On the essential existence of God
It is at times the simple things that beckon, that in some inestimable way evoke within a longing for that which we cannot grasp and an acknowledgement of a presence beyond our power to comprehend.
Choose the light
Much has been written and many lifetimes have been spent attempting to disprove and deny the essential existence of God. Such an effort seems to me to be such a monumental waste of time and living, for I can find no light where there is no soul, no hope where there is no heaven, no joy where there is no eternal life, and no love where there is no God. Personally, I choose light, hope, joy, and love rather than a life filled with darkness, despair, sadness, and hatred.
Recently a short sentence, actually not much more than a simple phrase, caught my eye. “Only God is God, and God is good.”[1] It has stuck inside my head and just as any parent of small children will confirm after seeing the movie Frozen, I can’t seem to “Let it go.”[2]
Like a mantra, silently and spiritually invoked, it provokes reflection on the divine and engenders within a deep, rich, and yet succinct affirmation of the uniqueness and essence of God. We are existential creatures caused into existence with but a single thought and we are not the source of that thought.
“Only God is God.” Only God is—out of nothing all that is not Him was created by his Word alone—God.
“Only God is God.” Only God is—nothing and everything are not—God.
“Only God is God.” Only God is—for nothing is impossible for—God.[3]
“Only God is God.” Only God is— contained within those four words is all that I can ever know, all that I need ever know of—God.
Those who deny or dispute the essential existence of God ought to be of no consequence to those of us who know Him, for their blindness is what keeps them from seeing all that is good: the light, hope, joy, and love freely given to us by God. But those who would not believe, instead of honestly seeking the truth, have placed the believer, like Damocles upon the throne of Dionysius below the heavy sword that hangs but by a thread, and have so arrogantly demanded that we prove that God does indeed exist.
Like ancient alchemists who professed the ability of turning lead into gold, those who would deny God conjure the data to support their premise and without offering one shred of verifiable evidence to prove that God does not exist, they loudly proclaim that they have accomplished exactly what they so carefully contrived to avoid: proved that there is no God. It is worth noting that in any debate or argument on the subject of God the focus will invariably be on proving that God exists rather than on proving that He does not.
Rather than showing these charlatans the door we have allowed them to peddle their wares believing that everyone would see that the emperor wore no clothes and that what they were selling was harmless. Nothing could be further from the truth, for the alchemists have entrenched themselves among those most susceptible to their scam, our youth.
It is time for a new beginning, a new approach, a new attitude for those who believe in the essential existence of God. It is time, in truth it is far past time, for those who believe to bench the defense, go on the offensive and demand of those who would deny God to show us their proof.
[1] Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia, Strangers In A Strange Land, First Things, January 2015.
[2] Idina Menzel as Queen Elsa, Let It Go from Disney’s 2013 animated feature film Frozen.
[3] Lk 1:37.
