This article suggests ways you can avoid thinking about God.
There are many people who work hard to ignore God. I know, because I was one of them for most of my life. I busied myself on other pursuits and avoided any deep thoughts or questions that might interfere with my headlong pursuit of personal happiness.
For me, it got harder over time to avoid thinking about God. Therefore, I’ll use my experiences to give you 8 good ideas for how you can avoid God altogether, if that is what you want to do.
1. Don’t Think About Nature
What does nature say to you? The breathtaking beauty of a sunset, and the calming vastness of the ocean. The church-like solitude of a forest, the intricate delicacy of a rose, and the awesome majesty of a mountain range. When you gaze at the starry heavens on a clear night, do you feel God is behind it all? After all, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1) But, if you don’t want to think about God, don’t think about nature.
2. Don’t Think About the Origin of Life
Deep in your heart, do you think life on earth came about totally by chance? That the incredible complexity and variety of animals and plants originated from an accidental interaction of random chemical elements? With no involvement of an Intelligent Designer? Because, if you do, continuing to deny God’s role in creating life will require you to not think about a great number of things.
3. Don’t Think About Meaning and Purpose
Some people support a postmodern worldview with no God, no larger story for our existence. All that matters is what we believe—what we want. Everything is relative, with no absolute truth in the world. Others believe in a loving God who designed each of us as special. We each have value, and there is profound meaning to our existence. It seems extremely discouraging to believe we have no purpose in life, so it might be more comfortable to not think about those things.
4. Don’t Think About (or Read) the Bible
If you don’t want to think about God, don’t read the Bible. Don’t dwell on the incredible wisdom it contains, or the way it seems to speak to us at times. Ignore the impossibility of such a consistent narrative being written by dozens of human authors over centuries. And don’t pay attention to how much can be verified by science, archeology, and historical validation. Certainly, don’t think about the eyewitness accounts or prophetic accuracy of the biblical writings.
5. Don’t Think About Scientific Evidence for God
Scientists agree the universe was created at one point in time by the Big Bang. Don’t think about that, however, because it begs the question of how that happened, and who initiated it. Don’t dwell on the incredible tuning of the universe that makes earth habitable, or the infinitesimal chance of that being an accident. To keep ignoring God, you may need to think about other things instead.
6. Don’t Think About Jesus or the Resurrection
Miracles and eyewitness accounts could prove hard to ignore if you think about them. And the fact Jesus claimed to be God, which means he was either a liar or insane if that wasn’t true. Don’t dwell on the love and grace Jesus embodied. Certainly, don’t consider the Resurrection, with your sins forgiven and future assured. That would be too much to ignore, so don’t think about it.
7. Don’t Think About Tough Times
I don’t know how people get through tough times without God, but maybe you have that figured out. If you don’t, avoid thinking about it, and maybe no trials will come your way. Certainly, don’t think about dying, especially a meaningless passing into nothingness. Since tough times and dying would be hard to deal with alone, better to forget about them and hope they don’t happen.
8. Don’t Think About Believing
Wouldn’t it be nice to have more peace, joy, and purpose in your life? To know the contentment and security a relationship with a loving God would bring? If you don’t want that, don’t dwell on the fact that believing in God would give you comfort—and answers—in all the areas above. That opportunity to make your life better could become too much to resist.
In the last article on “Thinking About God,” I posed a question to people who are avoiding, or postponing, a relationship with God: how’s that working out for you?
My question for you now is: why not give God a try?
- You don’t have to be good enough to feel God’s love: none of us are, so relax.
- You don’t have to get your act together first: God invites you to come as you are.
- You don’t have to know all the answers: keep an open mind, and start investigating.
It’s your life we are talking about, so give that invitation some thought. If you are scared or uncertain, that’s okay. That’s why they call it faith. But, right now, commit to at least one thing.
Think about it.
Question: Do you have an open mind in your thinking about God?
Action: Read the STEPS Journey Blog article on “Thinking About God.”
Photo by Art4TheGlryOfGod 
Photo by kimadababe
