According to a recent article from USA Today, you can tell a lot about a person by finding out what their basic view of God is.[*] Researchers from Baylor University surveyed more than 1700 Americans, asking questions about what they imagine God is like. They reported that the respondents had four basic views of God:
[*] Cathy Lynn Grossman, "View of God can predict values, politics," USA Today, September 12, 2006 (www.usatoday.com).
- The Authoritarian God is heavily involved in every aspect of people's lives. This God is angered at human failings and will punish those who do wrong, both in this life and the next.
- The Benevolent God is also interested in human events, and "still sets absolute standards" of right and wrong. But, unlike the Authoritarian God, the Benevolent God is "primarily a forgiving God, more like the father who embraces his repentant prodigal son in the Bible."
- The Critical God looks on with a critical eye, but does little to intervene. Proponents of this view are "less inclined to go to church or...see God as active in the world."
- The Distant God is not so much a being as a "cosmic force" that is the agent of creation. Now, though, this God is virtually uninvolved in the affairs of the world.
[*] Cathy Lynn Grossman, "View of God can predict values, politics," USA Today, September 12, 2006 (www.usatoday.com).