My Idea of God

I have been brought up in a Hindu family, and my parents aren't overly orthodox. Nothing was ever enforced upon, and everything was open to debate. Growing up, my interest in reading made me familiar with the Mahabharata and a few other ancient scriptures. Rather than rulebooks & doctrines, I was pleased to find metaphorical stories that inspired and taught values that are as relevant today as they were in those days.

I have never been one to visit temples too often. The idea of a God that punishes was unacceptable to me even as a small child. And rituals & superstitions just aren't my cup of tea. Having said that, I do know of some practices having a scientific background, but are given a populist facade to make sure people follow them, and I certainly do follow them.

In a lot of situations, I seem to agree more with atheists than I do with believers. So what is God to me? For the most part, a source of inspiration that is the most pure and incorruptible. Being a student of science, every natural occurrence has a scientific explanation to me. So I don't think of God as some kind of puppet-master. Thankfully, my religious teachings do not prohibit me from believing that my ancestors were apes (figuratively speaking). So my faith does not blind me from simple truths like evolution. This trust in a supreme being lies totally in the spiritual domain of our existence. Like morality, it does not have a scientific/logical proof, nor does it need any.

So then, what is the 'use' of this belief? It inspires me to be a better person. Sure, we have idols among fellow humans for that. But sometimes you need something far different to inspire hope within yourself. Not everyone does, well I do. I admire the atheists who can inspire hope within themselves when there is none. And would most certainly like to read about them. Unfortunately, all great & famous stories of survival of the "rise from the ashes" kind that I have heard involve people who quote their belief in this supreme being as an inspiration to rise above. Not passing any sort of judgement here, I might have certainly missed some.

So there it is, my idea of God.....