A Declaration on God and Freedom

When God, who created the universe, looks down at the Earth, what does He see? The God who exists outside of time and space is aware of everything and everyone. The God who embodies the concepts of infinity is so tiny that He can sit on the petal of a flower and admire a butterfly, and yet so large that He lived through every moment of the tragedies of history.

Every person, lonely and broken or filled with joy, is wrapped in the arms of the Creator of love. None can escape the attention of the omnipresent God who looks in the eyes of each human and sees the sacred light that is part of God. Nothing can separate a person’s soul from the indwelling God, even when an individual has drifted into the harsh world of denial.

Humans and the created world were designed by a God who is unimaginably large. As curious as humans are, all attempts at defining God have fallen short. The universe was not created by quarreling gods, or an unfeeling force, or a god who hates unbelievers. The hatred and violence that have plagued humankind were not caused by God but are the tragic side effects of the great gift of free will.

Love, if it is to be love, cannot be forced. Thus, all humans are given a choice. Will they use their moral strength to multiply the divine and unselfish love that gives birth to freedom, or will they yield to darker forces and desires and contribute to the death of love that destroys freedom?

The unbreakable connection of all individuals to God and their indestructible free will grant every person the rich and glorious blessing to be “strengthened with power through his Spirit.”

Their task is immense, partly because every human is born as an immature child in a broken and suffering world and partly because the influence and pervasiveness of evil often seem insurmountable. But humans must never forget that “the gifts and call of God are irrevocable.”

When a man or a woman makes a decision to love, to live compassionately, and to express kindness to others, a spiritual breath of air flows across the world. Whether that person knows it or not, its source is the breath of love from God that allows all life to exist.

The most essential component of human beings is that all were given the freedom to love. No one can force them to love—not even God. But no one can stop them from loving others, which allows every human being to eventually and fully embody the Divine. To do so requires the spirit of bravery to permeate their soul, bravery that is born from the spark of the love of God.

The God-given human freedom to love is the numinous jewel that informs and creates all other freedoms. Freedom rooted in love gives humans the vision to create a beautiful and peaceful world where every individual is recognized and greeted as a cherished expression of the omnipresent God.

If a person affirms that the universe did not spring from a void of nothingness, but instead was designed by a loving God who gave humans freedom, hope quickens in their heart, for a God big enough to create an infinite universe must indeed be working to alleviate the suffering of the world. If a person examines the interconnectedness of love and freedom, it becomes clear that the happiness of all human beings is rooted in the establishment of a world of consecrated liberties.

When humans are enslaved or dominated by others, darkness spreads from heart to heart. Yet nothing—nothing at all—can extinguish the light of God that dwells in every human. It is the permanence of the presence of God that offers humanity real and substantial hope in a world that would otherwise descend into tyranny and hell.

As God looks down at the Earth, what does He see? He sees billions of souls—sparks of light that all have the inevitable destiny to grow into mature beings of love. He sees the beauty of what can be—a world of priceless human beings living in freedom.