The “God-shaped” vacuum
February, 2020
I recall, from days of my youth, ministers who spoke of the “God-shaped vacuum (or empty place) in the hearts of people” that allegedly could only be filled by “accepting the Lord” or becoming a believer.
It seems to me these preachers preyed on innate fear. My take on all this is that fear goes back a very long ways.
Earliest man had reason to fear. Despite a hand that could grip tools and
weapons and a brain that was superior in most ways to all other animals,
man was certainly not the strongest or fastest of the mammals in the landscape
in which he lived. So, he lived in fear.
Furthermore, even with this superior brain, he was unable to understand the
vagaries of nature such as thunder, lightning, volcanos, landslides, floods, and
earthquakes. As the eons passed, he planted and harvested crops and he was left
wondering about rainfall and droughts, why some years the crops flourished and
why some years they failed. He still lived in fear.
From the beginning he had no answers and could
easily believe that supernatural forces were the
only answer. Shaman types arose. A priestly
class was not uncommon. These were the men
or women of the tribe who (purportedly) could
explain what the gods wanted. Most often the
prescription called for a sacrifice of some sort.
Virtually every primitive tribe on earth fits the
pattern.
He lived in fear about death itself. Wanting to
live eternally was no doubt a wish for virtually
all of mankind. The priests and shamans could
easily co-opt this desire with stories of spirits
and contacts with those who had died. He lived
in fear.
Oral tradition, the only means of telling a tribe’s history, easily embellished the stories. Gods became huge in the lives of people. Fear still dominated.
As a means of writing developed, the traditions and tribal stories were told in that format. Whether written on stone, papyrus, scrolls or other medium, the written word became even more than a history lesson, it often became a record of what the Gods or a God had to say to people.
Is it not possible that there is no “God shaped empty place” in the mind (heart) of an individual? Why is it not equally possible...in fact, more likely, that living in fear is almost universal? Any search for something to fill that “vacuum” is basically a search to relieve the sense of fear.
Is it not possible that the brain of men, through millions of years of evolution, still carries (sometimes for good reason) a sense of fear? Likewise, is it not possible that the “striving to achieve” motivation in the lives of most is a product of societal pressure or maybe even a natural desire to accomplish one’s best.
Despite our claim to “enlightened” thinking about superstitions, ghosts, and a mysterious spiritual realm, we are not far removed, if at all, from a great deal of this fear.
Most people still believe that when they die, they will see departed relatives and live in some form of paradise. Many still believe there may be a way to communicate with the dead.
The Christian faith accepts the death of Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice. The Lent and Easter season of the Church dwells extensively on this sacrifice. It culminates in a redemption miracle where a man defeats death and rises again in bodily form. Cool story! True?
I think it fortunate that many of man’s fears can be sent packing. Most of us live in a world, or a part of the world, where we need not fear wild animals or starving for lack of food. We now know the reasons for storms, lightning, thunder, floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes. At least they can be explained as natural occurrences in nature and science provides a start for understanding all such happenings.
We’re less likely to blame droughts or storms on the evil acts of people (though such blaming still occurs). We look to science for help with vaccines for illnesses and for explanations of natural disasters.
Despite so many of our fears being “sent packing,” much of this remains with (I would say) most people. Superstitions prevail. They are unlikely to be in the form of werewolves, witches, or ghosts. They’re unlikely to create concern on Friday, the thirteenth or cause someone to go a different direction if a black cat crosses their path. But “talking” to unseen persons (prayer), pledging faith (reciting a creed) that must be accepted without evidence of any sort...these are, indeed, acts of one dealing in superstition. Or, so it seems to me!
I don’t doubt the sincerity of those who do believe. But I also don’t doubt that there was a whole society of people who sincerely believed that Zeus was the top god on the lists of Gods in the early days of the Greeks and Romans. Does anyone believe that today? Perhaps someday mankind will grow up!
