Do We Need to Believe in a God?
Obviously many people do. Throughout history millions of people have apparently needed to have faith in a god.
Oxford Languages provide a two-part definition of faith:
Faith
- complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
- strong belief in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.
What does it mean to believe in a god?
I do not know. It is probably synonymous with believing in something that cannot be proven. For some people, believing in a god can be the same as having a lifebuoy, something that can keep you afloat if you are thrown into the open sea. In this way, many have some faith in a god — or in God.
I have always thought that we must believe in man — we must always believe that the good in man can come to the fore and push away the dark and negative sides of man and human behavior.
If we look at such terrible, cruel things as war, violence, and man-made destruction — what do we think about it?
We think it’s crazy, we think it should not happen.
And what do we do to change that?
We often feel powerless, we feel that there is not much we can do. But some people think about it a lot, and we write and talk about it. — How can we prevent and reduce violence, war, destruction of nature and of all the beautiful, fine man-made things that exist in the world?
Those who believe in a god are of course also against violence, war, and destruction. They feel as powerless and despairing as those who do not have a religious faith, and they like to turn to their god and pray that this evil and horrible thing that happens in the world must not be allowed to happen.
But it still happens. That’s the way it is. It must not be allowed to happen, but it still happens.
It happens all the time.
Man has the possibilities in him to create the beautiful, the good — the best.
Man can choose. Man has the freedom to choose. And the choice lies in our freedom.
Believing in a god does not give you freedom. Believing in a god gives at best illusions of freedom.
Having said that, there are still other reasons that may explain the need to have a god to believe in. For what does this faith give to those who believe? Faith can give them hope. Hope for what they call salvation, and hope for a life after death.
It is human to think like that, to believe such things. I do not mean that people should not be allowed to think like that, and to believe — for example, in a life after death.
People should believe what they want.
But I think this is a private matter. Believing in God, salvation, and a life in ‘Paradise’, is a private matter, just like believing the earth is flat is a private matter. This is a matter that should not be pushed on others. Those who believe in a god should not feel, think and let it shine through that they are ‘better’ human beings than those who do not believe.
We are all human, and we are fellow human beings. What unites us is stronger and greater than what separates us. This has always been the case, and this will increasingly be the case in the future, as human beings’ ability to think, reason, and understand the world develops.
Concluding remarks
Believing in a god has always been a derailment for me. To me, believing in God is to some extent tantamount to believing in Santa Claus. I know he is just a character who is kind and good, and I would like to connect with him and get good thoughts and good feelings from him. Even though I know very well that he is just an idea, an invention, a man, or a woman in disguise.
You read my stories — I read yours.
Øivind H. Solheim is a novel author and a nature photographer from Norway who loves writing fiction, essays, and articles helping others understand life, other humans, and themselves. He has published six novels, two non-fiction books, and a poetry book.
Visit Øivind H. Solheim’s profile
Become a Medium member, read thousands of writers and support my writing.