If you seek God why seek religion?

[Doug]

God is who God is. Never changes. Always the same. God is Spirit. God is Love. God is merciful. And I will let everyone suggest other things God is _ _ _ _ _

Religion comes in hundred and hundreds of forms each with it's own definition of what God is, what God does, what God allows man to do and you can fill in what your religion allows God to be and do. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

So, do you seek God? Do you seek religion? Do you seek God and religion?

For me, for many long years I sought God and religion and the result was one very very confused man.

Any thoughts or opinions on your life and God?

[Kofi]

"And I will let everyone suggest other things God is"

God is all-powerful. God is all-knowing. God is everywhere. God has no beginning and no end. God is a great provider. God is a great protector. God is a mighty warrior. God is a great deliverer and above all, God is life.

"Religion comes in hundred and hundreds of forms each with it's own definition of what God is, what God does, what God allows man to do"

Yes that is true. religion comes in several different forms some good, some bad. Religion comes in several different forms some meaningful, some almost meaningless. Religion comes in several different forms some help make this life somehow meaningful while some others make this life even 'more' meaningless. Some preach good news. Some preach both good news and bad news so members can decide for themselves. Some others preach only bad news and let members seek the truth for themselves. Some preach what they've been taught. Some preach what they believe. Some others preach what they discover and above all, some believe in God while some others believe in no such being. Even those who believe in God have several different views about God.

Before Christianity came my country, my great great grandfathers believed in God. They believe in an all-powerful and an all-knowing God who created and is above all things. My great grandfathers believed in an all-just God who punishes the wicked but rewards the good. They believed in the same God Abraham believed in. They believed in the same all-powerful God Isaac believed in and they believed in the same all-knowing and all-just God Jacob believed in. My great grandfathers believed in the Almighty God Christians believe in but my great grandfathers had a different way of worshiping this Almighty God.

In Africa, if you want to go see a powerful king, you don't just go straight to the palace and tell them you are there to see the king. Before you see a powerful king in Africa, you must first go see one of his council members and the council member will take your message to the King and then ask the King if he(the king) wishes to see you before you are given the chance to see the king.
My great grandfathers believed that this all-powerful God is the king of all kings because he created all things and is above all things. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and it is very impolite to go straight to Him(God) just like that. My great grandfathers believed that the Almighty God must have council members because every powerful King in Africa had council members who helped him(the king) in judging cases and settling disputes in the land.
My great grandfathers also believed that humans are mortals unlike the Almighty God who is an immortal therefore no human qualifies to be a council member of the Almighty God. The council members of the Almighty God must be immortals just like the Almighty God but lower than the Almighty God in terms of ranking. So my great grandfathers searched and searched until they found the council members of the Almighty God. Those council members are what we call the lesser gods. That is why my great grandfathers started praying to the lesser gods to take their message to the Almighty God the same way Jesus is the way to the Almighty God in Christianity.

Also note that the native Americans such as the Cherokees and the Apaches have a believe very similar to the Africans view of God. There are several gods in Cherokee and there are several gods in Apache but there is just one Almighty God who they refer to as the "Great Spirit". They pray to the Great Spirit through these lesser gods just like Africans pray to the Almighty through the lesser gods. However the way the native Americans worship this Great Spirit differs somehow from the way native Africans worship the Almighty God. So yes, several religions have several views about God.

"So, do you seek God? Do you seek religion? Do you seek God and religion?"

I seek God because God is life. I don't seek religion because religion has no life. We don't need religion to tell us there is a God up there the same way newly hatched turtles along the beach do not need compass to locate where the sea is. Those turtles start moving straight to the sea as soon as they are hatched. The only problem is that sometimes on their journey to the sea, some turn upside down and can remain there and die in the sun or be devoured by wild animals if nobody helps turn them upside up again.

It is true most religions today are very corrupt and so it doesn't make much sense to put all your trust in your religion. I don't seek religion but religion is not all-bad because religion can help us seek God even faster just like a good Samaritan walking along the beach can help those poor turtles by turning them upside up or by getting them even closer to the sea.