Where is God?

Recently, my body experienced the symptoms of a cold. Along with all of the congestion and fatigue associated with it, I also dealt with “brain fog.” For several days, especially at the beginning of the symptoms, I found it difficult to focus which made reading with comprehension or writing intelligibly quite a challenge. Therefore, instead of focusing on anything of real consequence, I spent hours resting in front of the television binge watching Vikings, a History Channel drama based on the historical adventures and raids of the “Northmen.” It is not the sort of television show I would normally watch because it is, as one might expect, extremely violent. 

However, after watching the first episode I found myself intrigued by the depiction of the lives of these historical figures from the eighth and ninth centuries. I have never considered myself a “history buff.” In fact, history was one of my least favorite subjects in school, but I am fascinated by the stories of these people and their interactions with those of other countries and cultures. 

Among many, one of the themes that runs throughout the series is their relationship with their gods. The Vikings were a polytheistic culture. They believed that their gods were the true gods. In their world, the gods were in control of everything. They believed that their destiny was preordained, including their death which made them fearless warriors. They were proud to die in battle and enter the gates of Valhalla. 

They also held that they could win the favor of the gods by making sacrifices. In addition to animals, they often made human sacrifices to appease the gods. When they were successful in a raid, they praised the gods assuming that they had won their favor. However, if they were not successful, they believed that the gods were punishing them for not being faithful and they had to atone. Each god was in control of some aspect of the natural world, as well as aspects of their life experiences. They had faith in their gods to strengthen, protect and prosper them.

Spoiler Alert

Early in the first season, the Northmen sail to the west and make landfall in an area of England, then known as North Umbria. This is their first encounter with the Christians and their monotheistic culture. Needless to say, they are baffled by the Christians’ worship of a man who was defeated and crucified by his enemies. They raid a monastery, plunder all the treasure they can find, and take as slaves the monks whom they don’t kill. 

Of course, the Christians believe that their god is the one true god. Further, they are certain that the land and the resources belong to them by divine right and that God will help them to defeat the “pagans” and cast them from their land. They, too, must please their God with prayer, supplication, atonement, and in some cases self-flagellation to win their God’s favor. They do not make animal or human sacrifices to their God. However, they do make sacrifices in order to appease their God. Most often they sacrifice their lives in service to what they believe to be “God’s will.” They, too, have faith that their god will strengthen, protect and prosper them.

It is fascinating to learn how people at that time viewed their gods or God, how they interacted with them, and how they relied on them for their blessings and feared their curses.

Understanding that this, while dramatically fictionalized, is a portrayal of historical fact, watching it has stimulated me to wonder how far we have evolved, or not, over the past twelve centuries in our concept of ‘God.’  

Do we believe that our lives are controlled by God’s “divine plan?” Do we still believe that God is the great puppeteer pulling the strings and controlling our lives? Do we still believe that we need to appease this God in some manner to win favor? Do we still believe that we can or will be punished if we don’t “toe the line?” Do we still adhere to beliefs about God that prevailed more than a millennium ago? Do we, in some ways, still cling to our embedded theology?

I am not claiming to know the answer to these questions for anyone else. I am not certain that I yet know the answers for myself. As I shared in my post last week and shared in last Sunday’s lesson, I am engaged in a conscious process of exploring my default settings, and choosing to live on purpose. 

While my hope is that I have evolved my understanding of God and that the Unity movement as a whole has done so, my observation has been that one of our default settings is the use of words and phrases that reveal an embedded theology of separation, rather than a consciousness of Oneness. I believe it is important for us to be clear about the words we choose and how we use them. 

For example, I recently saw a poster with the affirmation, “I have faith in God.” I would normally have noticed it, acknowledged it and thought nothing more of it. However, this time as I read it, I was triggered. What I mean is that it sparked my embedded theology and stimulated discomfort. 

I wondered what it means when we say, think or believe the common affirmation and statement, “I have faith in God.” Do we, like the Northmen and the Christians mean that we trust in God to protect, strengthen and prosper us? Are we relying on something we still see as external to us to do it for us? 

Again, I don’t know the answer for anyone other than me, but as I explored it further, I realized that the ancient affirmation no longer fits for me. It is a default setting I choose to override. 

I realize it is much wordier, but my updated version is, “I have calm assurance and unwavering conviction (faith) that I can and will align my thoughts, words and actions to the highest ideal I can attain in any moment.” Those words remind me that it is my responsibility to choose. I am empowered to make conscious choices to be all that I know myself to be in Truth. I am empowered to claim my strength, protection and prosperity and embody it accordingly. 

I invite us all to pay close attention to the words we use, the lyrics in the songs we sing and how we pray. Let us be clear in our choices, so that we do not succumb to our default settings and instead live on purpose.