Who Created God? | Unveiled

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Who Created God?</h4>

Statistics show that around eighty percent of the global population follow (or at least associate with) some form of religion. In many of those, there’s either a pantheon of gods and deities to worship, or there’s one supreme being above all; the God, who’s usually responsible for creating everything in the universe. But then, and especially if that last part is true, then isn’t there a pretty big problem to work out? 

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; who created God?

How many people believe in God? It’s a simple question but with a complex answer. Because God means different things depending on who you ask and how you ask, as well. According to a 2022 poll by the US analytics company, Gallup, eighty-one percent of Americans answer “yes” when asked directly “Do you believe in God?”. However, past polls have shown that whenever there are more options available, that seemingly steadfast belief drops. For example, a 2017 poll gave five options, enabling takers to choose whether they were; convinced that God exists; whether they thought God probably exists, but with a little doubt; God probably exists, but with a lot of doubt; God probably doesn’t exist but they’re not sure; or whether they were convinced that God does not exist. Under those conditions, the percentage choosing the first option - convinced that God exists - came in lower, at sixty-four percent. And, again, that was in 2017. Almost all studies show that belief in God in general has continuously fallen in recent years, so those numbers would likely drop further today. 

And, of course, if the same questions were asked in different countries, or on a global scale, then the results would almost certainly be significantly different again. In America, the majority religion is Christianity, a monotheistic system with the one God at the top of it. But, in China, the most populous nation in the world, the majority of people subscribe to traditional Chinese folk religion, or are atheist. In India, the second most populous nation on Earth, the majority religion is Hinduism, a polytheistic system with multiple gods to follow. Clearly, the question “do you believe in God?” doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone.

However, and with a monotheistic figure especially, there are some seemingly fundamental debates as to whether or not God exists. For one, is God really good? We took a closer look at this in another video, and that episode follows this one - so be sure to stick around! But, for now, the other big sticking point is; Who created God? In most monotheistic traditions, God created the universe. At first there was nothing and then there was something, all thanks to God. But if God was around to make all of this possible, then who (or what) made God possible?

This seeming paradox is known as The Problem of the Creator God. And, for those who use it to question or deny God, it then immediately leads us into another problem known as an infinite regress. This is a situation in which a series of circumstances are directly linked and governed by whatever comes before and after, continuing on and on forever. So, if God created the universe, then what created God? If “X” created God, then what created “X”? If “Y” created “X”, then what created “Y”? There are other examples of an infinite regress in practice, such as Aristotle's Paradox of Place, which says that if everything has a place… then all those places have a place, too… which then also have a place, and so on, and so on. It’s how you may have imagined your address as a child; you might’ve said you lived in the universe, then the galaxy, then the solar system, then Earth, then your country, your city, neighborhood, road, your bedroom, et cetera. It’s also something like seeing yourself reflected in two mirrors positioned opposite one another; the image of your face goes on and on, and on.

But, taking it back to the problem of God, and while many atheists and philosophers don’t buy it, those who believe in God also say that the counterargument is quite simple; God is what’s known as the first cause. This again links back to the Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, who mused that eventually there must be what he termed an unmoved mover. This is something that affects something else, but is not affected by anything itself. For believers, with regard to the universe and everything that’s in it, this is God. God is the unmoved mover, the first (or primary) cause, responsible for everything but the result of nothing. For those arguing against the existence of God, this is often received as something of a cop out. God as the first cause doubles up as saying; God just is. But why and how could that be, they ask. 

Aristotle seemingly delivered an answer, to some degree, further suggesting that an unmoved mover (in this case, God) would have to exist in some kind of void, outside of time, space and place. From there, it’s a relatively easy jump to the ethereal, all-permeating presence that many view God to be. In general, many theists argue that to try to impose universal laws onto God - i.e., to suggest that God must be created because everything else is - is redundant from the outset. God made the laws of the universe but is not, and never has been, limited by those laws. Perhaps this can be viewed in the same way as a videogame developer is never held to the rules that they create inside a game. They exist on a higher plane, as does God in relation to the universe. And, on that higher plane, even the concept of creation perhaps just isn’t needed.

Then again, some religions just sidestep the problem entirely. In Buddhism, for example, there is no creator God. Most Buddhist figures are not quite so far removed from humankind; they’re more like higher, exalted versions of us. Examples to follow, but examples that are still guided by the same (or similar) physical realities. That said, there are aspects of (and versions of) Buddhism that do rely heavily on there being transcendence to higher planes. But, for those who break out of the circle of life and death to reach nirvana, it’s something that should come to be known. This is never really the case in most monotheistic religions. While some believe that you might enter Heaven in the afterlife, and perhaps even exist alongside God, there is always an unshakeable hierarchy that God is at the top of. Part of Faith is accepting that.

But, what’s your verdict? Clearly this is a question that could be answered in a number of ways. At its core is the belief (or doubt) that if God created everything, then doesn’t something need to have existed beforehand to create the creator? And then something before that to create the creator creator? The resulting infinite regress is the ultimate cosmic rabbit hole, and it’s easy to get lost in. However, the counterargument says that, actually, trying to imagine God in this way is pointless. God made the rules that we’re trying to get them to fit in with… but God really exists beyond those rules. If the universe is a melting pot, then God is simply the one that’s stirring it.

It’s a debate that quickly gives rise to various other, fundamental questions, however. Because, in most representations of God, they’re shown to be all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful and always good. So, if the universe were a melting pot, then all that’s inside it should work flawlessly. And yet, just on our tiny world, planet Earth, we see time and time again that that seemingly isn’t the case. Bad things happen over and over again, so what gives? Does God just sometimes get the ingredients wrong? Perhaps, but then they wouldn’t be all-knowing. Does God just sometimes lose control of their creation? Maybe, but then they wouldn’t be all powerful. We take a closer look at this (and more) in the next episode, that follows directly on from this one - titled, “What if God is Evil?”.

So, don’t click off, stick around, and keep pondering the BIG questions. Because, for now, that’s who created God.

What do you think when you think about God? If you were to meet them, what would you say to whatever it was that you were meeting? And, what would happen if God was actually not what you expected them to be?

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; what if God is evil?

There are eight billion people on Earth, and the majority of them follow some form of religion, to some extent. Not everyone is super strict about their Faith, and for many it’s only a tiny part of who they are… but, statistically, more people than not at least associate with a belief system. Most religions are polytheistic. They are built around more than one divine being. But some - and some of the most widely followed, like Christianity and Islam - are monotheistic, meaning that over and above all else there is just one God. A monotheistic god is the absolute supreme being, the creator and ruler of everything there is. Omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent; all-knowing, all-powerful and all-seeing. Some would also list a fourth descriptor here, though; omnibenevolent, meaning that God is always good. But maybe that’s a bit of a problem.

Dystheism is the philosophical opposite to the belief in a good God. Dystheists argue that, actually, God isn’t good… and some would even go so far as to say that God is evil. There are levels at play, though, and at the lower ends there are countless examples - in polytheistic traditions, especially. Such as in the pantheon of Old Norse, where there are many trickster gods - with the most famous being Loki, who’s a shapeshifter that can never truly be trusted. Meanwhile, and though there is no “one God” in Old Norse, there is Odin - a creator god and an extremely influential figure. Odin is famously difficult to pin down however, and is often described as being neither good nor evil; he bridges between the two, but is certainly capable of merciless and arguably evil acts.

With a monotheistic God, the view that God is evil strikes much more directly at the heart of that belief system. For those who subscribe to it, it’s blatant blasphemy. But that didn’t bother the nineteenth century Russian anarchist, Mikhail Bakunin. In Bakunin’s unfinished work, “God and the State”, published posthumously in 1882, he sets out his stall against essentially all types of hierarchy - starting with God. Channeling the eighteenth century French philosopher, Voltaire - who said; “If God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent Him” - Bakunin writes, “if God really did exist, it would be necessary to abolish him”. Bakunin saw what many label as “God’s Will” as really being absolute oppression. Again in “God and the State”, he describes the concept of God as being “the most decisive negation of human liberty, and [one that] necessarily ends in the enslavement of mankind, in theory and practice”. He saw religion as indoctrination and God as authoritarian, and relentlessly campaigned against both. As well as a dystheist, we might reasonably describe Bakunin as a misotheist - as one who harbors a hatred for God.

More broadly, those who simply question God often do so through a couple of influential philosophical quandaries; the Problems of Evil and Hell. The Problem of Evil is the more all-encompassing of the two, and asks; how can it be that God exists given that there is also evil and suffering? What’s usually referred to as the logical Problem of Evil dates back to ancient Greece and to the philosopher, Epicurus. Epicurus argued that if evil can exist, then God cannot… because if evil does exist then God either isn’t all-powerful or isn’t always good. I.e., both traits should combine together to mean that evil cannot happen, so if evil does happen then God isn’t there. Alongside that, the evidential Problem of Evil essentially asks “why do bad things happen?”. Why do innocent children develop horrible diseases or encounter terrible violence? Why do animals suffer both at the hands of humans and in the wild? Why do thousands of people die in natural disasters every year - in events that are otherwise known as “acts of God”? Does the real world existence of all of that actually imply that yes, God is evil? There have been defenses put forward, including one of the most often cited that evil is a consequence of free will… and that free will is a gift from God. But, so far, there’s no single, agreed upon resolution.

The Problem of Hell is something of an offshoot from the Problem of Evil, and is much more specific. It asks; how can Hell exist if God is all the things that God’s supposed to be? The monotheistic God is just, forgiving and, again, omnibenevolent… and yet, is also responsible for human souls tormented forever in the fires of damnation. The dystheist argument might be that, no matter your view on the concept of Hell, and on who and what deserves to be there, the fact that God keeps it open and running is wholly at odds with the general notion of God’s supreme goodness. There are some related arguments, too, that if God did create everything, and if everything does include evil and wickedness, then why would God then punish forever the souls and circumstances that God created? Again there are some defenses put forward, and again many refer back to free will, suggesting that Hell is ultimately a choice rather than an inescapable punishment. There have also been some reinterpretations of Hell, where it isn’t eternal and the damned can be retrieved by the grace of God. Although, dystheism might say that that in itself implies a God that’s manipulative, brutal, tyrannical, et cetera.

The “Evil God Challenge” is another, related thought experiment, developed by the British philosopher, Stephen Law. The challenge itself is to show that an omnipotent God really is more likely to be always good. For many, the quick and stark realization is that it could be just as easy for God to be all the things they’re supposed to be - all powerful, all-knowing and all-seeing - but also be always bad, instead. This anti-god would be better described as omnimalevolent, with the implication being that everything under its gaze is put there and controlled solely for the purposes of evil, rather than good. The anti-god can be challenged in much the same way as the standard God can be, though. If God truly were evil through and through, then why do good things happen? Why is there love and laughter, color and vibrance? On the one hand, is it the riches of life that make the low points so unbearable? And so, by providing them, would the anti-god simply be giving us more to lose? But, on the other, if evil were the sole aim… then why give any respite? Why allow for any happy moments at all? And, similarly, why is there a Heaven in the afterlife? Many of the same rebuttals to a good God can seemingly be made to an evil one - just at the opposite end of the scale.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that for literally billions of people around the world it’s important to have Faith in God. Despite all the challenges of life, and all the very clear evils that we see and know, human culture says that God is good. For some, that in itself is the final straw; that God has been so successful in dodging blame or criticism for everything that’s wrong. Again, an “act of God” is a natural disaster not caused by humankind… but for dystheists, misotheists, and for those who argue against God, there are other, similar everyday phrases that have become baked in but aren’t questioned. “God’s Will” is a reason for anything that doesn’t make sense; sometimes innocently enough, but often to explain away something bad. In some religions followers are described as “God fearing”; they’re scared of retribution if they don’t toe the line. There’s “original sin” after eating from the tree of knowledge; but is that a part of religious storytelling that specifically warns away from seeking the truth? A “miracle” is something to be thankful for, of course; but it’s also, at its core, simply something that is unexpectedly good - the implication being that humans have come to expect the worst, in this world that God has created. “God forbid” goes against freedom; If you think you’re “God’s gift” you're misguided; when we’re told that “God works in mysterious ways”, it’s a kind of catch-all excuse. For the likes of Mikhail Bakunin these are more than just throwaway catchphrases, they’re all reasons to be concerned. 

So, what if God is evil? It’s clearly a controversial question… but it’s also something that has been asked time and time again. For those who have Faith, even to contemplate such a thought might be reason enough to wind up in Hell, or to invoke God’s wrath. But every human being has a different point of view. In the context of this video, that’s the way God made us. So what’s yours? What do you think about the philosophical questions and thought experiments we’ve covered? About Bakunin’s call to abolish God, and about the anti-god in the Evil God Challenge? Again, there are eight billion people on Earth, and the majority associate with a religion… but there are still some who choose to buck that global trend.