I perceive my own sense of awe, of existence, of humility, and of gratefulness in being. In this way then I can take part fully and honestly in pray, in liturgy, and in worship and devotion.

A Short Creedo...for now

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend from seminary and our conversation made realize both how long it has been since I had an blog entry of any sort and that also it would be a good time to try and get down some positive thoughts about my own beliefs. So, here's a short credo statement.

I believe that there is no God, if by that term one means an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being that is both transcendent of and immanent to the world (whether solely through the person of Jesus of Nazareth, or via the panentheism of Process Theology, or both).

I believe there is a creative force at work within the universe which is mysterious but also knowable. I believe this creativity is at work within creation precisely because creativity is an inherent capability and quality of existence. To be is to be creative - to impulsively engage in complexification, to have properties emerge that, once achieved, cannot be reduced to their origin.

I believe that we and the universe we inhabit are as we should be. We are neither an accident nor the result of a plan from before time. We are, to paraphrase Stuart Kauffman, expected. It is this expectancy that points us toward the creativity inherent in us and the world.

Is this pantheism? I admit that at first glance it does appear to be the case, however I would argue that the term pantheism does not adequately describe what I am proposing. It would be far too easy to pigeon-hole it as pantheism and move on. I do not believe either myself or my personal theology to be pantheistic in that there is no theism from which to make reference. Pantheism (just like the terms monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, etc.) is defined by its relation to the root term theism. I do not believe that the theistic attributes can be distributed to all of creation rather than be bundled up into one or multiple creators. I cannot direct toward animals, plants, or other persons, prayers of intervention or supplication as they have nothing to offer to me other than what they are. There are no magical or supernatural powers or realm to be tapped within the things of the universe.

As I do not subscribe to theism then, it is hard for me to say I am a pantheist. There remains though creativity, which is the power and property of all the universe. There remains awe, reverence and humility before the universe, before that which has come to pass and that which has brought me here to this very moment.