"What is God's Name?" by Colleen Winston, OSB

This apparently simple question has an almost infinite number of layers. When I asked one computer search engine this question, its answer was more than 18,000. A better answer? Incalculable. Why? Here are some thoughts and implications.

Since God is infinitely beyond what we humans can imagine, every human, every culture, pictures God differently. Multiply that by the millions of years and uncountable number of tribes and people, and we get a glimpse of why humans, through the ages, have used so many varied names and images for God.

Probably every culture from the beginning of time has recognized that there is some kind of force beyond its control. Sun and moon, birth and sickness, and countless other phenomena were profound mysteries to our ancient ancestors. To try to overcome the power of this uncontrollable force, people began to intercede with the force to improve their circumstances.

What does all of this mean for us today? For one thing, when it comes to faith and religion, it can help understand why so many people think, talk, and pray differently from each other. There have been and still are countless arguments, even wars stemming from these differences in understanding and imaginings. In our current time we have multiple kinds of Christian churches, common misunderstandings, even hatred, between some Christians, Muslims, Jews, and more. Even in the Catholic Church there is a gulf between practice in the East and the West. All this while we all worship the same God.

Are there any major challenges stemming from these differing symbols and views about God? Dr. Margaret Ralph, a long-time teacher specializing in scripture education, gives one example in her book Plain Words about Biblical Images¹: sometimes people begin to take the symbol for the reality. God is not a king or a shepherd, a dwelling place or a rock, each an image used in scripture to try to describe one tiny aspect of who God is. In prayer one often hears about the eyes or hands of God. It seems we humans often feel a need to put flesh and bone on God so we can relate. (To help us with this, we have Jesus, who is BOTH God AND human.)

If one person thinks of God as a strict, judging parent and someone else thinks more of a gentle parent or friend, there is fertile soil for either fruitful conversation or painful argument. When Moses asked God’s name, the answer was simply and profoundly: “I AM.”² God is existence, and everything that exists bears the touch of the Divine. No wonder there is no single image for God. So now what? Maybe one place to start is John’s phrase “God is Love.” All creation exists because of God’s love, so if we adopt this as our name for God, it opens the door for us to find God everywhere in our everyday lives.