Divinity, Religion, and Human Constructs

I recently watched a movie called The Forge on Netflix, a Christian drama. I should have anticipated the evangelical theme woven throughout the story, but it still caught me off guard. The film centers on a young man who, disinterested in work, spends his days living with his mother and playing video games. His life takes a turn when he meets the president of a sporting goods and health club company. The president becomes a mentor to the young man, but almost immediately begins proselytizing about Jesus.

At this point, I typically stop watching such films or videos. The mention of Jesus Christ, an apocryphal figure with a Westernized name, often signals a one-dimensional narrative. After all, if this figure were truly from Bethlehem, he wouldn’t have a Western name or appearance—his complexion would be much darker.

The irony of such religious narratives lies in their double standards. Imagine if a Muslim attempted to convert a Christian to Islam. Many Christians would be outraged, even though over 90% of people’s religious beliefs are shaped by the region they were born into. Faith, for most, is less about divine truth and more about geography.

That said, let me clarify my perspective on God—or the entity we call God, Yahweh, or Allah. This presence is not human. It transcends gender, culture, and human attributes. Trying to define such an entity is like asking a fish to describe water. Water is the fish’s environment and lifeline; it simply exists without judgment, vengeance, or favoritism. Similarly, the loving presence that underpins the multiverse isn’t concerned with petty human squabbles or rituals. It just is.

What many fail to grasp is that this presence is not a person but an all-encompassing energy. It is love in its purest form, a force that exists within us as much as we exist within it. The myriad holy books ascribe human characteristics to this entity, but these descriptions are projections of our limited understanding rather than reflections of divine reality.

Returning to the movie, the mentor advises the young man to give up his favorite pastime—video games—because God had asked him to give up golf. Why? Because God demands devotion and worship. This notion is fundamentally flawed. Source energy, or the divine presence, does not require worship. It is not "jealous" as some scriptures claim. The idea of a jealous deity is both absurd and contradictory to the concept of unconditional love.

The essence of living well isn’t about following strict rules or appeasing a deity. It’s about treating others with respect, helping those in need, and contributing to the world in meaningful ways. Share your time, resources, or kindness when you can, but understand that even without these acts, you are still connected to the divine. Transitioning from this life to the next is not contingent on adherence to dogma but on the simple fact of being.

Lastly, the concept of Hell is another invention of humanity—a tool for control and profit. Love and hate, as polar opposites, cannot coexist within a truly loving presence. A divine being rooted in love would not create a place of eternal torment. Hell is a construct, not a reality. True divinity is about unity, compassion, and the boundless energy that sustains us all.