Tuesday 27 March 2012

The many faces of god

Yesterday, as I dragged myself through the day, the god I was talking to was the 'god with the whip'.  I was introduced to this god at the tender age of 6 when a teacher was brought in to the class to tell us of the wrath and vengefulness of god and hell, in preparation for our first holy communion.  Welcome to the Catholic Church children!

Since then, I have developed several different faces for god, each one a reflection of where I am in my journey at that time.  My god has had many faces, but two endure.  The first is always my most recent conception of what god is - be that a man with a beard, an energy form, an intelligence, all that is...  The second is the god with the whip.

When I feel bad, the whip god comes out.  When I feel good, the loving god is evoked.  It all says far more about me than about god.  For, as much as god is beyond human knowing, we will always strive to know it.  And the god that we create says more about us than we could ever say about ourselves.

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