should we remove God?

So let’s just play this out…

What happens if we totally remove God from society?

What happens? It seems as if this is a desire by some, so let’s just play this out.

What if we no longer acknowledge God or aspire to be like him? What if we no longer recognize God’s existence? What if we no longer see him as good?

What if we conclude that God’s role in society is no longer necessary or doesn’t even exist?

What happens, therefore, if we actually remove him?

Without a doubt, everyone has a right to believe what they wish; belief is not forced. I have long thought of the key exchanges between the characters of Morgan Freeman and Jim Carrey in the hilarious “Bruce Almighty.” Freeman — portraying God’s earthly role — says, “You can’t mess with free will.” Later on in the movie, when Carrey’s character is desperately frustrated as his girlfriend (portrayed by Jennifer Aniston) no longer wants to be with him, Carrey cries out, “How do you make someone love you without changing free will?” To which Freeman responds, “Welcome to my world.”

So while we each have a right to believe, just because we believe it doesn’t make it true. And we can’t force anyone to believe like us… nor to believe in God.

So again, what then happens if we decide to remove God from society?

For the many who blame him — or blame his imperfect followers (because believe me; we can be very imperfect) — what if we just made it easier by removing all reference and acknowledgement of God? 

Would that make us/society better? … wiser? … easier for all of us to get along?

But then…

If we remove God from society, what becomes the definition of justice?

Who gets to decide what is just?

What becomes the definition of good and evil?

Who gets to decide what is good and evil?

One of the most significant challenges facing our country today is that we disagree on what good and evil are. We have different definitions, different extremes, and different applications of what is totally, outrageously wrong versus what’s acceptable or really not that bad.

When you and I disagree on what is good — or disagree on what is evil — conflict will fill the gap between us.

Isn’t that what we witness now? … so much conflict? … tension?

If we remove God and his role from our society, we remove the only authority capable of establishing absolute justice, good, and evil. If any of the rest of us then deem ourselves capable of such an exclusive role, justice, good, and evil will become relative.

Then what?

Respectfully…

AR