When will I ever learn to stop expecting people to think like me. It had never occurred to me that different people have distinctly different images of God. Sure, I remember when little Michael Evans hung up the painting of black Jesus back in the 70s on the show Good Times and created quite a stir. Then I read a story in USA Today a couple of weeks ago, with the items below repeated in Time magazine's 10/30/06 issue, that I found very interesting.
Remember, I'm an agnostic, but I still find it fascinating to hear what other people think and so firmly believe in. My images of God are rooted in the artistic expression of Old World masters.
Authoritarian God
God is deeply involved in daily life and world events. God is angry at sin and can punish the unfaithful or ungodly.
• 31% of all believers share this view
• 53% of African Americans share this view
• 56% of people that think God is a 'he' share this view
• 23% of these believers think that abortion is always wrong
• 91% of these believers think prayer should be in school
Benevolent God
God is deeply involved in daily life and world events but is mainly a positive force reluctant to punish.
• 23% of all believers share this view
• Only 13% of people younger than 30 share this view
• 17% of these believers think that abortion is always wrong
• 81% of these believers think government should be a better steward of the environment
Critical God
God does not really interact with the world but is unhappy with its current state and will exact divine justice.
• 16% of all believers share this view
• More people in the Eastern U.S. believe this than in the West
• 5% of these believers think that abortion is always wrong
• 89% of these believers think government should be a better steward of the environment
Distant God
God does not interact with the world and is not angry. God is more of a cosmic force that set the laws of nature in motion.
• 24% of all believers share this view
• 37% of those with household incomes over $100K/year share this view
• 42% of Jews share this view
• Only 1.5% believe that abortion is always wrong
Quite enlightening and it really illustrates why Republicans and Democrats both can have a firm commitment to God and religion...it's just that their Gods and religions can be very, very different.
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