Wait a minute, God !

 Wait a minute, God !

Societas Criticus, revue de critique sociale et politique, Vol. 28-01, Éditos : www.societascriticus.com

A translation assisted by Google translation and Antidote of our French text Minute, Dieu !

Text and photo by Michel Handfield, M.Sc. Sociology (2026-04-02)

Given what is happening in the world today, I maintain that religions are a tool of control and manipulation. Let's stop thinking of religions as peaceful. They are also sources of conflict, war, and genocide. Like with cigarettes, we should say, "Beware, the danger increases with use."

Before waging wars in the name of God, we should stop and understand that he wrote nothing. Even Jesus, said to be the son of God, did not. Disciples wrote his story, or at least part of it:

« But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. » John 20:31 (1)

However, I always wonder, why didn't they write? So, is it really his story, or is it rather a story based on certain facts, but a fictionalized story nonetheless?

There are many stories about God, beginning with the one God shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims of various denominations. However, these different religious currents and their numerous branches do not always agree. One can think of the conflicts between Catholics, Protestants, traditionalists, reformists, and Christian Zionists, to name just a few. It goes without saying that such conflicts exist in all religions.

We will, therefore, not embark on the other religions, beliefs and spirituality that exist or have already existed in the history of humanity, starting with Zeus and his numerous descendants (2), because we would not get out of it.

Personally, I would send religious studies to the literature department, because for me, it is indeed literature. In any case, if God had created us in his image, he would have programmed us accordingly. There would be no wars between these peoples who believe in and pray to the same God, because that defies all logic!

I repeat: God wrote nothing. It is always disciples, prophets, sages, witnesses, or people who have visions who tell us about him. It reminds me of those people on the subway or in our city centres, struggling with mental health or substance abuse, who hear God speaking to them. This gives them reasonable grounds for doubt and legitimate reasons not to go to war in the name of God.

But, while this doesn't mean that God doesn't exist, it might prove Spinoza right, who believed that God is nature, but not the man we imagine:

« Deus sive Natura or Deus seu Natura (in Latin: “God or Nature”, or, less literally, “God, that is to say Nature”) is a Latin expression taken up by Baruch Spinoza. » (3)

Einstein, for his part, said that he believed in "Spinoza's God" and "On the occasion of certain interviews [...] he thought that there is a 'legislator' who defines the laws of the universe." (4) In fact, God is perhaps simply the Universe!

As I wrote in 2014, the question of God…

« It’s a mystery that will remain so for a long time, perhaps until the end of time. And, to those who say that nothing can create itself, who created God then? God may be a grandiose self-created entity, I grant you that, but if God was only the match that lit the Big Bang, there are a lot of people who are going to be surprised when we present him to them! It’s a matter of faith. » (5)

While I am a believer, I am also aware that belief is personal and not a truth. Therefore, there is no justification for waging wars in its name. However, I am certain of Christ's humanism and pacifism :

« A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. » John 13:34 (6)

If we could only apply that: humanism and pacifism. We would all be better off. All of us!

Notes

1. https://biblehub.com/john/20-31.htm

2. Bien avant Jésus-Christ, fils unique de Dieu avec Marie selon la Bible, si l’on remonte aux Grecs, Zeus, «  marié à sa sœur Héra, qui est la reine des dieux, » et « père de plusieurs dieux et déesses », a eu beaucoup de « liaisons avec des immortelles et des mortelles ». (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus)

En traduction :

Long before Jesus Christ, the only son of God with Mary according to the Bible, if we go back to the Greeks, Zeus, "married to his sister Hera, who is the queen of the gods," and "father of several gods and goddesses," had many "relations with immortals and mortals."

3. Le texte original en français:

« Deus sive Natura ou Deus seu Natura (en latin : « Dieu ou la Nature », ou encore, d'une façon moins littérale, « Dieu, c'est-à-dire la Nature ») est une expression latine reprise par Baruch Spinoza. » (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_sive_Natura)

4. See the beginning of the text on "Albert Einstein's religious and philosophical viewpoint" on Wikipedia:

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_de_vue_religieux_et_philosophique_d%27Albert_Einstein

5. Michel Handfield (2014-10-22), Les députés, faut mettre vos culottes!, Societas Criticus, revue de critique sociale et politique, Vol. 16 no 10, Éditos.

I took the photo with my Motorola XT1032 using a match, cotton wool and a soapbox on the same day I finalized the text.

6. https://biblehub.com/john/13-34.htm