A single essay on God is not really possible.  The topic is too broad.  However, the purpose of this discussion is to lay out my view on the fundamental nature of God – the character of God, as I understand it. 

Let’s assume for now that God does, in fact, exist.  That being said, the question is, “What is God actually like?”, or more particularly, “How would God behave?”  Many views of God have appeared throughout human history – we have been presented with the wrathful God, the jealous God, the loving God, the willful God, the detached God, and so forth.  It is hard to know which of these views, if any, is right; but I have spent some time thinking about what God must be like in contrast to all of us as human beings.

The Perfect God

One key attribute, of course, is that God, by definition, is Perfect.  What does that mean?  It means that anything that debases us as human beings, God is not.  Therefore, I don’t believe that a number of the traditional views of God, as listed above, are accurate – wrathfulness, jealousy, manipulation, and apathy are not among God’s attributes.  God has no need for these.  He is not trying to prove a point; He is the point.  (Note:  The pronoun “He” is being used here simply for convenience and is not intended to reflect any gender bias.  Any pronoun will do.)

God the Creator

Another key attribute is that God is the Creator.  So, let’s think for a moment about great creators, at least at the human level.  Think about our great artists, sculptors, musicians, writers, and architects.  Think about their works.  How many of these great creators produced only one work?  I can think of very few.  That is because a creator, by definition, creates.  He does not usually make one great work and then sit back and stop.  In fact, I don’t believe he can.  It is against his nature. 

How much more so with God?  Is it logical, or even reasonable, to assume that God made one world – our world – and then stopped?  To me, that is like saying that we humans are the center of the universe, and all the stars and planets revolve around us.  While this was the belief in ancient times, I’m fairly certain that our thinking has evolved somewhat since then.  So why don’t we update our view on God.  The likelihood of multiple worlds within our universe does not negate the existence of God – it affirms it.

God the Parent

God can also be viewed as the Parent of everything He creates.  Within our human framework, we would probably all agree that an ideal parent would possess the following qualities:

• Loving
• Understanding
• Patient
• Tolerant
• Wise
• Available
• Firm
• Clear

I’m sure there are many other qualities that one could add to the list; but this is a good start.  If we apply these qualities to God in the most complete sense, we would have the ideal parent that God is.  Note that I began the bulleted list above with the word “loving.”  It seems self-evident to me that God, as the ideal parent, would love all the creatures he created, regardless of their intellect, skin color, physical shape, sexual orientation, or religious preference.  That is what makes him Godly.  So, when we humans create division among ourselves based solely on another group’s skin color, religious preference, etc., we are only displaying our current lack of enlightenment.

Note also the last two bullets, “Firm” and “Clear.”  While the previous bullets suggest more of the “New Testament” view of God, these last two bullets resonant more fully in the “Old Testament.”  My point here is that I don’t think either of the two Biblical accounts presents the “complete” view of God.  Each emphasizes a view that helps carry its own message forward. 

I don’t mean to suggest that the Old Testament has no examples of a patient, understanding, and loving God.  It does.  Similarly, I am not suggesting that the New Testament never gives firm or clear guidance.  It does.  But the pronounced attributes in each account are different; and embracing one view without understanding and embracing the other is incomplete and, I suggest, inaccurate. 

The ideal parent must be loving, understanding, and tolerant.  But there also needs to be a balance between that persona and one that focuses on necessary guidance and direction.  The key is to strike the right balance – something that we humans are not very skilled at.  For God, however, that balance comes naturally.  The issue is simply that we humans, in trying to capture the essence of God, cannot seem to put that balance in writing with any degree of fidelity. 

God the Teacher

As a final thought, we might want to consider the guidance that the ideal parent would likely give his children.  Since a parent is usually a child’s first and often most influential Teacher, we might ask ourselves, “What are the attributes of effective teachers?”  Do they talk in mysterious ways, or do they talk clearly and specifically, supporting their statements with a clear rationale?  I think it is the latter.  Do they require their students to guess the meaning of their words and argue about their intent?  Well, arguing can certainly help to illuminate ideas and compel students to understand the nuances of a given thought; but sometimes they cannot come to closure on the path forward. It often takes the teacher to provide that final enlightenment. 

Therefore, at the end of the day, the purpose of the teacher is to reveal, not to camouflage.  As such, I do not believe that God, as a general rule, speaks in riddles.  I believe that if and when God speaks, the intent of the words is as clear and true as a steady heartbeat.