The Inner Sun
It is thought that parts of pre-Christian Europe believed that the sun was God. Ancient Egypt and India are both thought to have held similar beliefs. In fact, this academic mistake of attributing divinity to a star is a misinterpretation based on sculpted images and written text.
Several millennia ago, there was a model of God believed by people around the world that some human beings were connected to an inner Sun. These people were endowed with the possibility of a relationship with God which once accomplished led to an expanded awareness that made them worthy of veneration or leadership. Their images appear in early Bibles with halos around their heads as well as on cement sculptures in Europe and in Asian and ancient Egyptian art, indicating their achievement of conscious union with the inner Sun. Given the low level of literacy, it is possible that there were thousands of people who did believe that the sun (as in the star millions of miles from Earth) was God but a misconception should not dictate our present understanding of the inner Sun.
All people are rays on a single inner Sun irrespective of their religious identification or moral record. The inner sun is a form of monotheism that is not specific to a single religion. What comes to each of us from the inner Sun was the topic of many ancient teachings. Hinduism posits three forces that radiate from the center and permeate the universe. In some sects, these forces have names and personifications. Others say that universal love comes from the inner Sun and embraces all equally. I believe we are all endowed with a direct connection to one God, from which love and forgiveness will meet those who turn inward in sincere desire for relationship with God.
If we are all capable of an expanded awareness, why does what the awakened say (as opposed to mean) sound different? Because culture, religion, and language shape the experience of conscious union with the inner Sun and act as a filter on to truth. Without a human filter, the truth is the same for all people even if the description of it differs. Because of a mind, one’s experience of God is not the same.
Some regard God as a personal request for a Creator, Guide, or Protector which yields an affirmative idiosyncratic answer. “God” appears differently for each person. Because our idiosyncratic belief about God is one of our most cherished beliefs, we do not attribute “God” to those dissimilar to ourselves. Our brains draw lines around our communities based on who we believe ourselves to be and we exclude those we believe to be different. Those judged to be similar are treated one way and those outside those borders are subjected to cruelty and disregard.
That still leaves lots of questions: what is it that distinguishes the words of our holy texts and those figures of faith who are the authority for their religious community? Why do most people recognize God in some but not in others? Because the brain makes it so. The brain makes mistakes in how it constructs our subjective world, one of which is that God is only in oneself or in some. We attribute God to what we find to be holy and sacred but both of these attributions are influenced by what we individually learn and feel. If everyone is a ray on an inner Sun, then every word we utter also takes place within God as are the words and actions of people who we do not believe are holy or right.
Admittedly, religions say very different things about God. Some attribute human characteristics to God, such as judgment, mercy, compassion, and power, while other religions posit that God is personified in an avatar or Messianic figure. Some justify their acts of aggression by referring to scriptural passages that encourage violence on non-believers. These concepts and practices lead to long conflicts without a focus on truth.
Different leaders experiencing the same truth in idiosyncratic ways can lead to serious rifts between communities that can be mended by those committed to interfaith education. We should note that the historical concept of an expanded awareness through conscious union with the inner Sun is similar to Krishna consciousness, Aham Brahmasmi, and other descriptions of expanded consciousness.
God is one, is truly universal, has no allegiance or preference, and embraces all people equally. Believing that there are no 'sides' or 'favored persons' is hard to accept for those who have been taught to think of people in moral group categories but it is no less true or necessary for our world to come to peace.
Because each of us are a ray on an inner Sun, there is only one God among humans even if our religious and cultural beliefs differ. The Hindu is connected to the same inner Sun as the Jew, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim. Those who have achieved an expanded awareness through conscious union with the inner Sun have welcomed God into their lives but we are not known for the guests in our homes as so much as the lessons learned and then imparted.
Claim your direct relationship with God through prayer and meditation in whatever tradition you embrace.