Chaplain’s Corner, Spiritual Growth, October 2024 Why People Believe in God

As legionnaires we profess that what we do is for “God and Country.” This statement is found in the preamble to the American Legion Constitution The American Legion professes "For God and Country" because our founders believed that serving one's country was intrinsically linked to serving a higher power, essentially viewing patriotism and faith as inseparable concepts, and incorporating this belief into the organization's core values and mission to uphold American ideals and freedoms rooted in spiritual principles; for legionnaires, service to the nation is a form of service to God (For God and Country – The American Legion, 2018). These are the thoughts of the American Legion and why we collectively profess out allegiance to God and country. 

This statement also means that as members of the American Legion who as a whole believe that there is a power higher than us and we collectively refer to that higher power as God. We also believe that there is more than one way to recognize and therefore we profess an ecumenical belief in God and our Chaplains practice an ecumenical approach to spiritual growth. However, as legionnaires, we recognize that some of our members do not believe in God or question the existence of God. Yet they do live moral and often spiritual lives. Chaplains work to meet the needs of all of our members and provide appropriate services. 

With all of this in mind, the question is often asked, why do so many people believe in God? There is no simple answer and even the answers provided here are mor complex than they seem. But this information is provided to help us all recognize what is at the core of our beliefs and why we believe in God and put “Service before Self.” 

People may believe in God for a variety of reasons, including: 

• Emotional comfort: People may find emotional comfort in their belief in God. Many people find having faith in God and having others in their life with similar beliefs makes the challenges they face in life easier.
• Desire for meaning: People may believe in God to find meaning and purpose in their lives. It is believed that people who experience meaning and purpose in life live happier and longer lives.
• Faith: People may believe in God out of faith. Faith often refers to trust or confidence in a person, thing, or concept. It can also refer to a belief in a religion or in God. For many people having faith in a higher power brings peace to their lives.
• Social isolation: People who are socially isolated may find religious faith to help them feel less alone. Religious communities similarly to the American Legion provides a family of like-minded people that share similar beliefs and engage in positive social interactions.
• Facing death: People who are facing death may be more likely to express faith in God and an afterlife. Many people find peace as they transition from living to death knowing that the God of their faith will welcome them home.
• The Bible: Some people believe in God based on the Bible, including its claims for itself and its miracles. Not only to people find their faith in the bible but also in many other texts to include the Quaran, the Tanakh, the Analects of Confucius, the Rig Veda, and many other religious and non-religious texts.
• The design of the world: This belief points to evidence that the world works well and was designed, and therefore must have been designed by someone or something. For many, this view provides a foundation for a belief in God.
• The absence of a basis for morality: Some people believe that without God, there would be no basis for morality. However, many others believe that morality exists in the absence of God and recognize that people can make moral decisions and live moral lives.
• Evolution: Some believe that the human brain's evolutionary features, such as Theory of Mind and over-imitation, may have caused the emergence of religions.
• Universalism: Some believe in universalism, the idea that all humans will eventually be embraced by God and experience eternal life.

 What we see in each of these reasons people have to believe or not believe in the existence of God is that God is the foundation of so much of so many of our lives and provides the foundation of the concept of “For God and Country.” It is up to each of us to explore what we believe and how we came to our beliefs. It is from there that we continue to grow in our spiritual lives. It is when we have a clear understanding of our beliefs that we are guided in our “Service before Self.” 

It is an honor to be of service to the American Legion, Sam Houston Post 95, District 7 and to you. If I can assist in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me at 832-381-7788 or at Redwine202010@outlook.com Together in service and unity we serve those who need assistance. “For God and Country” Richard Henriksen Jr., Ph.D. District 7 Chaplain Sam Houston Post 95 Chaplain