by Peter S. Ng

Created on: July 01, 2008

To say that you know a particular person i.e. what/who he is, I think, also implies that you know what he or she has done. That's not to say you need to know every little detail about that person. Conversely, you may have only heard of a person by reputation and what he or she has done but not know how he or she is as a person. That would be a logical assumption, although we do often hear people say "your reputation precedes you". My personal belief is that unless you know someone on a personal level, I think it is hard to draw a valid conclusion on what sort a person he or she is. I am sure many people have ran into circumstances where they drew conclusions on a person, whether by reputation or from what they have heard and then come to find out that he or she is nothing like their reputation. So it is easier for us to know God from what He has done than know what He is, unless we have some sort of a relationship with Him. If in fact God is only known for what He has done, then I think that Christianity would have disappeared a very long time ago. It would only have been merely a piece of history.

Most of you might have heard or read the recent report by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life a whopping 92% of Americans believe there is a God. However, one of the statistics from the same survey said that only 6 in 10 Catholics described God as "a person with whom people can have a relationship". The 60% response is also reflective of all the participants in the survey regardless of their religious affiliation. The Protestants as a group (72%) brought the average up a little with the sub group of evangelicals (79%) leading the charge. For all of the detail results, you can go to the following link: http://religions.pewforum.org/reports. Based on the results of this survey, I was tempted to say that, generally speaking, most Americans would say they only know God for what He has done more than for what He is. But then again, with the way many religious traditions and celebrations having been introduced into the secular world, I am sure that even the atheists would have heard one or two the stories about God and what He has done.

Let me include at this point a pre-emptive statement that I am writing from a Christian believer's point of view as I am not totally familiar with the teachings of other religions. I guess if I have to pick sides, I would say God is known to me for what He is more than what He has done. Yes, I am familiar with most of the stories in the bible about all the great things He has done. But what matters more to me is what He is to me and the role He plays in my personal life. I dare say no one alive today can say that they can bear witness to any of the occurrences recorded in the bible, so for all intended purpose, Christians today can only go by their faith in choosing to believe in all the things that God has done in the bible. However, Christians need not stop short of going by what was recorded in the bible because God can do much more in our personal lives, if we let Him. I am sure as Christians we can all share stories that were related to us on a first hand basis from Christian friends on what God has meant in their lives.

In conclusion, I think the survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life serves as a wake up call to every Christian denomination that they need to minister more to their flock. We need to build up every believer's understanding that they all can have a personal relationship with God. Believing in God is not about just knowing what He has done but really about what He is. Yes, many people may only know God by what He has done but as Christians, we need to go one step further and know what/who He is.

Learn more about this author, Peter S. Ng.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.