Quite frankly, the word “God” does nothing for me. If anything, it interferes with my true faith. Personally, I don’t believe in “God.” It’s an English word of German derivation and is not found in the Bible, if you read the Hebrew original. The word “God” has been so overused, abused, and misunderstood that it actually stands in the way of discovering the ultimate truth we are seeking.
Thinking about this problem, I begin to understand what Nietzsche must have meant when the God is dead. The concept of “God” – what we mean we say “God” is a dead concept. It is not real. The male, Zeuz-like avenger floating about in heaven doesn’t even come to close to representing the reality.
How childish and counterproductive this concept is was brought home to me when one day, into my seminar walked a fellow wearing a T-shirt depicting an exchange from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Hobbes, the toy tiger, is asking Calvin, the little boy, “Calvin, do you believe in God?” Calvins reply is: “Well, someone is out to get me.”
Unfortunately, many people harbor an image of God as some kind of almighty heavenly bully who is out to get them. No wonder they don’t want to believe in that God; no wonder they don’t have any idea how to connect with that God. As one woman said to me, “I just wish that He would leave me alone. I don’t bother with Him; He shouldn’t both with me.” But down deep, such people really suffer from an intense fear of God and punishment. This is called theophobia. Often the people who suffer from theophobia describe themselves as atheist. They try to escape their mental torment by denying the God whom they actually continue to fear daily.
I understand their fears. I remember the first time I felt that kind of fear. I was a child watching The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston as Moses. Only later on in my life did I realize what a negative experience that was for me. For one thing, the voice of God stayed imprinted on my consciousness for a very long time. Can you imagine the auditions for the part? Actors with a sweet, gentle voice need not apply! Only someone with a booming, loud, oppressive-sounding voice could be the voice of God.
These are the kinds of memories rambling around in most people’s minds. In total they add up to an awful image of God. So, I believe that before real spiritual growth is possible we must get rid of God.
Just like Abraham, we need to smash our own graven images, free ourselves from the conceptual idolatry obstructing the eyes of our soul. The time has come to see the One whom we seek.
(R’David Aaron – Seeing God: ten life-changing lessons of the Kabbalah)