God and the Universe are the Same Thing

Depending on your point of view, it’s either offensive or bold or obvious or irrelevant for me to say that God and the Universe are the same thing.

Some people bristle at the mention of God.

Some people believe the definition of God has gone far beyond just “God.”

God, Universe, Great Spirit, Source…

Some people who’re “religious but not spiritual” don’t mind using the word God, while others who describe themself the same way mind that word a whole lot.

Some people use the word God interchangeably with other spiritual-but-not-religious words.

Some conservative religious people roll their eyes, or worse, at the mention of “the Universe” instead of God.

Some people wholly reject the name “God,” along with the notion of God as an individual.

Some people view mentions of “the Lord” and “God” as strongholds of the patriarchy.

Some people use the native American name The Great Spirit.

Some people call all this The Divine or The Creator or Source.

People use ancient texts, somewhat newer ones, and all manner of digital means nowadays to support their beliefs.

Many are exploring the unknown as to where we’ve come from, where we’re going, and what this is all about.

Many are open to new thoughts on it all, while many feel quite satisfied with their views.

And no one has to be wrong about any of this.

Assumptions and expectations

I have no proof that God and the Universe are the same thing.

And I also have no intention of proving this or looking for proof.

I just know that we all have a longing for deep, pure, harmonious peace and love. Or at least whatever it is we feel when we choke up over something beautiful, or just feel something we can’t even describe.

I know people of faith in various walks of life, including some pretty conservative Christians and some la-la new-agers. I know people from one end of the faith spectrum to the other who I find genuinely and equally devout, curious, or sincere.

And I also know both conservatives and ultra-liberal new-agers alike who are angry, forceful, and dogmatic.

Turns out, someone can be decidedly non-religious and yet still have a rigid dogma that rivals any religious zealot.

And equally, being religiously conservative doesn’t automatically make someone a rigid, dogmatic person.

These assumptions and expectations keep us from being able to relate to one another. They give us permission to de-humanize one another so we can pass our judgment and keep our distance and go on our way.

It’s these assumptions and expectations that create the divisions we all claim to dislike so much.

They keep us each thinking we know best what to call the great force that is both “out there” and within us.

And that what we call this force matters.

And that our opinion of this force is capital-C-Correct.

But dayum, we’re all born the same

We each arrive from who-really-knows-where as these eternal-on-the-inside seedlings about to sprout and grow and have a limited-time physical experience on this planet.

This is all any of us are up to.

The details can vary wildly, yet it’s ultimately the exact same framework for every one of us.

But we sure do try real hard to differentiate ourselves and assert our dominance and correctness…

Especially in spiritual matters, ironically.

Yet the most common and the most erudite can be equally enlightened, even though they’re stylistically different.

Which tells me that maybe the delineations don’t matter at all.

I’m finding deep parallels in the Christian texts of my upbringing alongside new age writings and today’s explorations of the human mind and spirit.

I think it’s all the same thing.

And I think we’re all going to come full circle — and that we humans are traveling that circle now.

May the words we use be chosen carefully but not used to limit us

And may the words we choose not be used to limit the divine that is both within and beyond us.

Because as much as I love words, and as beautifully as I hope and try to use them, words are only a tool for communication.

And while our earthly, word-based communication can be surprisingly spot-on at times, we’re still operating within a human system as we try to pin down the vast mysteries of our greater be-ing-ness in this life.

It’s possible we all have it right…

Or at least as right as we know how to be at this time.