Is There a Creator?

At some point in their lives everyone will question how they came into existence.
Even the innocent undeveloped mind of a child questions from where did it come?
Then why do we stop asking these crucial questions about life as we grow older and
are more able to understand the explanations? Sadly, we have little free time to
ponder over these issues. In this modern age of science and technology there is
"so much to do and so little time". There is plenty to fill the gaps and empty
spaces even between activities, that the mind rarely has a chance to explore these
'outside' issues (outside of that in which the mind has been actively engaged).
With the help of media, music, alcohol, drugs, etc., it becomes easier to fill
even the smallest unit of free time with 'something to do'. So, although the
questions are still there in the back of the mind, sufficient time is not
allocated to looking for the answers. Sometimes people may not care about the
answers. Again, it may come down to the fact that there's so much else to do,
that this falls very low in the order of priority. Or may be they are scared of
the answers?

An intelligent adult that has pondered about their existence would in some way
have asked the question "Is there a creator?" To expand on that "Is there a
creator, a supreme power who has created us and everything around us?" The
conclusion that they came to would fall into three simple categories:
— No;
— Yes;
— and may be.

Not only is the conclusion that one draws very significant but also the methods by
which they come to the conclusion. You will have experienced from having studied
science or mathematics based subjects at school that in the exams or assignments,
the right answer naturally carries credit but also the explanation of the methods
used to obtain the answer. Even if you have the correct answer, this does not
necessarily mean that you have the right knowledge. Having sound knowledge is to
achieve understanding of the answer.

Let us consider each of the above answers in turn.

No

If we consider first the answer "No, there is no Creator." It is very important

to understand how you came to this conclusion. To realise that you have the right
knowledge and understanding you have to explore your methods. How much time and
effort did you expend? How much research did you do? What sources did you
utilise? What are your reasons? And so on and so forth. You have to consider;
why should this question not be deserved of a structural investigation? Why
should it not be subjected to critical analysis and proofs of reasoning? It is
such a huge question that you should not reject the possibility entirely without
exploring all sources.

Possible Reasons

• "There is so much suffering in this world, there cannot be a supreme power as

the supreme being would not allow that to happen"

Let us consider for example the above statement: is that a valid justification?
You must note that this statement does not speak so much about the existence of a
creator but rather about the creator's attributes (i.e. 'who is the Creator?').
For instance, it assumes that the Creator would not allow suffering. So this
question actually becomes "Why does the Creator allow suffering?" For someone to
ask this question, they first have to accept that there is a Creator. Otherwise,
no matter what answer they are given they will not be content with the
explanation. There is no point in asking "what does the creator allow?" or "what
are the characteristics of the Supreme Power?" without first having concluded
whether or not such a being exists.

So the first step is

1) Is there a Creator?
Then, and only then,
2) Who is the Creator? (this includes names, attributes, characteristics, etc.)

• "Some Scientists deny the existence of a Creator"

With regard to the above statement, one has to ask, but does science really deny
the existence of a Creator? Have scientists provided conclusive evidence that the
universe was uncreated? The truth is that generally scientists are on the fence
with this issue. There are prominent scientists that say "Yes" and those that
will say "May be" and others that say "No". In fact, there are many that attempt
to prove the existence of a Creator with the aid of science. So due to
advancements in science and technology, it is actually helping to realise the
concept of a Creator rather than deny it. See article: Fall of Atheism (external
link).

Yes

Those that accept that there is a Creator face an even harder task of finding out
who the Creator is. The majority explore this by means of religion. However,
there are some who accept that there is a Creator but do little to find out who
that is and the purpose of creation. This could be due to some of the reasons
discussed in the introductory section. Or it could be for the reason that
ignorance is bliss. For example, if you realise your Creator by means of
religion; then all religions set down some guidelines for human behaviour to which
you would be obliged to adhere. For example, you may not want to explore the
concept of the Creator in Islām as one of it's guidelines is to abstain from
alcohol. As there are different concepts of the Creator, should you really first
look at the guidelines of behaviour that belong to each concept? To truly
understand who is the Creator, the primary focus should be exactly that, i.e., the
concept of the Creator; who is the Creator? Once you have identified who the
Creator is, then you ask "how does The Creator want me to live my life" or "why
does The Creator want me to that?" or even "what is the best way to live my
life?".

If you ask why did the Creator prohibit a certain thing, there are naturally
answers but the question is pointless unless you accept that this Being is
actually your Creator. Does it make logical sense to first ask "why does the
Creator want me to do this?" and suspend belief in the Creator until you find a
satisfactory answer? No, you may by all means ask that question but primarily aim
to achieve belief in the Creator. Do not deny yourself a source of truth because
it seems difficult for you to adhere to it's guidelines. Of course, a complex
creation such as human beings can oppose their instincts, do things that they know
to be harmful for them and reject things that they know to be good for them. In
the same manner, you can accept and understand who your Creator is, but still not
comply fully to the guidelines set by the Creator.

May Be

Generally, those who haven't had sufficient evidence to accept or reject would be
in that state. Sometimes "May be" could also be the answer of someone that really
thinks "No" but does not want to get into a discussion about it. It could also be
someone who does not care either way. That is, they may feel they have better
things to do with their time. However, let us consider those that have actually
questioned, searched, analysed and are still inconclusive on the issue. Therefore
the apt course of action for them is to continue to question and seek the truth.
Please read on.

Religion

Most will know what religion is so I'll not go into it's dictionary definition.
For the purpose of this paper I would like to simplify and say: Religion in brief
is a Belief System and a Way.

• The Belief System defines the concept of the Creator or God (some religions have
a belief system that does not involve the concept of God, but I shall not go into
that in this paper). It also provides answers to who we are and how we came into
existence.

• The 'Way' provides the guidelines on how to live your life.

Sometimes people may consider accepting a religion because they like it's 'Way'.
It is important to remember then that most major religions actually enjoin good
and forbid evil. If you are shaking your head as you read this, you may be
thinking of the followers of religion rather than the religion itself (I shall
discuss this later). So, if the 'Way' of the religion is good, does it matter
what religion you follow? Yes; it does matter, as you have to also consider the
Belief System. Have you grasped the correct concept of the God? Have you
recognised your Creator by the correct attributes? For example, if your religion
says that your Creator is One God, who is Most Gracious, Most Merciful, the
Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; then these are attributes of your Creator.

The 'Way' of a religion takes a lot more time to understand and learn. Also, it
may be confusing as the followers of the religion may not be practising it's 'Way'
properly. Just bear in mind that a religion which prohibits killing also has
killers that claim to be followers of that religion (just consider Hitler and
Christianity). It is down to the free will of human beings; they can accept and
practice the guidance of their Creator willingly, or reject the guidance. It is
very important not to judge a religion based on how a group or society of people
have interpreted it. By all means you may reject that group of people but should
you reject your Creator because of them?

The question arises then; if you are looking at religion to understand and seek
the truth, how do you go about finding it?

Examine the belief system

• What does the religion say about the Creator?
• What proof does it give that it's concept of God is correct?
• Who first preached the message of that religion? Who established it?

Examine the Sacred Scriptures

• When were they revealed, written and compiled? And by whom?
• How sacred are they? That is, has the original message been preserved or has it
been revised?
• Do the scriptures contradict established truths? Consider the text in historical
and scientific context.

The scriptures of a religion are absolutely essential in understanding that

religion. After all, these are the original sources that define the concepts and
guidance for the followers of that religion. The scriptures may say one thing but
some followers of that religion may be doing the complete opposite. So to
understand that religion would it be right to consider only the practice of those
followers and disregard the scriptures?

Name(s) by Which The Creator is Known

Often when people ask their friends or acquaintances about their religion they
will ask: what does your god say about this? It is important to remember that
those who belief in the Creator, believe that He1 created all: those that belief
as well as those that deny (and the ones that do not care). Perhaps it would be
less confusing (to those that are seeking to know their maker) if there was a
universal name for the Creator. This is difficult as the people of the world speak
many different languages and even in some religions the Creator is called by a
different name depending on the language of the followers. For example in the
Bible Jesus cries out to God and calls him Eloi: "Eloi, Eloi lama sabakthani"
(King James Version)2. In other versions, He is also called "Elohim", "Elah".

In Islām, the name of the Creator is Allāh, and this is consistent for all
followers irrespective of country or language. Allāh is an Arabic word and it is
not uncommon to find Arabic speaking non-muslims refer to God as Allāh (for
example, Arab Christians). The Arabic word Allāh in summary means 'The God'. It
is a conjunction of the words al- meaning 'the-' and ilāh meaning 'god' (notice
the similarity in sound to the name of God as quoted above from the bible). In
the Arabic language the word Allāh has no plural. For example, the plural of God
is gods, there is no such equivalent for the Arabic word Allāh. Thus, the name is
befitting to affirm the monotheistic nature of The Creator as taught by the
religion.

Do You Need to Seek The Creator?

If you look around you at the vastness of the universe, yet the minute detail of
every object therein, you may contemplate over it's grand design.

• Even if you accept that there is an overruling power, then do you really need to
do anything? What if you just continue with your life with a belief in
Creationism but do not pursue further?

If you believe in an overruling power you may believe it can control or influence
your life. From that point of view, it makes sense to be on good terms with your
Creator. Otherwise you may accept that there may be consequences and are willing
to face them.

Also, anything of any significance tends to have a purpose, so seeking the Creator
with be a way to answer the question: What is the purpose of creation?

• Do you really need religion to be on good terms with the Creator?

Since religions do exist that claim to have a Message from the Creator, you need
to at least look into it. If you were never aware of the Message, if despite your
efforts to seek your Creator you never received guidance; then that's a different
story.

• So how do you go about finding the right Way?

An open mind, logic, reasoning, humility and ask for guidance from the Creator.
If you have accepted that there is an overruling power but are having difficulty
realising who that is, then ask The Creator: "allow me to realise the correct
concept of who You are (Belief System)" and "show me the correct Way".

__________________

1 The Creator has no gender, the pronoun "He" is only used for better readability.
2 The text quoted is from Mark 15:34 (Bible, King James Version)