The writer ExPenty – which I’m assuming is a pseudonym for Ex-Pentacostal which is a pseudonym for their real name – posed some interesting steps to belief. Well, actually impossible steps to belief, which can’t actually be answered, at least not reasonably.

1. Prove that God exists.
2. Prove that there is only one God.
3. Prove that your one God is still alive.
4. Demonstrate that God is interested in us humans.
5. Show that God is in fact the Christian God.
6. Show that the Christian God is worthy of worship.

They sum it all up fairly well at the end.

Let us assume for the sake of argument that the existence of God can be proven and that he can be shown conclusively to be the God of the Bible, the triune God of Christianity. Even then, why should I worship him? Even if he were real (which I do not believe, but just supposing), how is a God who would create humans knowing that the vast majority of them would burn in hell for all eternity be worthy of worship? That would make him directly responsible for the eternal suffering of billions of people. And why would a God who ordered the deaths of innocent men, women and children (read your Old Testament) be worthy of worship? Or how about a supposedly loving, caring God who makes his existence so difficult to believe – why should we worship him if his very hiddenness leads millions to hell? Even if the God of the Bible exists, he is a sadistic monster and unworthy of worship and devotion.

The Atheist Revolution blog asks a simple, but important question, What is God? God can truly be many things, or nothing at all.

What is God? Is it an idea you’ve derived from one of the many versions of the Christian bible? Since these bibles were written by men, how can you be so sure that the idea they describe is accurate? What leads you to think that their understanding of God was any better than yours would have been had you not read their words? You may have noticed that the God described in the Old Testament is fairly different from the one mentioned in the New Testament. Which is the correct God, and how do you know?

What is God? Is it an idea you have been taught by your family, friends, church, and culture? You may have noticed that there is great variability in what people around you believe about God. Who is right, and how do you know? What if you’ve been worshipping the wrong God all this time?

What is God? Perhaps what you are worshipping is your own unique understanding of God based on everything you’ve been taught, your personal experiences, and how you’ve interpreted them. This would certainly make sense and is probably how most religious people understand God. But how is this meaningfully different from worshipping yourself? Wouldn’t this mean that worship is really a form of self-love?

It’s a thought-provoking question. I have my answer, do you have yours?