God

[Guest Name]

Hi.

I'm starting to doubt the existence of God. Mainly because I don't know what it is. I mean religion is built around this notion that if your life is crap deal with it, God made you like this accept it. Why? I asked people and they say everything happens according to his will. So, if he wants someone to drink alcohol or cut their hair they will do it. Why should that soul be punished? Poor people and disabled people, are they disabled because God is punishing them? I thought God was a being that forgives. People are dying, people killed because of their faith. Its just wrong why would God do that? Why make it so hard for his children? I want to believe, I really do. Perhaps God is just something from the human imagination. We are capable of imagining things. Before Humans existed there was life on Earth. How was this life able to escape from the cycle of birth and death? There were no humans they never got the chance to meet with God. Early Humans didn't believe in a God like the one we believe in now. They worshipped nature and many deities. Maybe God is this thing that makes us feel better about life, after a long hard life you will get your rewards. Besides God is something that is extremely hard to know, invisible, yet supposedly he is everywhere. Maybe God was created like this so people wouldn't question it. I don't know, I've never been taught what God is. Please can someone help?

Thanks.

[Sherdil]

Hi.

I'm starting to doubt the existence of God. Mainly because I don't know what it is. I mean religion is built around this notion that if your life is crap deal with it, God made you like this accept it. Why? I asked people and they say everything happens according to his will. So, if he wants someone to drink alcohol or cut their hair they will do it. Why should that soul be punished? Poor people and disabled people, are they disabled because God is punishing them? I thought God was a being that forgives. People are dying, people killed because of their faith. Its just wrong why would God do that? Why make it so hard for his children? I want to believe, I really do. Perhaps God is just something from the human imagination. We are capable of imagining things. Before Humans existed there was life on Earth. How was this life able to escape from the cycle of birth and death? There were no humans they never got the chance to meet with God. Early Humans didn't believe in a God like the one we believe in now. They worshipped nature and many deities. Maybe God is this thing that makes us feel better about life, after a long hard life you will get your rewards. Besides God is something that is extremely hard to know, invisible, yet supposedly he is everywhere. Maybe God was created like this so people wouldn't question it. I don't know, I've never been taught what God is. Please can someone help?

Thanks.

How does someone, who claims they don't know what God is, write a whole paragraph asking about why God does what He does?

How do you know what He does, if you don't know what He is?

[humkire]

Read Shree Guru Granth Sahib slowly, if you cannot in Punjabee at least online in English because as as Guru, SGGS teaches and enlightens us about God. You have started a load of questions and there are more that will arise. However a slow systematic reading of Shree Guru Granth Sahib will help you figure out all the answers to your doubts, confusions and questions. A white lady from Boston, America who has just completed her PhD at Oxford University came to me a few years ago and asked me questions like yours. I recommended her to get online and read SGGS slowly from ang to ang(page) very systematically. Now her faith in God has become strong and she sttends satsangs and changed her name to a Sikh name etc etc.

Our mind can churn out questions 10 every minute because the brain is a strong computer than can think of things in many different ways. So no matter who answers you in which ever way you will find a way to rebut and flick off because your mind is in a debating mode as it is beginning to convince itself that there is no God and that if there is God then it leads to a lot of apparent paradoxes and contradictions which then in turn negate the existence of God.

Hence the simple issue is if you think SGGS is not your Guru and cannot enlighten you about God then I dont know what to say. However if you are a humble person and do feel SGGS as your teacher and guide, then all I can advise is for you to read SGGS especially using translations so your Guru can whisper into the ears of your brain and mind the secrets of God so that slowly slowly your faith will build up and you will start seeing the answers to all your questions. As the level of our understanding advances and reaches new levels we start to understand things we could not before, and their interrelationships.

Also God is not be just understood intellectually but to be experienced and loved. Your closeness to your mother is not just at an intellectual level, likewise a person can start with a tiny seed like faith in the Divine, and as your life progresses that faith can grow into a mighty tree because with God it is a two way relationship. God is a God of reciprocity and revelation. This means the little faith you go to God with will be rewarded by God enlightening you about His existence and revealing Himself in many ways, so it helps build up your faith and understanding of God.

Many things you questioned about God do not need answers rightaway for you to know and believe and experience God and go further with God. On the contrary, put away all your constant confusions and doubts and instead as I said bow before SGGS next time you go to a gurdwara and beg God to help you realise and experience Him and also you need to imediately start reading SGGS translations starting from ang(page)1. Just read and ponder and take in and continue. No one on earth can teach you better than SGGS about God, and about God's nature and how and why He does things.

[Guest sunsingh]

aape hee beej, aape hee khau

it means that you will reap the fruits (karmic rewards / punishments) of the seeds (types of actions) that you plant.

So a person may be a great person in this lifetime, but if they weren't in past lifetimes then they may suffer setbacks in this life. tThis is all b/c of the actions that this person took in past lives.

Now the question is, how to escape from this karmic imprisonment (of our own making)?

The answer, take Amrit, follow the Guru's teachings on doing good deeds (seva) and avoiding bad (paaps), do simran, especially in the sadhsangat. Over time our ego and our bad karams are destroyed. In fact, if we give ourselves to the Guru completely, he will wipe out all of our bad karams instantly and give us immediate freedom!

[Wicked Warrior]

It can be difficult to assess what's right and wrong in this day and Age. The short answer is that accepting existence of God without proof is faith and hence the alternative name for religion is faith.

I've often toyed with the idea of what the world would be like if it was perfect. I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't work. The human mind as it is would't accept that the world was perfect but question it. What would be the point in existence?

The bigger question is the existence of the self: do I really exist? If so, does everyone else exist or are they a figment of my imagination?

In the end, you need to judge for yourself whether there is a God or not. I agree that reading Gurbani may help you decide. But it is your choice. To accept yourself as a disciple and learn, you need a teacher - a guide. Guru Ji is always there, waiting for you to approach Him.

[Guest]

It can be difficult to assess what's right and wrong in this day and Age. The short answer is that accepting existence of God without proof is faith and hence the alternative name for religion is faith.

I've often toyed with the idea of what the world would be like if it was perfect. I came to the conclusion that it wouldn't work. The human mind as it is would't accept that the world was perfect but question it. What would be the point in existence?

The bigger question is the existence of the self: do I really exist? If so, does everyone else exist or are they a figment of my imagination?

In the end, you need to judge for yourself whether there is a God or not. I agree that reading Gurbani may help you decide. But it is your choice. To accept yourself as a disciple and learn, you need a teacher - a guide. Guru Ji is always there, waiting for you to approach Him.

Waheguru.

[Guest dasguruka]

Hi.

I'm starting to doubt the existence of God. Mainly because I don't know what it is. I mean religion is built around this notion that if your life is crap deal with it, God made you like this accept it. Why? I asked people and they say everything happens according to his will. So, if he wants someone to drink alcohol or cut their hair they will do it. Why should that soul be punished? Poor people and disabled people, are they disabled because God is punishing them? I thought God was a being that forgives. People are dying, people killed because of their faith. Its just wrong why would God do that? Why make it so hard for his children? I want to believe, I really do. Perhaps God is just something from the human imagination. We are capable of imagining things. Before Humans existed there was life on Earth. How was this life able to escape from the cycle of birth and death? There were no humans they never got the chance to meet with God. Early Humans didn't believe in a God like the one we believe in now. They worshipped nature and many deities. Maybe God is this thing that makes us feel better about life, after a long hard life you will get your rewards. Besides God is something that is extremely hard to know, invisible, yet supposedly he is everywhere. Maybe God was created like this so people wouldn't question it. I don't know, I've never been taught what God is. Please can someone help?

Thanks.

WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji ki fateh! Khalsa abiding by God’s Will has been interpreted incorrectly. Yes it does mean that if the bad times are on you then trust Him and have faith but TRULY ABIDING by his Will means following the rules of nature. If someone made a mistake and is now saying that, “Oh its God’s Will, ” then he’s being a coward and blaming God for his hard times. Maybe if he had TRULY ABIDED by His Will then maybe those bad times wouldn’t be upon on him in the first place. I was shocked at this interpretation of God’s Will too but it’s cowardly to blame your hard times on God. Instead we should make an effort to do good karma. An example would be the story of Adam and Eve. They broke his Will and that’s how sin came into the world. We can’t say the hard times are God’s Will. We bring the hard times on ourselves by doing bad karmas and then to escape from it just say, “Oh it’s God’s Will” . At the same time everything is in His Will!

According to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, “Punni Paapki Aakhan Nahe, Kar Kar Kirna Likh Lai Jao”.

Guru Ji is saying that don’t call one pious and another a sinner. Ultimately its our deeds that matter. WaheGuru is PURE LOVE. He cares for everyone. Blaming WaheGuru is the last thing I would do. To your question, “How was this life able to escape from cycle of birth and death? ….Read Sukhmani Sahib Ji and many other questions are answered towards the end. WaheGuru isn’t merely a thought to make us feel good about ourselves. He is the Giver. We are the beggars.

[Only five]

Ever been punched so hard in the stomach that you fell into yesterday? Ever seen a person get punched so hard in the stomach and they did not flinch a muscle or feel any pain? Suffering can be over come and the bigger picture can been seen by reading Gurbani. If you wanted to know why the punch did not hurt the person, then you would ask them how did they prepare for such a strong blow? Why did i come out looking like a girl on the ground calling out for my mom? Initially know where you stand on the subject and then start reading Gurbani. Slowly you will be able to get more pieces to the puzzle and be able to get a better understanding of suffering and God.

If you are looking for a quick answer, then you will always be that little girl on the ground clitching your stomach. To play with the big boys, you gotta man up and actually do some deep thinking, soul searching, and focus 100% on Gurbani.

[bluespace]

Paaji if you did not believe at all the you really would not put such a long post here... you belive you just want someone to give you that push/answer etc but you wont get it..when you think god is external then you will argue and debate, when you realise god is inside you then its time t ob e quiet and get on with things...get on with reciting/listening to bani.. it can be any bani...questions your internal self before looking for external answers....we are in the same boat

[Jangal Da]

SGGS has all the answers to your doubts. Start exploring. If you cannot understand Gurbani, then try to study it with someone who can help you, because english translations fail to represent or truly bring to life the meanings. To make things a bit easy - just study the Japji Sahib and explore the deeper meanings ie take a line like 'Sachkhand vasse Nirankar' and then think what is Sachkhand and why is God represented here by the word Nirankar - what is the meaning trying to be portrayed. A friend in your local community who has done santhia or off duty giani will help you out - use the internet as a last resort. Doubt can be a good thing and because you have come to this forum and it appears like you are desperate to find the light again - enjoy the journey.