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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

God is a Choice

"Prove to me there is a God."

No. There is no way to prove what is unknowable. If infinity is an unknowable quantity, then a proof cannot exist. Indirectly, we can
observe the effects of this infinity in our everyday existence, but that is all. We can speculate on what this infinity can mean in terms of
the living identities which exist within it, such as our own identity as represented by our mind, but in the end we are still without proof. If
God is to be taken as an infinite Being, then that Being is an unknowable mystery, and it cannot be proven. And all that exists within this
Being is but a shadow or reflection of what that unknowable mystery is about. Without proof, this leaves us on the edge of a precarious
abyss: Either we believe in God without proof, or we choose to not believe because there is no proof. The choice then becomes ours.
Once that choice is made, the identity of the person making it is then a reflection of that belief. Either way, since there is no proof, we
fall into the abyss and are forced to fall back upon our individual choice, to believe or to not believe, which is our faith. God is a choice.

Once this choice is made, then there are certain consequences. If I choose that there is no God, and that I will not believe in one, then I
am liberated from having to think of it further. My only risk is that if there is God, then I am left out of the drama. Still, if I am left out, I
can remain a participant in God's grand plan even if only a spectator. Others can assume the risk of belief, and I can remain safe in my
non-belief, or even in my rational agnosticism. That feels comfortable, so why not go this way? It makes sense now, same as it did when
I was still a boy. Instead, then, I abandoned this idea of non-belief and chose to step into the abyss of belief. Against reason, I chose to
gamble that there is a God.

In all the world's religions, God is "a priori". There is no choice involved. If it is the religion's duty to teach us God's will, and to have us
do God's will, then the idea of choosing to believe or not believe makes no sense. So the world's religions are forced into a position of
having to believe without question. This leads to differences of opinion only at the level of what it is that is actually God's will. Once that
is known, then it is a matter of deciding what social laws either teach us to follow God's will, or force us to obey Him. If there is
universal unanimity, it is that God's will must be brought to mankind, even if it is against our will. So, no choice. This is a catholic
doctrine that applies to all the world's religions, especially the Judeo-Christian-Moslem mold, and somewhat less so to the
Buddhist-Hindu template, since they tend to be less theocentric. The arguments between the world religions then stem not from
disagreement as to whether or not there is a desire to bring God's kingdom to Earth, but on how to implement this.

If it is God's will to bring His heavenly kingdom to Earth, then it is for the world's religions to carry this out through their teachings and
social laws. No harm in this, though it may be presumptuous for us humans to know God's will. In all religions there is a common thread
of spiritual love for humankind and love for God, which by and large are the paths to God's Kingdom. This message of God's love for us
humans is delivered by His special messenger of the time, be it Moses or Krishna or Buddha or Christ or Mohammed or Baha'ulla or
Zoroaster, or by names now unknown to us. They brought us a message of God's will which was believed to be right for that time. Yet,
in each age, there was an implicit belief that God is. In this age, however, God may be or not. So it is different this time. Many are now
no longer satisfied with belonging to any existing religion, and thus have chosen to not be part of any church or temple. But not belonging
should not be confused with not believing. We as human beings, when we are free to choose, have the right to believe even if not part of
an organized religion. So the messages delivered in the past by God's manifestations need not be lost or negated. Each one was valid and
important for that time, and even for today. But the universe is growing, and our world has become intellectually more sophisticated, to
the point where a freedom of choice has become universally desired. In this freedom lies the power of God to bring a higher order to our
world. Freedom of choice allows us to choose whose message it is we wish to believe in, or to what religion we wish to belong. Once
chosen, even if the reason is irrational, even if we chose to be merely a witness, it is our own. Once chosen as our own, we work to do
God's will naturally.

Some religions even allow us the right to make that choice at some point in our lives. In the now mostly defunct sect of the Shakers,
each child had the right to choose upon maturity whether or not to formally join the Shaker religion to await the second coming of Christ.
The children were not of natural issue but adopted, since the Shakers practiced celibacy. In more modern times, the Baha'is, as revealed
by their messenger Baha'u'lla, also give the freedom of choice to their children upon reaching an age of maturity. If they decide to join,
then they may participate in the free elections and the continued independent investigation of truth, which characterize their social and
religious order. This is true also, in a way, for the Born Again Christians who as adults choose to renew their commitment to their
Saviour, Jesus Christ. But in most religions, that freedom of choice exists only at the periphery. One may join, but usually one is born
into the order, and may resign but usually under protest, or be forced out in excommunication. So the idea of choice, of choosing God, is
relatively new.

So what stands out as most important here? It is not what religion one wishes to belong to, or is born into. As the world moves away
from repressive ideas, the choice becomes more personal. There was a time when such a choice did not exist, and if one changed
religions, he or she would be ostracized by their immediate social order or family. This is still true in parts of the world, especially in the
less educated areas, but less so with time. What is more important is that once a person chooses God, to believe in a higher order of
things than what is apparent on Earth, then he or she moves into another order, one where they begin to do God's will on Earth. Whether
or not this is then done through an organized religious order becomes a personal choice that gives the person the greatest level of comfort
and personal commitment. And once chosen within a religious order, we then join a community of like beings, like minds and souls, who
practice their teachings together. That is the exciting part. Once chosen, it is ours.

God is a choice. That is the common bond of belief that ties us all to each other all over the world. When we believe because we choose
to believe, no matter to what religion we belong or to whose special message of God we listen, we are working to do God's will in our
world. By believing, we place ourselves into that love of humanity God had expressed for us in the past, and the love for humanity that
we feel in our becoming a part of it. This is a spiritual tradition that predates all the known world religions. From a distant antiquity, our
ancestors believed, even if their belief was now strange to our modern minds. Drinking human blood is universally no longer acceptable,
for example, though it is thought that it was once catholic. But the common bond of doing the will of God was and still is. Though there
is no agreement in the world as to how to achieve doing God's will on Earth, there is a common desire to do so, which hopefully will lead
to some common consensus as to how best achieve this goal. Except now we have a choice. We can do this because we choose to
believe in God. The prayers, devotions, self-sacrifices, thoughts and love that issue from this choice in the future is what makes this
belief so exciting in the world. It then becomes, as it has been for millennia, the drama that unfolds for the spiritual growth of our planet.
As each human being turns his or her face towards that light of love that represents for us God, we each in turn face in that same
direction as if pulled by a magnet towards some magnificent light. Our awareness grows, our level of planetary consciousness rises, and
the nervous energy of our collective being becomes synchronized into the activity of planetary love. Who would not want this? In a
world where this is lacking and we witness our own social and moral regression, it is a welcome change brought about by humanity's
belief. But it must be chosen if we are to remain free. And if all this is true, that God's love can bring a positive change to our beautiful
world, then it is a choice worth making. Still, God is a personal choice.

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