Category Archives: God

Framework of understanding Part 2: What does this mean for faith? The universe came into being without God. Although the design argument for God’s existence has been very seriously undermined by evolution, the cosmological argument for his existence is still strong: how can something come from nothing? However – perhaps counter-intuitively – scientists seem veryContinue reading “Framework of understanding. Part 2”

Framework of understanding Part 1: Ultimate reality must be tied to the Big Bang and evolution So, what is this framework of understanding that might have universal appeal for both believers and non-believers? It would not mean that everyone must become a believer, but it would attach belief to ultimate reality in a way thatContinue reading “Framework of understanding. Part 1”

Framework of understanding idea related to God is the voice in our heads Some ideas fall into a special category of idea, that I call “toolkit” ideas. That is, they are valuable models that we can use in all sorts of situations; they are overview templates which we use to organise all the events inContinue reading “Framework of understanding idea related to God is the voice in our heads”

Note to readers about what’s coming next When I started this blog I knew there were lots of things I wanted to write about, and I expected them to fall into 2 broad categories: theological and philosophical reflections on God and the life of faith on the one hand, and spiritual, devotional writing on theContinue reading “Note to readers about what’s coming next”

How should we understand what God is? Part 9: God is still God Most importantly, God is still a person. The believer is not simply holding in their mind key principles and values and committing themselves to living by them. Instead, the believer still experiences the voice of God as a dynamic personal agent whoContinue reading “How should we understand what God is? Part 9”

How should we understand what God is? Part 8: Critical mass has been achieved and the idea of God ignites into a person This now transcends what we all understand as the debate within ourselves for, by long practice of attending to the idea of the person of God, this voice of God has ignitedContinue reading “How should we understand what God is? Part 8”

How should we understand what God is? Part 7: One of the voices in my head is different, because it’s not me. Let’s now apply this understanding to what could be happening in a believer’s life of faith. I must say again, I think what’s happening is best explained by accepting that there is anContinue reading “How should we understand what God is? Part 7”

How should we understand what God is? Part 6: How our minds work: we talk to ourselves A modern view Let’s suppose for a moment that there is the final triumph of science in explaining the universe. Let’s suppose that humanity becomes no longer willing to take that step of faith which is essential toContinue reading “How should we understand what God is? Part 6”

How should we understand what God is? Part 5: Reasons why our belief in God developed: Just think it through as deeply and honestly as you can. The third strand of support for belief in God is, perhaps, a combination of the first two, and I will put it under the heading of philosophical reasoning.Continue reading “How should we understand what God is? Part 5”

How should we understand what God is? Part 4: Reasons why our belief in God developed: To help us explain things Another key reason for belief in God to develop was as an explanatory mechanism. Early humans became aware that they lived within a system of creation governed by massive forces, compared to which ourContinue reading “How should we understand what God is? Part 4”