Spiritual Carelessness and Stupidity

Any inexplicable occurrence along with especially beneficial or incomprehensibly destructive events are all attributed to God by some individuals and/or groups somewhere. An analysis of the doctrinal position chosen on the characteristics of divine providence—God’s role in causation of events and circumstances—would likely reveal that a psychological state or need influences what one chooses to believe theologically (Let’s call it theo-psychology.) on the subject. Three examples.

1) A desire to believe God is absolutely “all-powerful” leads many who seek to be driven to the idea that God is calling all the shots; thus bringing us the good, the bad, and the yet-to-be-determined value of everything that happens to us. I call those who hold to this perspective providentialists.

2) A longing to see God as the author only of positive outcomes pleases some, but to others would appear to refute God’s omnipotence, since God, in their view, couldn’t or wouldn’t bring misfortune or tragedy into human experience. This possibility causes anxiety about evil having a life of its own independent of God’s active control, which weakens God’s absolute power, as some see it.

3) A very self-sufficient person might affirm deism, the view (held by many of the founders and constitutional framers of the United States) that God created the world, then left humans in charge of their own destinies. Such self-sufficient individuals might be invigorated rather than daunted by the prospect of taking responsibility for making themselves and the world all they/it can be. To remain mentally and emotionally healthy and productive, believing in the inherent goodness of humans is almost a necessity when opting for this view.

Why is thinking and talking about this important? Because as clear a view of God as possible clarifies (remembering that God is the Great Mystery even after we’ve exhausted all possible conclusions) what can be expected of God and what our responses to God should be. The energy expended in these efforts is of inestimable value for several reasons, the most important being that what people believe about God influences how they act.

Consider these. Long list. Each item, nonetheless, important.

• God is not human.
• God is not gendered.
• God is not subject to human emotions.
• God is not limited by time or space.
• God is not the universe.
• God is not divisible.
• God is not visible to the human eye.
• God is not in possession of an audible voice.
• God is not a favorites-player.
• God is not bound by any human effort to separate humans from each other or Godself.
• God is not partial to one nation or ethnic group over others.
• God is not a participant in human contests such as wars or political elections or athletic competitions.
• God is not appeasable.
• God is not aggressive or coercive.
• God is not a tyrant.
• God is not a murderer.
• God is not a warmonger.
• God is not a slot machine.
• God is not a genie or a fairy godmother.
• God is not a judge.
• God is not a grudge-holder.
• God is not petty.
• God is not the weather originator.
• God is not the disruptor of the natural order.
• God is not the determiner of where humans spend eternity.
• God is eternal.
• God is a constant presence.
• God is a luring force.