I am of the belief (as are others) that God is so big and unimaginable that there is absolutely NO way in which we are able to fully define or describe God. We do not have the knowledge of God OR the vocabulary to do so. Of course, we are human beings, so we try. In fact, we need to in order to:
- Speak to others about God;
- Learn more about God;
- Think about God; and
- Even talk to God.
Try as we may, however, we cannot fully describe God.
Many people want to confine God to only the image of “Father,” forgetting the many images of God in Scripture that compare God to a mother or a woman. In addition, we disregard the fact that the Hebrew word(s) that we see translated as “compassion” or “compassionate” actually mean that God is “womb-like.”
Often, we get hung up on limiting God to the words that we TRY to describe God with. We, therefore, limit our understanding of God and how God works. I find that very limiting on us as humans as well. We are, according to Scripture, created in God’s image. To limit our understanding of God is also to limit our understanding of who WE can be as well.
Often, well meaning Christians will agree with the statement of the first paragraph of this post. Then, in the next breath, they will say that people who call God, “Allah” don’t worship the “same” God that we do. More often than not, these people don’t realize that even Christians who speak the Arabic language ALSO call God, “Allah.” That’s just the Arabic word for God.
Some people will concede that Muslims do worship the same God, but those “Buddhists” and other religions who don’t explicitly worship a personified God do not worship God. I find this troubling. Often, these religions refuse to personify God. Yet, they talk about a “sacred more” – something that is beyond us that is sacred. For these religions, the goal is for us to live more purposefully and wholly in this sacred “more” or “other.” I see a great sense of awe and “worshipfullness” in these people. They understand that God cannot fully be described and to try to describe God can be limiting. This can create a false sense of who and how God is.
The issue and difference is ultimately a difference in how we define God. If you think about it, one’s name is really just a “metaphor” or a way to “define” the person. Similarly, the word, “God,” is just a “metaphor” or a way we try to “define” God. Let us be careful not to limit God with our mere words.
(Originally posted at http://theology-of-t-roy.blogspot.com/2005/06/whats-in-name.html on June 20, 2005)
