What Kind Of 'god' Are You?

A lot of people criticize God because they say, "What kind of God would let bad things happen?", or they say, "If I were God, I would never let such a thing happen."

Nature is an integral system that's interconnected and interdependent. We have the ability to affect and influence people (and all of Nature) in a negative and destructive way, or in a positive and constructive way.

Our actions (and lack thereof) have consequences, they actually affect the world around us. As such, we're playing 'god'. What kind of 'god'? Let's take a look:

1. God Is Bountiful:
• When a person becomes extremely rich and wealthy, what does he do with his wealth? Does he seek to benefit others or does he selfishly seek to benefit himself and make even more money, become even more wealthy?
• We see countless examples of rich and wealthy people who seek only to benefit themselves. Even though they're in a position to help others, they don't.
2. God Is Omnipotent, All Powerful:
• When a person becomes extremely powerful, what does he do with his power? Does he seek to benefit others or does he selfishly seek to benefit himself and become even more powerful?
• We see countless examples of powerful people who only seek to benefit themselves. Even though they're in a position to help others, they don't.
3. God Is Omniscient, All Knowing:
• When a person gains knowledge, what does he do with his knowledge? Does he seek to benefit others or does he selfishly seek to benefit himself and gain even more knowledge?
• We see countless examples of intelligent, knowledgeable people who only seek to benefit themselves. Even though they're in a position to help others, they don't.
4. God Is Praised:
• When a person gains praise/honor/fame/celebrity, what does he do with his honor/praise/fame/celebrity? Does he seek to benefit others or does he selfishly seek to benefit himself and gain even more praise/honor/fame/celebrity?
• We see countless examples of people who are praised/honored/famous/celebrities who only seek to benefit themselves. Even though they're in a position to help others, they don't.
5. God is A Provider:
• Many people have the ability to provide for others, but they don't because they're selfishly seeking to benefit themselves.
• As a result, we see the consequences of selfish behaviour: Negligent parents, single parent families, orphans, street children, parents who don't provide for their children, children who don't provide for their parents, poverty, billions of people lack proper nourishment and improved sanitation facilities, billions live in slums, billions don't have access to essential medicines etc.
• We're all one family and we have to start treating each other as one family, by providing for one another and ensuring that our basic needs are met.

We have to change from personal selfishness (seeking to benefit ourselves) to mutual bestowal (seeking to benefit others).

God is benevolent, He uses his attributes and qualities in a positive and constructive way, to benefit others instead of Himself.

We're playing 'god' by using certain qualities and attributes (bounty/money, praise/honor/fame/celebrity, knowledge and power); however, we use them in a selfish, negative and destructive way. We learn through opposites and in order to understand God's attributes, we first have to experience their opposite.

Of all the pleasures that can exist, attaining The Creator (being in the quality of bestowal and seeking to benefit others instead of ourselves) is one of the greatest pleasures. However, we can't reach this through the quality of selfishness, we can only reach it through the quality of bestowal.

Instead of criticizing God, ask yourself, what kind of 'god' are you? If you're in a position to benefit others, to help others, and you don't, then what kind of 'god' are you? If you can benefit others in a positive and constructive way, but you choose not to, then what kind of 'god' are you?

In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.

Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.