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.