Why do humans question the very existence of God at difficult moments in their life? Shouldn’t we instead question our stupid ways of thinking about God? Is the problem God? Or are we humans the real problem? Maybe what we really need is a smart way to think about God. Some idea less fragile, less silly, more complete. Some idea that’s strong enough to withstand reality, because it’s flexible enough to grow as we need to grow.

But where do we find one?

Religions contain many wonderful ways to think about God. But all too often these wonderful ways are so buried under a morass of superstition that it’s hard to find what we’re looking for. Original meanings have been blurred by mistranslation and misinterpretation. The significance of rituals has been lost. Ideas that once served crucial social and political functions are now irrelevant.

Religions, too, have often made the task of finding a smart way to think about God more difficult. In an attempt to insulate their traditions, they’ve often made human inquiry a sin. Intelligent questions are frequently greeted with suspicion.

In an age in which science has stolen the stage from religion, where only the truths gleaned from controlled experiments are valid, where only the practical, material results are valued, any search for God is denigrated as a remnant of more primitive times.   Indeed, a smart way to think about God is perceived as a contradiction in terms.

So what’s a searcher to do?

These days, this question is more important than ever. The baby boomers have grown up. They’re booming with babies of their own. They’re searching for meaning, trying to give their children a sense of values. Religious affiliation is reaching at all-time high.

People who left their faith in rebellion are returning in droves. They will be forced, once again, to confront some of the stupid ways of thinking that drove them away to begin with. They will be put in the precarious situation of having to teach them to their children.

More than ever, we need smart ways to think about God. Ways that are worth passing on to a new generation.

Certainly, we can’t provide all answers for all people but we can begin to clear some of the cobwebs. We can begin to strip away, one at a time, some of the stupid ways of thinking about God that have caused so many problems. We can separate the “wheat from the chaff” and take a fresh look at God. And, hopefully, you will have one way of thinking about God that is smart.

People do not like to have their beliefs challenges. No doubt, for many, the process will be downright painful. So I hope that a little touch of humor will be appreciated, especially for a subject that has become a little too serious.

I hope my readers will find this enjoyable!