Final Thesis

UWRT 1104

By: Anish Jagath

The Reasoning Behind the Belief in God

Ever since I was a child, I heard the term God everywhere that I had traveled including

India, London, and Germany. By the age of 6, I had heard hundreds and hundreds of stories

about this creature. Being the innocent young boy that I was, I wanted to meet whoever God was.

Some told me he was an animal such as the sacred cow in Hinduism while others told me that he

was in fact a human being. There were even people that told me that God was in fact both animal

and human. Somehow, there was an incredible number of stories that everyone talked about but

my friends told me that nobody had ever seen this being. When I talked to my parents, they told

me they have seen forms of God in many places like through the outline of clouds or the

shadows. God is neither boy nor girl but I have listened to individuals using both him and her as

a pronoun. Growing up as a very curious kid, I had many sleepless nights trying to wrap my head

around this concept. All these years of frustration and bewilderment led me to my inquiry

question: Why do humans believe in God? Due to the fact that my parents were very religious,

the belief of God came very easy to me. However, growing up in a very different setting as my

parents caused my brother and I to have a feeling of uncertainty. There were many aspects in

which I questioned if the theory was all simply a hoax however the prominence of God within

my family made me very curious on the subject.

There are a plethora of perspectives and beliefs when it comes to the thought and creation

of God. The existence of God comes from the belief of an individual. Thomas Aquinas, a key
contributor in natural theology in the 1200s, asserted that the way people view God is mainly

based on the mindset of each particular person. Since God is derived from the intellect of ones

mind, frustration arises due to the variety in definition for the term God. In general, people

naturally are known of Gods existence in a very general way which entails an incertitude on the

subject. Because nobody knows exactly what God is, the entire idea becomes difficult to grasp

but needs to be demonstrated by things that are more usually common to us. According to

Thomas Aquinas, someone who hears the term God usually fails to understand that it means

nothing greater can be thought of past this being. Considering we cannot specifically

demonstrate that God exists, it is reliant on the individual and the influences that impact him or

her.

The use of the word God involves ample creativity and constructive thinking that is often

not understood. Because God is brought up so much as if personified, we often forget that we are

unable to check our concepts of the being for accuracy as we can with most ordinary objects.

Instead, understanding the theory is only attained entirely through ideas constructed by the mind.

Therefore, the notion of God is ultimately grounded upon and centered around whatever each

person sees as uniquely superior. A Christian theologian credited with contributing to found the

narrative theology movement, James W McClendon, claims that God is generally Father of us

all, Creator of all things both visible and invisible, Lord of history, Judge of all the earth. With

this idea being generally established to describe this being, these images are taken from general

political, social, or cultural experiences. With this already preconceived idea, the values that

shape God lay with each unique individual. God is considered to be the ultimate point of

reference and focus of life for human devotion.

 There is a God in the majority of religions around the world. However, in each culture,

there is an apparent similar claim of God and his intentions. Whether it may be Judaism,

Hinduism, Christianity, or another religion, all of them are alike in the presence of the greater

god. In Hinduism, the religion in which my parents follow, there are a plethora of different Gods.

Those who believe that there is one or several Gods are best interpreted as believing that there is

a being who is essentially personal, transcendent, immanent, omnipotent, and non-essentially

creator of the world. Similar to some of Aquinas views, David Hume, a Scottish philosopher,

implores it is irrelevant if we are concerned simply with an argument for the existence of the

creator; there is no reason to reject that simply because it does not allow us to infer other

interesting things. It is truly fascinating to notice how God was created to represent distinctive

values that range between each person. Different people have varied considerations and values

for different things and one aspect cannot be a reason to disapprove another. Some people tend to

pray to God for emotional or physical gain in the time of need so true faith is generally very

difficult to understand. There will continue to be selfish motives however I believe that is simply

how human nature works.

Faith is a very big part of the belief in God. Regardless of whatever motives or intentions

that a person has, the value in faith correlates with your grasp in understanding of the concept.

According to William of Auxerre, the virtue of faith relates the soul directly and immediately to

God as the perfecting habitat of the souls rational power. For the love of God, it can be

misinterpreted as the feeling of desiring specifically for something. It is easier and more common

to focus ones attention and belief on a good outcome. Even though motives are considered to be

within human nature, there should be no end goal or need for true faith in God. True faith in God

should come from within the soul and certainly not forced since the idea is considered to be very
sacred. Whether it may be prayer or acts of kindness, some sort of act is important to prolong

your faith. Faith should be continued through physical or emotional challenges, not simply when

an individual is encountered with a problem.

Illnesses of multiple forms have afflicted mankind for thousands and thousands of years.

Although, healing occurs very naturally in the body. Wounds, cuts, and infections are habitually

cured by the body which itself is a phenomenon. However, there are many cases of untreatable

diseases or broken body parts that somehow heal incredibly. For example, medical science has

still not discovered reasoning behind Cancer patients that somehow undergo spontaneous

remission. There is not adequate scientific proof or evidence to support how such miracles occur,

although God or a supernatural power can be affiliated with such situations. On a personal level,

there have also been several instances when I decided not to spend time with friends in which I

had a gut feeling not to go out with them. Interestingly enough, my friends had gotten themselves

hurt or in trouble so it made me curious as to the driving force credited to making me stay at

home instead. Or why this supernatural being was looking out for me and not my friends. Joe

Nickell, the associate dean of the Center for Inquiry Institute in New York, identifies and

illustrates multiple unbelievable stories that could be attributed with the work of God. Nickell

asserts that God is commonly used to interpret the findings of so many unexplainable cases.

Since this term can be used to describe a numerous number of situations, society easily attributes

God and Gods actions to explain the impossible that occurs around the world.

Another common motive in the belief of god is when people feel a lack of personal

control, they relieve the pressures by believing that a superpower named God is in control.

George Pattison, an important theologian and Anglican priest in the late 1900s, claims that

saying God is good is not simply to assure ourselves of the goodness of the world God has
created, but also to affirm something that is integral to any hope that the world as we know it is a

world open to the fullest possibilities of human flourishing. The creation and salvation in the

belief of God depend on the motives that are invested for the individual. A basic human

characteristic is the need for someone to assist oneself in upholding a steady control in life.

Similarly in the Hindu religion, the cow is represented as a symbol for giving humans a very

important source in health, milk. The logic behind this sacred representation is that even if

someone is stripped of his necessities for survival, a cow is enough to prosper. Regardless of

culture, when many negative occurrences come up, a sense of unease arises. Hypothetically, it

seems very impractical to me to let all of ones trust be given to an invisible being. When

depending on God, there is a high-risk for things to go wrong if the hope for God to assist you

with your problems fails. Even so, with at least the knowledge of the existence of a supernatural

being, there is a sense of hope and possible luck to be led in the right direction.

Justice either personally or with others is also a popular motive correlated to the belief in

God. When individuals believe that a God is always watching from above, it gives a more

forceful sense to act morally in ones actions. Similarly, the need to punish others without

specifically doing anything to cause any harm can be attributed with the belief in God. By

believing that what comes around goes around, a feeling of peace can arise. George Pattison

states It is not just that God has the capability to do all things, but this capability is itself made

to serve as a definition of who God is. Having the mindset that justice will take its own course

by God is a very constructive and positive alternative to avoid conflicts. There will always be

situations that do not work out in your favor so having a sense of closure will feel more

reassuring in the long run.

 God is clearly a very prevalent choice in topic no matter where you are. Everyone is

affected by this theory regardless of belief. God seems to play a similar role toward a sense of

unconditional support ranging from religions practiced worldwide. Even if you are not religious,

the concept of God is still talked about in some kind of shape or form. Having a better sense of

awareness on God is very important due to its prominence in the world that we live in. The truth

behind why God is still believed by the general majority without concrete evidence continues to

be unknown. Even so, there are clearly several ways to explain the reasoning behind why God

continues to be so prominent. Whether faith is upheld for justice, a better sense in control for

your life, or another intention, humans continue to uphold motives in relying on a supernatural.

Researching this topic has made me even more curious in the belief in God than I was originally.

As a result of my findings, I am very inquisitive on the various negative aspects around the idea

of God. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why do people choose to be

atheistic when there seems to be so many positive attributes correlated with the faith in a

supernatural? There are surely many individuals that do not promote the widespread in believing

that there is a God and I am curious as to why. Having such contrast in the belief of God between

my parents and my brother, it was fascinating to try to understand the perspectives of this

mysterious creatures presence. Hinduism was very important to my parents but living in an area

with a majority of Christian-based individuals, it was frustrating for both me and my brother

growing up. The best way to have a better grasp on the general belief of God is to understand the

multiple perspectives in which the creation of the supernatural is so widely popular around the

globe. With a better comprehension in the purpose of God through different views, it allows for

individuals to have a broader perspective and open mind when dealing with different people.
 Works Cited

Baumgarth, William, and Richard Regan. God and Creation. Associated University Presses, 1994.

Coolman, Boyd. Knowing God by Experience. The Catholic University of American Press, 2004.

Davies, Brian. D.Z. Phillips on Belief in God. Philosophical Investigations, Volume 30, Issue 3, June

2007. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 10.1111/j.1467-9205.2007.00321.x. Accessed 27 May 2017.

Mason, Andrew. Belief in God: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Hume Studies, Volume

32, Number 2, November 2006, pp. 357-361. Project Muse,

http://muse.jhu.edu/article/383392/pdf. Accessed 23 May 2017.

McClendon, James. Is God God? Abingdon, 1981.

Nickell, Joe. Looking for a Miracle. Prometheus Books, 1993.

Pattison, George. God & Being. Oxford University of Oxford, 2011.