A Prelude to Faith in God Being Areligious

An independent demographic religious study maintains that the around 84% of the world’s population is associated with some form of religion.¹ Like 84% people, I have faith in God (Allah, Bhagwan, Ishwara, Supreme or Ultimate power) call it what you may. Nonetheless, religions seem to confuse us at least once in our lives no matter what. We are all aware of the controversies and discussions among the extreme approaches of theists (religious people who believe in a deity) and atheists (non-believer of a deity).

It seems self-evident that what we need to develop is the modernized spiritual road-map rather than focusing to assert a valid logical concept of God. Since many scholars tread this area carefully, so our research is termed as exploratory research. Are there multiple versions of God? Does God discriminate among Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jews and Hindus? Does God need followers by inflicting His fear in human’s mind rather than love? Is God so full of wrath and fury that if we do not follow a right path by a right religion, He would damn us for eternity? Which religion should be adopted when all religions claim to be right? Which God ought to be obeyed? All such questions coerce us to find a God that is Independent of religions.² Our research will examine the adverse effects of religious practices on humanity and their causes. It also aims to find a faith in God which requires no limitations of religions. As 16% of the world’s population (nearly 1.1 billion people) have rejected the Bible, the Quran, Bhagwad Gita and the New Testament as the explanation of Spiritual Being (God) but nonetheless believe in higher reality of God.³ Demographic studies shows of 2020 shows that at least 1 in every 6 individuals are unaffiliated with any religion but nor are they inclined towards atheism.⁴ Why is that so? Our research is an endeavor to resolve this vital quest.

Religious Affiliation

2.1. God, Religion and Faith

God is conceived as a supernatural and incorporeal creator of the universe. He is the ideal being with the highest good. These attributes were all supported to varying degrees by the early Jewish, Christians and Muslim theologian philosophers, including Augustine of Hippo (354-430AD), Maimonides (1138-1204), and Al-Ghazali (d.1111).⁵

Throughout the universe, God is known by many names (both in monotheistic and polytheistic religions) including: First Creative Source, Divine Center, the Father of Universe, Infinite Upholder, Divine Controller, the Gift of Life, and the All-powerful One, but God has never revealed himself by name, only by nature, i.e., the Rehman and Rahīm in Islam; the Brahma in Hinduism; the Trinity in Christianity and so forth.⁶

For the theists, it is important to answer that what is the nature of God or how can we prove his existence? The question plagued human mind for centuries. There are several immature answers to it whether they are scientific or philosophical. But according to my understanding no evidence is sufficient enough for the existence of God, for reality is too complex and obscure for us to understand. However, where science and intellect fails to provide answers, faith and commitment can.⁷ Reasons have its own limitations: for e.g. consider the Problem of Evil and difficulty of proving the existence of God within rational capacities etc.⁸ Once we understand these limitations, the next step would be faith. Second conflict is that of meaning; scientists cannot explain death, universe, beauty or justice yet we cannot deny their existence. The problem of defining doesn’t leads to inexistence. Hence, I have faith in God’s existence through learning and growing; not via testimonial, religious scripture or evidential knowledge.⁹

Religion is a systematic version of fundamental believes and rules that ought to be abided once an individual entered into it. The chief goal of any religion is to provide guidance, meaning and purpose to live a harmonized moral life. Each religion possesses its own sacred histories and traditions.¹⁰ Speculation about the cosmos and knowing oneself via faculty of reason are other concerns that are discussed in the holy books.

Faith is a firm belief that does not require any logical proof or material evidence. Faith in God is the theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's existence.

2.2. Distinction between Faith and Religion

Faith and religion are often intermixed, but they are indeed different from one another. Various people are areligious but nor they are atheists.¹¹ Religions are either manmade or revealed whereas faith is an inclusive and subjective enterprise that can be experienced on a personal level; it can be shared but it isn’t a sort of knowledge that can be transferred and effect the other person in the same manner.¹² Religion has an institutionalized background and at its core some foundational rules, beliefs and practices. Conventionally we utilize faith to describe our association with a particular religion; however, the real essence of faith is in utter submission before God in context of trust, love and loyalty.¹³ There could be various directions of a religion, but faith is a unique entity which makes us realize that God is watching over us and with us in every passing moment.

It follows that religion is thought to be the organization to practice of one’s faith.¹⁴ Though the two (faith and religion) could run parallel if one truly understands the essence of religion.

History of Religions

Since mankind has been evolved, the quest of ultimate reality remained prominent in his life. Human beings comprehend God as much as their intellect carried them. “A person who goes in the search of God is wasting his time. He can walk a thousand roads and join many religions and sects- but he’ll never find God that way. God is here right now at our side.”¹⁵

As human began to live together in tribes, societies etc. they became more in need of an organized and well-formulated belief system for all. The origin of religions can dig to be as old as 300,000 years from Middle and Lower Paleolithic periods.¹⁶

All theories regarding the origin of religion have been severely criticized. Moreover, there has been no consensus among religions as each varies in their forms and cultures. Some religions regard belief as its vital part, whereas other highlights practice. Some religions emphasized on inner experience of an individual, while others stress on role of community as important.

Some religions contend to be universal and beneficial for all humanity (such as Islam), whereas some religions claim to be centered on a particular group (like Jews). In order to attain salvation, religions practices include meditation (in Mysticism/ Buddhism), music and art (in Hinduism). Gradually, religion overtook all aspects of modern life, both public and private, including educational institutions, paternal matters, communal relations, governmental affairs and political power.¹⁷ The history of religions would be a brief reflection to show how religious institutions strived for the lust of power that ended in massive bloodshed or continued as extremism and fundamentalism in current period.¹⁸

Table 1. History of Religions

Faith without being Affiliated to any Religion

A recent survey on American Religious Identification accounts that 76% of Americans identify themselves as Christians.²⁶ The rate decreases from 86%; and astonishing fact is that these non-Christians neither accept any other religion nor they claim to be an atheists. Almost 15% of Americans have faith in a Spiritual Authority, but they rejected that any Holy Scripture is explanation for it.²⁷

We may think that the faith in God without religion originated in the modern era; however history is filled with those men who seek God without having faith in any religion. It was reflected in Plato’s world of Ideas which later became Platonism;²⁸ in Buddha’s spiritual path which later became Buddhism; and in various mystic trends. Although no international data is recorded in other countries, but rejection of religion is getting more pronounced there as well.²⁹ The chief cause is that the “human capacity have its own limitations. We cannot understand things unless we used terms to specify it. For this reason most of the spiritual writings and holy books has been misinterpreted.”³⁰

Due to this reason, wars among religions became common; religions became controversial; and human freedom is imprisoned in the name of God. Many lost faith in God due to these religions and became atheist;³¹ while some became extreme in their approaches and the rest were simply confused. The fear induced in them that if they do not follow a right path by a right religion they would be damn for eternity. They enslaved religion blindly and remained unknown to the Real God and his nature.

Organized religions have done much harm by professing the superiority of their followers and creating such divisive categories as true believers and godless heathens, God’s righteous chosen ones and pagans, the heaven bound and the Hell bound, and enlightened and unspiritual. Overtly, ‘Us against them’ distinctions attract congregants by psychologically empowering them. Covertly, they forge Polarized perception and a distorted view of human Abuses, catalyzing endless violence.³²

The discussion and re-discussion; the conception and re-conception of religions among theists, atheists, naturalists and various such groups reduced religion to a mere weapon in the hands of scholars, mullahs and authoritarians who not only divided humanity in various religions, but also divided fiqhs/sects within religions itself. They forgot their own religious teachings which preach only love, compassion, and respect for all living creatures. They forgot that their faith in religion also includes the freedom and respect to other religious as well as non-religious views. The consequence is extremism, intolerance and bloodshed of humanity. If one understands that every religion is one among many, extremism would not prevail in the world.

The sense of eternal damnation and reward generated fear among the followers. This reduced individual’s spirituality to nothingness which violated mankind into greedy animals; and drove them to shed blood of each other. Since the dignity and value of human transcends all values; an individual cannot reduce to the level of simple tool in the hands of religions in the name of God.

We need a spiritual path which tends to understand God and our own uniqueness in a better way. Because dignity and liberty are natural rights of human beings; and God does not created humans as dependent on any worldly authority. Freedom is the right granted by God to humankind. But inability to interpret religions drove humans away from their major quest to know the ultimate reality. They can say they love God due to their fear, but they do not realize that there can be no love in the presence of fear. For love is fearless. As Iqbal proclaimed:

Momin (faithful) and Love are mutually interdependent. What is impossible to us is possible for love! The capital of intellect is apprehension and doubt, Of Love, faith and resolution!

Intellect builds that it may destroy; Love destroys that it may rehabilitate!

Intellect says ‘Live happy and content,’ Love says ‘learn submission and achieve freedom.’³³

Theists sometimes contend that a world without religion necessarily has at least two undesirable characteristics: life would become meaningless; and there would be no absolute standards of morality.³⁴ However, Kai Nielson challenges both claims. Even if there exists no ultimate purpose in a Godless world, he argues, we can still experience a great deal of personal meaning and happiness.³⁵ And if moral values are purely human inventions, there still exists a sound basis for objective moral standards. “Recognizing that our moral awareness is essentially independent of religion may have the additional advantage of enabling us to do a bit of moral spring-cleaning – of liberating us from some oppressive and irrational moral illusions.”³⁶

Man required religion to understand and know God and to live a harmonious life, but if religions can’t help him to do so then what’s the purpose of religions in our lives? Considering all natural facts, our research paper holds that instead of bloodshed and intolerance there ought to be faith in God. Instead of first interpreting religious text and norms, then debating which of them are controversial, contradictory or incorrect; we ought to have an immediate relation with God_ a relation of love, friendship and communion with God which depicts both the purity of soul and rationality. We should seek Him within ourselves spiritually rather than following religion. There is truth in such an objection and a kind of ‘empiricism about man’ that philosophers are prone to neglect. Although, Neilsen admits that a devoted religious person would suffer from spiritual crisis, but if he is strong enough to live through it and hear the voice of his heart he can still make his life meaningful and can provide it with an objective rationale.³⁷

Hence, Faith in God without following any religion cannot be over-ruled and dismissed because even if not possible, it is still highly probable.

3.1. The Possibility of Believing in Supreme Power without Religious Affiliation

The question that arises in every human mind is that how such faith is possible, i.e. how one can worship God without religion? Almost every one of us knows the procedure to worship God through religions; this is because we have psychologically connected our image of God with religion.³⁸ However, without a religion to guide us how we can worship or communicate with God seems an uneasy quest. In order to accomplish a direct relation with God, the most important thing is to know our spiritual self. Because if we do not know our being in its true nature how can we comprehend the Supreme Being, let alone forming a kinship with God.

To be brief, spirituality is a perfect harmony between body and soul.³⁹ This state of peaceful existence has both intrinsic and instrumental values. The spiritual response, thus, helps meet our affective needs for both celebration and reconciliation. As Richard Dawkins suggested in his book, Unweaving the Rainbows, “We have an ‘appetite for wonder,’ an appetite for evoking the positive emotional states that are linked to our deepest existential questions.”⁴⁰

Spirituality invokes consciousness in a being to seek within himself until he finds inner peace. This self-realization is an ongoing process that will continue as long as it reflects, at last, the ultimate truth of his existence. It is this cognitive context that would direct him that the reward of spirituality lays within his own heart. Therefore, we must live and direct our energy for our self-realization. When we came to know our true nature we would also realize the nature of the natural world external to us. For every individual is unique. His or her inner and outer life is entirely unique. Human individual lives, acts, think and feel as unique being. Human action in outside world is external manifestation of individual uniqueness. In order to shape our uniqueness human being ought to be free. Here freedom does not mean that we could do whatever we want, but it means the right to discover what we ought to do what we are able to do. Liberty requires the higher order of conduct in its practice. Following our Spiritual self and creating energy for our freedom will enable mankind to live in peace, harmony and love. It is now that we can transform this inner peace into a friendship with God.⁴¹

Walsch beautifully illustrates that one can establish friendship with God by following seven-step procedure, i.e. “ 1) Know God; 2) Trust God; 3) Love God; 4) Embrace God; 5) Use God; 6) Help God; 7) thank God.”⁴²

Experiencing God without Religion: Conclusive Remarks

Here critics could object that we are creating our own concept of God (personal God). Our paper holds that God is All-in-All. And our thoughts do not create God. It simply creates the experience of God. “The non-monarchical images of God suggest that God has always been in relationship to us, journeying with us, and yearning to be known by us. Yet we commonly do not know this or experience this.”⁴³

All our life we did not know God because we did not follow our own selves. And it is not our mistake that we cannot know God because there are numerous versions of God, each claim to be authentic; without knowing Him we cannot trust Him. Likewise, love without trust cannot exist; and one can only embrace Almighty if he loves Him. Unless we embrace Almighty completely we cannot seek His help (use Him); and embrace his creation and adore them with equivalence (help Him). It entails that friendship and love is a two-way relationship.⁴⁴ The choice is ours to make whether we want to fear Almighty or we want experience a personal relationship with God and love Him.

Faith in God demands the love for God, since the nature of God is to love.⁴⁵ We often hear ‘God is the Creator’, but we never thought the real creative force is Love and creation itself is an act of love. Looking from metaphysical perspective love is an attraction; and force of attraction is the fundamental principle that explains every phenomenon from galaxies to minute atomic particles. Theists are well-aware of God’s eternity yet they are unaware that love itself is eternal_ it is not confined to one world or a single person. It is through love by which we transcend from ourselves and our selfish desires. We are aware that ‘God is Omnipotent’ because love conquers all. Only love possesses the highest power that greed, fear or an armed empire cannot possess. People say God is the source of guidance and morality, and they are correct in their assumptions. As God is love and love is the highest and truest morality. Hence, the essence of human nature is love; the more we are filled with love the closer we came to God. When we love, we are expressing the divine, God-like part of our nature. So the God is within us and not sitting on his king-size throne somewhere above this world. He is residing in our hearts and everywhere we can seek love in its purest form. We only need to know how to look up. However, it is acceptable that understanding the concepts of God and Love are not simple or easy. Yet, here is one thing upon which we all agree to some extent without doubt and that is the existence of love.

In closing, I would like to add that Individual is the only authority, who could decide what to believe or not to believe. Everyone could make choices in the field of religion, they have right to express their religious as well as non-religious views, they have also the right to criticize or challenge the role of religious institutions and dominant religious ideas, because human individual has the sufficient rational capacity and ability. Freedom to practice one’s own religion or freedom from religion must be the products of individual choice.⁴⁶ Hence, Faith in God without being associated to any religion is not merely probable but possible as well since it is being adopted by many people. Furthermore, love is the essential characteristic of Faith; it enables humanity to coexist in peace and harmony because freedom promotes tolerance. It further promotes the importance of realization of self; through which we not only understand God but can also form a friendship with God. And if that goes well, we can experience sense of oneness or communion with God.