Three Scenarios for the Future of God

Assume for a moment that the most sensible conception of God is that God is not external to the world, but, instead, God is carried in our consciousness as the highest, most important – we can say “sacred” -- aspects of our existence. What could we say about the future of God? One implication would be that God is not eternal since human consciousness is not eternal. Some day our species will be extinct, although some future, more intelligent species may keep the concept of God alive. But, on the assumption that homo sapiens has at least a few millennia left, what is going to happen to God? Consider three scenarios.

One scenario is that God drifts out of our consciousness. That is periodically the prediction of social scientists, based on survey data that show the percentage of people who say they believe in God has steadily declined in economically developed countries. In this first scenario, this trend would continue and extend to other parts of the world. In a century or two, let’s say, the idea of God would become increasingly irrelevant, until it would become nothing more than an interesting subject of historical study. Friedrich Nietzsche’s proclamation that “God is dead” would be justified, just a few centuries late. In my view, this would be a tragic loss for humanity because we would lose the central unifying idea that gives us a historical link with our ancestors and a way to bridge the divide among people who do not share the same religious creeds and doctrines.

A second scenario is that the conceptions of God held by different cultures diverge even more dramatically than they do today. In the west, for example, the conception of God might become more spiritual and less anthropomorphic. God would be open to all, and there would be no favored or disfavored groups. In other cultures, the conception God might continue to be much like in the Old Testament. God would be on the side of some groups and condemn others. Those who profess to follow God’s wishes might even claim that God commands them to engage in violence in order to follow the “true path to righteousness.” As a result of these radically different visions of God, religious differences become even more stark and cultures with radically different conceptions of God find it increasingly difficult to understand each other.

A third scenario is a hopeful one. Mankind comes to develop a shared conception of God. In this conception, God does not take sides or favor one group over another. There is no anthropomorphic God who commands us to adopt one creed and reject others. Instead, we see God as the central unifying idea that the most important -- the most sacred -- aspect of our existence is to have compassion for each other. That shared conception would not solve all of our problems or answer all our questions, but it would give us a common framework for finding answers. We cannot be certain that this vision can ever become a reality, but there is value in the vision and in working toward it.


Correia takes a profound look at the doubt and uncertainty millions face when presented with the traditional conception of God. The Uncertain Believer: Reconciling God and Science (SterlingHouse Publisher, Inc., 2009) addresses the skepticism and indecision that plagues those who no longer find it easy to accept the existence of a supernatural creator. Confronted with the often unappealing alternatives of agnosticism, atheism, and blind faith, The Uncertain Believer offers readers a fresh look at the meaningful role God can play in our lives.