The G Word
Why the word “God” sparks so much debate, and why it’s really about connection, potential, and being excellent to each other.
If you’ve ever noticed, people react hard to that word. For some, God is automatically an old man on a throne in the sky, keeping score of our every move. For others, it’s such a loaded word that they won’t touch it at all. I get it. Words come with baggage.
But here’s what I believe: it’s all semantics. Whether we say God, Source, Universe, Energy, Potential, Spirit, Love, it’s all our attempt to describe something too big, too expansive, too mysterious for words. And no matter what you call it, it always comes down to the same thread: connection, responsibility, and potential.
Atheism, Agnosticism, and the Power of Words
I spent some time recently talking to self-proclaimed atheists and agnostics, and what struck me is this: when you ask them what they believe in, their answers often sound a whole lot like what I call God, just with different language.
One friend told me she doesn’t believe in life after death, but she does believe we are responsible to each other here and now. That’s God to me. Another said God feels like love…intangible, unprovable, but undeniable. That’s God to me too.
Thomas Huxley, the biologist who coined the term “agnostic,” did it because people couldn’t handle the word atheist. He knew language mattered. And it still does. When we argue about whether God exists, what we’re usually fighting over isn’t reality itself, it’s a word.
Why the G Word Gets Us Twisted
The problem isn’t whether or not something bigger exists, it’s how we define it. The anthropomorphic God, the guy in the sky handing out punishments and rewards, has caused people to cling to or reject the word “God” entirely. And I understand that.
But here’s my take: if the word God makes you feel safe, use it. If the word Universe resonates, go with that. If “potential” feels true, embrace it. The word doesn’t matter. The lived truth underneath it does.
Being Excellent to Each Other
One of my favorite things about my conversations with atheists is how often their bottom line is: We are responsible for each other. No one else is pulling the strings. No one else is doling out punishments or rewards.
That is God. Or love. Or potential. Or whatever word you need.
Alan Watts once wrote, “A man can perform actions which are truly moral only when he is no longer motivated by the fear of hell.” In other words, goodness should come from love, not fear. From connection, not control.
What I Really Call God
At the end of the day, what I call God is this: the potential inside of you and me, pressing forward to be expressed as joy, health, creativity, and love. It’s the force that makes flowers bloom, whether or not anyone is watching. It’s the pull that asks us to grow, to expand, to become more of who we are.
So if the G word doesn’t work for you, drop it. Call it potential. Call it energy. Call it being excellent to each other. Just don’t get hung up on the semantics, because that’s where we miss the point.
Until next time, beloved. Namaste.