Do you believe in God?

Sometimes I’m asked if I still believe in God. 

There are currently about 5,000 versions of God being worshiped, so my first question would be “what God are you referring to?”

If your God:

*Has ever marginalized or oppressed any group of human beings in the past or in the present

*Has created a planet wherein only .02% or .15% or 50% or 75% or 90% of humanity will figure out the right plan and get back to the right heaven

*Requires strict obedience over integrity or conscience or evidence to the contrary

*Creates fear around learning about human history or science or the roots of religion

*Is an anthropomorphic white male who has commissioned religions throughout history, and up to this very day, to be predominantly patriarchal

*Commands people to fly planes into buildings, mutilate female genitalia, begin wars, protect sexual predators, take child brides, or any other act that is harmful to our human family

*Supports religious dogma responsible for breaking apart families, catastrophic suicide and depression rates, and the practice of shaming or blaming those who do not adhere to any one of the over 4,500 versions of religion currently being practiced

*Doesn’t somehow know that the circumstances into which a human is born (culture, race, place on the map) will determine what flavor of God they worship, religion they practice and dogma they believe in

…then my answer is no, I do not believe in that God. The more I study human history, the more I come to realize that we, as evolving human beings, have over time created an expansive variety of Gods in our image, to serve our purposes, not the other way around.

The only kind of “God” that resonates with me now is one who says:

“My table is big enough to encircle all of humanity, from beginning to end, fully, without question. Look into the eyes of your human family at my fully inclusive table, those who’ve been raised in cultures and religions and with ideas that are completely foreign to yours. When you learn to love and accept them fully, without judgement, acknowledging that they are perfectly worthy…when you begin to see what makes you the same, not different - only then will you even begin to grasp what I am and what truly matters for your growth.”

I sense that within the question “do you believe in God,” lives an underlying and unspoken feeling, “Do you belong within my tribe, are you one of us, are you following what I’ve been conditioned to see as the correct way, is there hope left for you?” And my response is this - do we really need qualifying questions to determine if we are willing to make enough room for everyone at our “table?”