¶ … Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology" by Berard Marthaler. Specifically it will discuss three questions regarding the book and its message. Marthaler discusses the Creed of Christianity as well as many other issues in this enlightening book.
God is "Father" for many reasons. He is the creator of Earth and man, but he is also the Father of Jesus Christ, our Lord on Earth. In addition, according to the author and the scriptures, all things good (and bad) on Earth happen because of God's will. Thus, this makes him the Father to everyone, all people on Earth. He created humans in his image, and so he is the true Father of humankind. He also sent his only son to lead the people and show them the way, another reason he is the Father. He leads, he creates, and sent his only child, and his home is ultimately where all Christians hope to return. Thus, he is the spiritual leader of Christianity, but the Father to all on Earth, as well, both spiritually and figuratively. Jesus even refers to his as "our Father" (Marthaler 81), implying that he is the Father of all humankind. This is a common theme in many religions, as well.
God Talk" can be harmful because it can limit thinking and responsibility for our actions. In addition, if it is used specifically as the "God" of one faith and not another, it may limit open mindedness and awareness of other cultures and doctrines. God talk, as a way of always looking at everything the way God would, or we think he would, sometimes limits creativity and awareness, and may even place additional constraints on belief and faith.
Giving God responsibility for everything in life, and relating every to Him and His wishes reduces our own responsibilities in life. We have a responsibility to our beliefs and our faith in God, but we also have responsibilities to family, work, and other issues of day-to-day life. If we rationalize all our (and everyone else's) reactions to God or God's will, we tend to take our own reactions and responsibilities with less accountability, and so, we actually make ourselves and our families weaker, rather than stronger. We have choices in life, and one of them is to take our faith seriously, but not give God so much responsibility for everything that happens in life that we stop taking responsibility for our own choices and decisions. God Talk can literally be too literal and too serious, and it can take the place of serious, but retrospective dialogue and action instead.
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