God

GOD – What is He? Who is He? Is He a person? Is He an animal? Is He half-man/half-animal? Is He a tree? Is He an indescribable being? Is He Rama, Krishna, Ganesha, Allah or the Father, Son and Holy Ghost? Even more, who says God, has to be a He? What if God is a She? Who’s to challenge the view and say He ISN’T a She? As far as I’ve been told, God has only been seen by the dead, and sadly the dead aren’t here for confirmation!

I’ve always liked to think of God as a divine force that has no gender, no physical form and a force that cannot be contained. God isn’t in a temple, mosque, or church, but within each individual. For the sake of convenience, however, I have always referred to Him as He. Having been brought up with the concept of God being a He, it never occurred to me until very recently the possibility of referring to Him as She. But by then I was set in my ways and continue to refer to Him as He out of habit.

Coming from a fairly conservative Muslim family, I was always told God forbade a whole lot of things including consumption of alcohol, nicotine and the meat of pig. He forbade the wearing of certain items of clothing. He forbade the ownership of dogs. And somewhere along the way I came to resent my religion, my caste, my community. I felt smothered. I, being a fairly free spirited young girl studying in a somewhat cosmopolitan environment, did not want to be told what to believe. I wanted to do things my way. I wanted to explore my avenues, I wanted to form my own views and opinions, based on what I experienced, and not something the previous generation had.

And one thing I strongly believed was that if I mess up along the way and do a few minor, forbidden things the God I believe in will forgive me. The God I believe in is fair, just and practical. I’m positive if I just stay true to myself and remain a fair, good-hearted human being, He will overlook the dressing sense, the occasional drink, and the rare puff of a cigarette. Because at the end of it all, that is what matters. Not whether I wear a mini-skirt along with a backless top to match, or whether I’m fully-clad from head to toe. Ultimately, all that matters is whether or not I’ve hurt another human being with my deeds. If I haven’t then, I’m sure my entry into Heaven is pretty much guaranteed!!