So What about God - Essay Example

Personal Experience During the summer between my Kindergarten and First Grade year, I spent many hours at my uncle’s house. It’s not that he was necessarily my favorite relative. He had no kids of his own nor did he particularly like kids and he was a boring person for a young child to be around, but he had a pool. I suppose for that reason, he was my favorite during the summer but grandma took this title back during the winter, for obvious reasons. My uncle let me swim all I wanted but seldom actually watched me like he should have, and like he told my parents he did. One very hot day, I was swimming laps to develop my skills. All I remember was that as I was doing this, I gulped some water by accident, the chlorine taste that followed, then gasping for air for just a few moments. My recollection of the events that took place after that are somewhat foggy yet imprinted firmly in my mind, even today. My next conscious memory was waking up at the hospital and hearing the story of how I had drowned but had been brought back to life by emergency technicians who were called to the scene following what my uncle believed was my death. Had it not been for the skills of this person and the CPR technique he used, I would not be writing this right now nor doing anything else, at anytime. It’s what happened during my unconscious state that is burned most vividly in my mind and the proof that I have for the existence of God. This is a story I haven’t told very often or to very many people as it goes beyond the surreal and believable. I admit that had I not experienced it myself, I would be at the very least skeptical. After the brief period of choking on chlorinated water, I began to panic but then I was very calm. The transition was instantaneous. I felt my body float upward but ironically, I was looking at my body which was floating on the water below me. I understood that I had died just then but I was unafraid and unconcerned. I knew I was dead but clearly wasn’t at the same time. I could see everything around me, the pool, my uncle’s house, the neighborhood and my poor lifeless body below. I felt sorrow for that poor kid who had just drowned but strangely enough, felt no sorrow for myself. Unlike other life-after-death experiences I have read about since then, I saw no tunnel, no bright, white light. I felt a presence, almost human but not human at all. I heard a voice but actually heard nothing. I felt the tender caress of loving hands but no one was touching me. The presence related to me that I was not going to die, that I had a long life ahead of me and had much to do and much to experience before it was time to be here, wherever here was. This sensation of pure blissfulness that I had never felt before or felt since seemed to last for just a couple of moments. I remember it like it happened yesterday though it was many years ago. Other events that occurred when I was six have since faded and blurred in my memory but this one, though faded and blurry in and of itself, has remained clear in my mind. When I woke up to a room full of relatives, not the least of which was my uncle with a very relieved look on his face, I already was missing that special place I went to, if but for a moment. Peaceful is a good word to describe this place but does not begin to describe the feelings I experienced while there. The voice that did not speak still haunts me today, though haunt may be an inappropriate term for it. I know what I experienced and what I ‘heard’ from this voice. I know I was dead and was brought back to life, twice, once after dying then again in the hospital. I also know that there is a God. Following this experience, what I thought was important before became rather meaningless and I began to develop a much different set of values than my friends, neighbors and family. I began to read the Bible to see if it held any answers to the many questions I had regarding the afterlife. What fascinated me the most within these pages was the first four books of the New Testament. I found the words of Christ simple, to the point and ultimately a path to inner contentment. The external force of a mysterious, ancient book that became a passion early on set in motion a concept of life and living that will continue all of my life The Bible gave me the foundation of what I have built upon since my youth. Since then, I have read other philosophical and religious books and found they do not contradict, in fact they support the tenets found in the Bible. Though the roots of my viewpoint begin with the Bible, I do not consider myself Christian, far from it. Most religions I know including and especially Christianity teach that ‘we are the right path to God’ therefore no other belief system is valid. My interpretation of Christ’s words leads me to believe division is ultimately destructive for the individual and society. Rather, I concluded that inclusion and finding the similarities help bind us all together. The words of Christ allowed me to develop a new viewpoint which teaches the path to real happiness. In my case, this involves thinking in ways that bolster my self respect, what makes me proud of me. Others, of course, have different views on what makes them happy such as ‘if I make more money, I’d be higher on the social ladder’ or ‘if I had more control over my life, I’d be happy then. These are goals, yes, but not a sound philosophy. Material wealth seems to be what consumes many people’s thoughts and dreams while other concerns such as integrity, compassion and open-mindedness are somewhat less important. I believe that these qualities are the very matters that produce happiness thus improving my quality of life as well as others that I come in contact with. Inner peace involves being able to examine your position on a topic and questioning why you think a certain way. This leads to questioning and modifying core beliefs, a sign of growth which is an important facet of my personal philosophy. Spiritual and intellectual growth drives all aspects of living and interrelating with other people which is another important feature of life. How we interact and affect other souls, to me, gives the greatest reward. Giving people something that they all too often do not receive, respect and unbiased understanding, gives me a self-gratification that cannot be matched. Whether or not the end result is for the common good or for selfish reasons, a philosophy of life evidently follows in the way of what we believe we need to be happy, a selfish act in itself. Was the place that I went to heaven or just a doorway there? Was this God that ‘spoke’ to me or was it an angel’s voice or maybe a deceased relative? Was this a sign and am I preordained for greatness because the hand of God himself saved my life? I do not know the answer or if these questions are even valid. I do not know the answer to many of life’s questions but the one thing I do know is that there is something for us beyond what we know to be true, beyond what has been proved. I did not gain any special insights about the meaning of life or any other of life’s big questions. I only know what I have described here. The religions of the world may or may not have a real, scientifically proven knowledge of a God. They may operate only to fleece the sheep that believe what they are selling but as for me, I am a believer and can prove it, if only to myself. The religions of the world are based on the concept of a God that created and rules the universe. Most promise that if you follow their particular ideology, that heaven’s gates await the true believers. Some people are skeptical, however, and they have every right to be. Where’s the proof? It’s only reasonable for thinking human beings not to blindly follow a superstitious notion. Those that align themselves to religion claim to have knowledge of spiritual things when they, of course, do not. The spirit world, by definition, is that which is not of this world. No one knows with certainty that an all powerful, omnipotent and invisible entity exists. They may have faith and a belief that a God has been and always will be but because the concept of God is beyond anyone’s comprehension, how can anyone claim to have knowledge of such an abstract concept as this? Knowing means putting a theory, or belief if you will, to a series of tests designed to debunk that theory. Only after attempting to disprove a belief, can you say with any certainty that it is true. I can say that horses fly or that the sun revolves around the earth and many people might believe this until it is disproved. Many people did in fact believe both these stories until they were disproved. So what about God? Can anyone really say for certain that God indeed exists? Yes. I can because I have proof. Read More