What is God?

The concept of ‘God’ as a supreme force responsible for creation of this universe and all that exist therein is a construction of the human mind. The word ‘God’ and its equivalent in other languages of the world, carries with it a connotation of something ‘supernatural’ or ‘divine’ implying that it is something beyond what we normally perceive as ‘Nature’ and/or something that comes down to us from somewhere above(Heavenly).

To my mind, this connotation that the concept (of God) carries with it is incorrect. The notion of God as something that controls the natural processes originated when human beings, in ancient days, found it difficult to explain the natural processes. They tended to ascribe powers beyond human comprehension to these natural powers and worshipped them as Gods in the hope of propitiating them. Celestial bodies like the Sun, Moon and the planets; natural processes like rain, lightning and thunder; rivers, seas and mountains; trees, plants and some of the animals; all these were looked upon as Gods and were worshipped. This type of ‘nature worship’ which was widely prevalent in several communities all over the world before the advent of the modern (warring) religions can still be found in some isolated communities. Influence of this nature worship can also be found in some customs and practices of some of the older religions.

It is clear from this that it is the natural processes that were considered as God and not any supernatural ones. It was the celestial bodies seen by naked eyes (including the stars and constellations) that were worshipped as God and not something from beyond. Yes, it is possible that such rare occurrences like Eclipses (of the Sun or Moon), flight of Meteors and/or Comets through the sky or a meteor strike could have led people to believe in some powers form beyond what is normally seen (heavenly powers). Natural events like Earth Quake, Cyclone, Storm, Floods, etc. were thought to be caused by the Wind or Water Gods. In short, Gods were ‘Natural’ powers and not any Supernatural or Heavenly powers.

I believe, ‘God’ is ‘Nature’. It is the forces of nature that gave birth to the universe as it exists now. These forces neither had a beginning nor do they have an end. They do not have any specific form or shape; but all forms and shapes that we see all around us are made up of them. They are not confined to any limited space; but, exist everywhere.

I think, basically all religions of the world also have the same idea about the supreme God. They differ from one another in whom they consider as the messenger of God.

If such be the nature of God, the essentially human concepts of Good and Bad, Right and Wrong, Sin and Virtue, etc. do not have any meaning since all these exist as part of nature. It is we, human beings, who create these ideas and try to enforce it on each other (rarely do we see it being enforced on ourselves!).

Then, why are there different religions? How do they decide on what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad or what is sinful and what is virtuous? Do we need these concepts? Can we have a ‘Value system’ devoid of these? These are some questions that we will discuss later.