A "Higher Power"

Many Americans have a fuzzy, ill-defined concept of god as a "higher power". It is "higher" in the sense of existing outside and above the scope of the causal agents that we normally see operating in the physical world, and a "power" in that it is able to effect change in our world, typically in ways that mortal agents would be unable to. This vague entity is commonly pictured as an ever-present, intentional agency, though not necessarily anthropomorphic or even conscious (in the sense that we are). It is responsible for the some or all of the workings of fate, destiny, good and bad luck, and the major events of our lives. It may respond to prayers and intervene in major life events.

This belief provides comfort and refuge when life brings the pain of disappointment, misfortune, suffering, loss, unfairness, fear, broken relationships, failure, or death of loved ones. It sustains hope for an afterlife, helps establish a connection to the mystical and mysterious, between like-minded believers, and to the sense of wonder and awe that comes with being human. Those who would say, "I couldn't live in a world without god", "life would be pointless without god", "there would be no right and wrong without god", "what goes around comes around", or "everything happens for a reason" might think of god in these indistinct terms. For them, life would be far too uncomfortable and psychologically painful without this faith. This "appeal to consequences" argument convinces them that, therefore, he or it must exist - if it were untrue then what would be the point of going on? Life would just be too awful otherwise.

There is evidence from the fields of Cognitive Science and Neuroscience that humans have hard-wired "agency detection" centers in the brain that ascribe intention and "agency" to events in the world. The natural human tendency to believe that a higher power somehow directs otherwise random-seeming events may be facilitated by this hard-wiring.

There are "cognitive biases" that may predispose one to come into this belief. "Confirmation bias" is the tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions. This cognitive mistake can cause one to filter negative, disconfirming evidence while over-emphasizing positive, corroborating evidence. For example, one may clearly recall times when prayers were answered, accidents narrowly avoided, or good luck encountered and use these occasions as evidence for god's intervention. However, the opposite (and potentially far more numerous) experiences of unanswered prayers, accidents that were experienced, and bad fortune are explained away by other means.

Another cognitive bias or error in thinking is Apophenia, also called "patternicity" (a term coined by the skeptic, Michael Shermer). Shermer defined it as "the tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningless noise". In his book, The Believing Brain he describes how humans impute agency and meaning into otherwise random events. This trait can cause people to see meaning and intent behind events that are actually happening for impersonal and random reasons.

Belief in "higher power" can satisfy the natural religious sense without the encumbrance of complex and possibly irrelevant formal religious doctrine, the need to attend church, to tithe, or engage in other inconvenient activities. It can be a source of great comfort and peace, which alone may justify adopting the belief if having those feelings outweighs the need for a theology that has strong backing evidence and makes clear logical sense. For those who simply don't want to bother coming up with a well-formed theology, study the scripture of their childhood faith, or learn about attractive competing faiths, this is a convenient and practical (although somewhat lazy) way to delegate all things spiritual to the higher power and call the job done.

Oprah's God

When I happened to catch a sound byte of the Dr Oz show where he was interviewing Oprah Winfrey, I just had to include this astute theologian's thoughts into my collection of god-conceptions. Here is a frequently repeated report of the interview:

In his introduction of Winfrey, Oz told excited audience members: “Oprah has transformed the lives of millions, and now faces a transformation of her own. Today she says that you have the power to transform your life…she says the answers are all inside of you.”

Asked by Oz, during the Dec. 7 airing of “The Dr. Oz Show,” what her “big plan” was and how she remains inspired throughout her career, Winfrey responded:

“For me at this particular time in my life I recognize that everything is about moving closer to that which is God. And without a full, spiritual center — and I’m not talking about religion — I’m talking about without understanding the fullness from which you’ve come, you can’t really fulfill your supreme moment of destiny. And I think everybody has a supreme moment of destiny.”

“I think being connected to that which is greater than yourself, for me, at this particular time in my life, is the most important thing,” she added.

I hope this clears up any confusion you might have previously had about just what god is :)