John Lerrato's Supreme Being Checklist

Before diving into questions about God, we can try this simple checklist:

1. Is God all-powerful?

2. Can God exist and not exist at the same time?

3. If God is all-powerful, could He be the same divine Creator across all religions?

4. Could believers and atheists both be correct in their perspectives?

5. Are we simply like the blind men in Aesop’s fable, each perceiving only part of the “elephant”?

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Reflecting on the Checklist

Now that we have our starting point, let’s think outside the box. The checklist encourages humility in understanding the divine: maybe God’s reality is larger than any single belief system can fully capture. Perhaps the reason debates rage endlessly is because human perspective is limited, just like the blind men each touching a different part of the elephant and insisting they’ve grasped the whole truth.

This brings us to one of the most ironic stories in spiritual history: the Pharisees and Jesus. These were the guardians of God’s law, the most knowledgeable about scripture, the ones keeping the religious system running. And yet, when the very Messiah they had been anticipating walked among them, they didn’t recognize Him.

The irony is powerful: they had studied the law, debated endlessly about its interpretation, and worked to maintain the spiritual structure of Israel—yet they missed the very presence they had been preparing for. They were experts in doctrine, but blind to life itself.

Think about it: maybe our rigid expectations, ideas of how God or truth “should” appear, prevent us from seeing divine reality when it manifests in ways we least expect. Just like the Pharisees, we can be so focused on rules, dogma, or a mental image of the divine that we miss the living, dynamic truth.

This is why the checklist matters: it’s a way to pause, reflect, and consider possibilities beyond conventional thinking. Whether God appears as Jesus, in a form we don’t recognize, or through ways we never imagined, the ultimate lesson may be to stay open, humble, and perceptive.

 Lerrato’s checklist doesn’t give easy answers, nor is it meant to. Instead, it encourages us to think outside the box, to challenge our assumptions, and to consider that the ultimate reality may be far more complex—and far more inclusive—than we imagine. Believer or skeptic, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, or secular thinker, the exercise is the same: question boldly, explore deeply, and recognize that our understanding is always partial.

At the end of the day, perhaps the checklist is less about proving God and more about expanding our minds. By asking the hard questions—about power, existence, and universality—we open ourselves to a richer, more nuanced understanding of the divine mystery. And maybe, just maybe, that is exactly what John Lerrato intended: a reminder that truth, like the elephant, is bigger than any one perspective can grasp.

 

The Pharisees, the Law, and Missing the Messiah

It’s one of history’s great ironies: the very people who devoted their lives to upholding God’s law—the Pharisees—failed to recognize the one they had been, unknowingly, preparing for. Jesus arrived walking among them, preaching, teaching, performing miracles, yet many could not see that He was the fulfillment of everything they had studied, enforced, and argued about for decades.

Imagine spending your whole life meticulously following rules, memorizing texts, judging others, debating points of law, and yet missing the living embodiment of the divine truths you thought you were protecting. That’s like training for a marathon your whole life, only to trip over the finish line.

The irony is staggering. These religious leaders were experts in scripture, guardians of tradition, and yet they were blind to what was happening right in front of their eyes. They argued, they questioned, they challenged Jesus—but in doing so, they failed to recognize the purpose their own dedication was pointing toward.

It raises a bigger question for us today: how often do we miss the obvious because we are too focused on our rules, our expectations, or our “ideal image” of how God or truth should appear? Just as the Pharisees were so consumed with law-keeping that they overlooked grace in action, perhaps we too miss the divine in our midst—because it doesn’t fit the mold we expect.

The lesson here is twofold:

1. Knowledge without perception can be blind. You can know all the rules, history, and principles, but if your heart and mind are rigid, you may fail to recognize the transformative truth when it arrives.

2. Expect the unexpected. The Messiah may not arrive in the form or manner you anticipate. Whether in robes, jeans, or a digital avatar, divine revelation rarely conforms to human expectations.

So, the next time you find yourself judging, debating, or assuming, remember the Pharisees. They had all the answers—and yet missed the Answer Himself.

 💡 By the Way

Most of my recent work now lives at The Skywatcher’s Journal. Come join me there as well. In the meantime, circle back here for updates on this old blog—I’ve come to realize that sometimes, old is gold.

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