Frasch Ideas—Examine, Inquire, Explore

Relationship with God?

• Posted by Theresa on August 27th, 2006 filed in Believe It or Not

I came across this imaginary conversation the other day in a blog:

Picture this: you’re sitting around the table with your closest friends, discussing your most important relationship. We’re not using names, to protect the innocent. It comes your turn to describe your most intimate relationship, and right away you’re going to have problems. You start out by describing your closest, most important relationship by telling how that person sees their self.

Okay, well uh, he sees himself as my father, friend, comforter, helper, judge, bridegroom (your friends are convinced you just came out of the closet), brother and king. You’ve barely started and your friends are thinking this “person” you speak of has MPS (multiple personality syndrome).

Then you get to the relationship part. “Where on earth did you meet this guy,” they query? Well…I’ve never actually met this guy, I mean, I haven’t ever seen him (and you intend to marry this guy?!?). He lives pretty far away…lets just say the space shuttle doesn’t go there yet.

“Do you ever talk to him,” they ask? Oh yeah, all the time, without ceasing. “What do you talk about,” they continue intrigued? Oh everything, snakes and rocks and bread and stuff. But…I really do all the talking, he’s kind of…reticent.

He talks to me through this book that he dictated to several people over hundreds of years. Well, actually, he speaks to me through a translation (he doesn’t speak English), and the book isn’t quite original. The original was lost, but these are copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies and I’m pretty sure they say what he originally dictated for me.

You need go no further. At this point your friends are certain you’ve retired to bedlam.

A comment from Inquisitor:

Not all imaginary relationships are bad. Many children create imaginary friends as a coping mechanism. There is nothing inherently harmful in this and it can actually be quite therapeutic.

Such a child now has someone who is at the same power-level as she is, and this imaginary person provides a trusted source of comfort.

However, we expect an immature child to not fully recognize the imaginary nature of their companion. Once someone is an adult, they are expected to understand the difference. Theists are simply unable or unwilling to give up their imaginary friend.

What do you think? Is God like an imaginary friend? Or can you honestly say that there is more to it than that? I can’t honestly say whether or not there is a God, but I lean more to not, simply because there is not enough real, scientific evidence that there is. Personal experiences don’t count because every religion around can claim their religion is true because of their adherents personal experiences.

I remember my little sister having an imaginary friend, a puppy. She carried it around with her and talked to it. She out grew it.

I remember when my younger brother found out there was no Santa Clause, his whole world crumbled in around him as he questioned if there is no Santa is there an Easter Bunny? No. Not even a Tooth Fairy? No. I still remember the look of devastation on his face.

Do you think you could give up your imaginary friend or would it hurt too much? There might be a God, sometimes when I look at the beauty surrounding me I wonder how it could be without a creator, but I don’t think there is a God like religions have made up. I think Man has made god in his own image: best friend, confidante, a powerful superhero - Santa Claus and Superman all rolled into one. Maybe it is time to give up our childhood heroes and grow up.

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