Professional Documents
Culture Documents
UWRT 1104
Ever since I was a child, I heard the term God everywhere that I had traveled including
India, London, and Germany. By the age of 6, I had heard hundreds and hundreds of stories
about this creature. Being the innocent young boy that I was, I wanted to meet whoever God was.
Some told me he was an animal such as the sacred cow in Hinduism while others told me that he
was in fact a human being. There were even people that told me that God was in fact both animal
and human. Somehow, there was an incredible number of stories that everyone talked about but
my friends told me that nobody had ever seen this being. When I talked to my parents, they told
me they have seen forms of God in many places like through the outline of clouds or the
shadows. God is neither boy nor girl but I have listened to individuals using both him and her as
a pronoun. Growing up as a very curious kid, I had many sleepless nights trying to wrap my head
around this concept. All these years of frustration and bewilderment led me to my inquiry
question: Why do humans believe in God? Due to the fact that my parents were very religious,
the belief of God came very easy to me. However, growing up in a very different setting as my
parents caused my brother and I to have a feeling of uncertainty. There were many aspects in
which I questioned if the theory was all simply a hoax however the prominence of God within
There are a plethora of perspectives and beliefs when it comes to the thought and creation
of God. The existence of God comes from the belief of an individual. Thomas Aquinas, a key
contributor in natural theology in the 1200s, asserted that the way people view God is mainly
based on the mindset of each particular person. Since God is derived from the intellect of ones
mind, frustration arises due to the variety in definition for the term God. In general, people
naturally are known of Gods existence in a very general way which entails an incertitude on the
subject. Because nobody knows exactly what God is, the entire idea becomes difficult to grasp
but needs to be demonstrated by things that are more usually common to us. According to
Thomas Aquinas, someone who hears the term God usually fails to understand that it means
nothing greater can be thought of past this being. Considering we cannot specifically
demonstrate that God exists, it is reliant on the individual and the influences that impact him or
her.
The use of the word God involves ample creativity and constructive thinking that is often
not understood. Because God is brought up so much as if personified, we often forget that we are
unable to check our concepts of the being for accuracy as we can with most ordinary objects.
Instead, understanding the theory is only attained entirely through ideas constructed by the mind.
Therefore, the notion of God is ultimately grounded upon and centered around whatever each
person sees as uniquely superior. A Christian theologian credited with contributing to found the
narrative theology movement, James W McClendon, claims that God is generally Father of us
all, Creator of all things both visible and invisible, Lord of history, Judge of all the earth. With
this idea being generally established to describe this being, these images are taken from general
political, social, or cultural experiences. With this already preconceived idea, the values that
shape God lay with each unique individual. God is considered to be the ultimate point of
there is an apparent similar claim of God and his intentions. Whether it may be Judaism,
Hinduism, Christianity, or another religion, all of them are alike in the presence of the greater
god. In Hinduism, the religion in which my parents follow, there are a plethora of different Gods.
Those who believe that there is one or several Gods are best interpreted as believing that there is
creator of the world. Similar to some of Aquinas views, David Hume, a Scottish philosopher,
implores it is irrelevant if we are concerned simply with an argument for the existence of the
creator; there is no reason to reject that simply because it does not allow us to infer other
interesting things. It is truly fascinating to notice how God was created to represent distinctive
values that range between each person. Different people have varied considerations and values
for different things and one aspect cannot be a reason to disapprove another. Some people tend to
pray to God for emotional or physical gain in the time of need so true faith is generally very
difficult to understand. There will continue to be selfish motives however I believe that is simply
Faith is a very big part of the belief in God. Regardless of whatever motives or intentions
that a person has, the value in faith correlates with your grasp in understanding of the concept.
According to William of Auxerre, the virtue of faith relates the soul directly and immediately to
God as the perfecting habitat of the souls rational power. For the love of God, it can be
misinterpreted as the feeling of desiring specifically for something. It is easier and more common
to focus ones attention and belief on a good outcome. Even though motives are considered to be
within human nature, there should be no end goal or need for true faith in God. True faith in God
should come from within the soul and certainly not forced since the idea is considered to be very
sacred. Whether it may be prayer or acts of kindness, some sort of act is important to prolong
your faith. Faith should be continued through physical or emotional challenges, not simply when
Illnesses of multiple forms have afflicted mankind for thousands and thousands of years.
Although, healing occurs very naturally in the body. Wounds, cuts, and infections are habitually
cured by the body which itself is a phenomenon. However, there are many cases of untreatable
diseases or broken body parts that somehow heal incredibly. For example, medical science has
still not discovered reasoning behind Cancer patients that somehow undergo spontaneous
remission. There is not adequate scientific proof or evidence to support how such miracles occur,
although God or a supernatural power can be affiliated with such situations. On a personal level,
there have also been several instances when I decided not to spend time with friends in which I
had a gut feeling not to go out with them. Interestingly enough, my friends had gotten themselves
hurt or in trouble so it made me curious as to the driving force credited to making me stay at
home instead. Or why this supernatural being was looking out for me and not my friends. Joe
Nickell, the associate dean of the Center for Inquiry Institute in New York, identifies and
illustrates multiple unbelievable stories that could be attributed with the work of God. Nickell
asserts that God is commonly used to interpret the findings of so many unexplainable cases.
Since this term can be used to describe a numerous number of situations, society easily attributes
God and Gods actions to explain the impossible that occurs around the world.
Another common motive in the belief of god is when people feel a lack of personal
control, they relieve the pressures by believing that a superpower named God is in control.
George Pattison, an important theologian and Anglican priest in the late 1900s, claims that
saying God is good is not simply to assure ourselves of the goodness of the world God has
created, but also to affirm something that is integral to any hope that the world as we know it is a
world open to the fullest possibilities of human flourishing. The creation and salvation in the
belief of God depend on the motives that are invested for the individual. A basic human
characteristic is the need for someone to assist oneself in upholding a steady control in life.
Similarly in the Hindu religion, the cow is represented as a symbol for giving humans a very
important source in health, milk. The logic behind this sacred representation is that even if
someone is stripped of his necessities for survival, a cow is enough to prosper. Regardless of
culture, when many negative occurrences come up, a sense of unease arises. Hypothetically, it
seems very impractical to me to let all of ones trust be given to an invisible being. When
depending on God, there is a high-risk for things to go wrong if the hope for God to assist you
with your problems fails. Even so, with at least the knowledge of the existence of a supernatural
being, there is a sense of hope and possible luck to be led in the right direction.
Justice either personally or with others is also a popular motive correlated to the belief in
God. When individuals believe that a God is always watching from above, it gives a more
forceful sense to act morally in ones actions. Similarly, the need to punish others without
specifically doing anything to cause any harm can be attributed with the belief in God. By
believing that what comes around goes around, a feeling of peace can arise. George Pattison
states It is not just that God has the capability to do all things, but this capability is itself made
to serve as a definition of who God is. Having the mindset that justice will take its own course
by God is a very constructive and positive alternative to avoid conflicts. There will always be
situations that do not work out in your favor so having a sense of closure will feel more
affected by this theory regardless of belief. God seems to play a similar role toward a sense of
unconditional support ranging from religions practiced worldwide. Even if you are not religious,
the concept of God is still talked about in some kind of shape or form. Having a better sense of
awareness on God is very important due to its prominence in the world that we live in. The truth
behind why God is still believed by the general majority without concrete evidence continues to
be unknown. Even so, there are clearly several ways to explain the reasoning behind why God
continues to be so prominent. Whether faith is upheld for justice, a better sense in control for
your life, or another intention, humans continue to uphold motives in relying on a supernatural.
Researching this topic has made me even more curious in the belief in God than I was originally.
As a result of my findings, I am very inquisitive on the various negative aspects around the idea
of God. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why do people choose to be
atheistic when there seems to be so many positive attributes correlated with the faith in a
supernatural? There are surely many individuals that do not promote the widespread in believing
that there is a God and I am curious as to why. Having such contrast in the belief of God between
my parents and my brother, it was fascinating to try to understand the perspectives of this
mysterious creatures presence. Hinduism was very important to my parents but living in an area
with a majority of Christian-based individuals, it was frustrating for both me and my brother
growing up. The best way to have a better grasp on the general belief of God is to understand the
multiple perspectives in which the creation of the supernatural is so widely popular around the
globe. With a better comprehension in the purpose of God through different views, it allows for
individuals to have a broader perspective and open mind when dealing with different people.
Works Cited
Baumgarth, William, and Richard Regan. God and Creation. Associated University Presses, 1994.
Coolman, Boyd. Knowing God by Experience. The Catholic University of American Press, 2004.
Davies, Brian. D.Z. Phillips on Belief in God. Philosophical Investigations, Volume 30, Issue 3, June
Mason, Andrew. Belief in God: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Hume Studies, Volume