What's God's Personality type?

Bess writes: Here’s a new spin on the usual do-you—believe-in-God survey. The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion has questioned nearly 1,700 Americans on God’s personality, as part of their religion poll. "A lot of surveys ask do you believe in God. But surveys have not asked: Who is God? Is God angry? Is God judgmental? Is God friendly? Is God forgiving? Is He engaged with the world?" explains Chris Bader, an associate professor of sociology at Baylor. "We actually had people do a personality profile of God in the survey, so we can tell you not only if that person believes in God, which almost any survey can tell you, but what they think about God, what is God like and how does that characterization influence other parts of their lives. The idea was to take every question you usually see on a religion survey and try to push it several levels” Other findings btw, include the fact that 69 per cent of Americans believe in hell, if they go to a small church, but the figure rises to 90 per cent if they are MegaChurch attendees.
For more on the survey, click here

Comments

[chris heather]

Ask a hundred people, get a hundred different ideas !

We will only learn what God is really like by trying to live in obedience to His call to follow His way. The most help and best guide for us comes through the New Testament record writers - the letters of Paul and Peter in particular, and the example we have of responding to God and living His way as exemplified by Christ Himself. However hard we try to pin down our answers through the analysis of surveys, we will only become even more aware of the truth of God's words to Isaiah - "your thoughts are not mine, your ways not mine, says the Lord". Often the questions we ask cannot be answered, but it's good to make people think about Him!

[Barry Cliff]

I'm with Richard Dawkins on this one... " "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it, a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."

[aaron]

chris - no offence, but you're completely delussional.

obviously there is no sky fairy who created the universe.

please get a life. thanks. :)

[alan]

The god-concept lives inside the brain, nowhere else. You either believe in somebody else's idea of god (if you're gullible) or you make up you own god and fit him out with all the attributes you'd like a god to have. In which case you're creating an imaginary god as you'd like him to be.
Why? Well, I suppose the answer is that either you're frightened of death and want an afterlife, you want to appear "religious", you can't face up to the idea that we humans can't understand the mysteries of life and the universe, you were indoctrinated (brainwashed) as a child or - perhaps - you're just gullible enough to fall for the preachings of the various bible-thumpers, most of whom squabble amonsgst themselves, usually about sex.
That's "god".

[Steve Grant]

Is this the god that threatens to hold our unborn children responsible for four generations if we so much as question the statement that there is no other god but him? The deity that makes Abraham prepare to burn his son alive in order to prove his faith? The great and merciful being that turned Lot's wife into salt for the heretical act of looking over her shoulder? The one that supposedly authored a ludicrously inadequate set of commandments that only has any real relevance to a group of iron age, slave-owning people living in the middle east?
Would it be the one that gave us a 365 day mating season and then condemned us all to everlasting guilt because of it? The one that created the typhoid virus? Ebola? Malaria? The great and mightly lord that allows some parts of the world to eat themselves to death whilst children starve in another? The merciful god that created the lukaemia that kills innocent children? The one that allowed three monotheistic religions to rise in his name? That tolerates suicide bombers and allows his laws to be interpreted in such as way as to permit genocide? The god of Belsen and Birkenau? The one that sits on high whilst children have their genitals mutilated in his name? Personality type? Try psychotic megalomianiac. If such an impossible and ludicrously contradictory being existed, it would be our duty to resist him, not worship him.

[alan]

As you so rightly point out, Chris, since god is an imagined concept within a person's head, it's inevitable that you'll get different ideas from different persons. Each believer forms his own god-idea according to his wishes, needs, fears and hopes. Fortunately, though, there are people who get along nicely without recourse to such superstitious ideas.

[Rick Beekman]

I Corinthians 1 v 18 & 19;
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise..And will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Galatians 6 v 7; "Be not deceived; God is not mocked..for whatever a man soweth that shall he also reap."

Revelation 20 v 7 & 8; "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God and he shall be my Son.

But the Fearful And UNBELEIVING and the abomniable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death".

Joke all you like guys..while you still can. There will be no joking and laughing and know-it-alls smirking and jesting.

[Andrew Milner]

Personality is relatively easy: Just about every negative human quality except stupidity. But claim to know the mind and intention God? Even supposing such a being even exists, what preposterous, conceited, pernicious claptrap. All I need to do is sit back while Bible humpers shoot themselves in the foot, again and again. Bet that hurts.

[Edmund Burke]

To ask what is God's "personality type" begs the question, since it ascribes personality - a finite human characteristic - to an infinite being. In other words, you make a graven image of God and then start throwing mud at it. Clever.

[neman]

LOOK! He is so busy,with every-thing around use. most of all he's the rain the wind the land which we walk on.he is my mother my father he is me,my friend. you! he is all of use. remember!The survey said will go around and around when it stops no one will know.

[Andrew Prior]

The sad thing about many of the survey respondents is that they seem ignorant of any evolution of human understanding of the Divine. They have not understood that the early understandings of God as that jealous and bloodthirsty divinity have been superseded by the new understandings of that came through the figure of Jesus. Interestingly many of those who comment negatively here, seem similarly ignorant of the differences.

As a christian, I'm not sure that I want to apply any personality to God - it's like a category mistake. And sadly, I too agree with Dawkins at some points. I reckon many conservative churches are abusing their children with the rubbish with which they indocrinate them; especially the ideas of the angry jealous God. Andrew Prior - http://churchrewired.org

[Al]

Judging by the mess God has allowed Her creations to make of this world, She is obviously lazy and a poor "parent". Or maybe She simply does not exist.......

[londoner234]

there is no god ! the concept exists only in mans head, thoughts of a god are inplanted in childhood. and it depends which sort of god the planter believed in, and was put into his head is the one your stuck with.the whole thing is a trick to get the people to believe their rulers and how ever hard life is there rewards will come after death, the human race is stupid an suseptible to this form of trickery.

[Ernest Werner]

The question is faulty & invites Steve Grant's devastating iconoclasms, above.
Increasingly & manifestly, the Bible is being set aside.
We cannot associate "personality" with God.
It is true that we grow into our own understanding of God by a process of evolving from earlier conceptions & beginnings -- unless we choose to discard God entirely.
The search for God is not a quest in expectation of answers or a "find" but a disposition or stance.
What you may know of God NOW, whatever that may be, is as much as you will ever know.
I cannot think it is nothing.

[Steve Grant]

Rick - I'm not sure if you actually meant to say that as a non-believer, I am therefore no better than an abominable murderer, whoremonger, sorcerer, idolator and liar, so let's just let that go. My point in answering is that we abominable athiests are convinced (based on an ever-growing body of evidence) that the bible was written by man for his own purposes, and that there is no divine inspiration or guiding hand involved. Therefore you are simply wasting your time by quoting from it, since we are certain that it was written by third parties, and not any god. Such postings merely serve to underline my position, and that of a great many others.
I am interested that in the face of well constructed (and in my opinion indefatigable) argument, the religious correspondents turn to firing quotes. On another thread, I've had Kant, Huxley, Washington, Newton and all sorts of others (including Chesterton!) thrown at me as though their statements were proof of something.
It is childish to say 'something is true because A,B,C and D said so'.
We murderous, whoremongering non-believers do not simply quote Hitchens with a flourish as though it ends the debate!

As for the 'know it all' jibe, you clearly do not understand the athiest position, which is that we do not 'know it all' and that we are on a fascinating and enthralling journey of discovery which continually teaches that very fact. It is the religious that claim to know it all, to know what happens after death, to know why and how everything came about, to know how it will all end and even to know the mind of the gods they worship. You are at perfect liberty to call us what you will, but please do your fellow threadsters the courtesy of making the effort to introduce a little accuracy into your postings!

[Rick Beekman]

Steve Grant;
I have no problem talking to Unbeleivers or Atheists.

What I take issue with is this is a religious Blog supposedly discussing issues regarding Faith in God or a Religion or Faith either in Christianity..Muslims..Buddhists etc. How does Atheism fit in here? If I were to go blog on a thread with mostly atheists. or even Devil Worshippers and started Quoting scripture then I would be violating the Fellowship and communion on that thread and have no buisness telling them how to live etc.

By the same token please don't come on here and tell Christians The Bible is not True..There is no God and blah..blah...blah. If you still insist on being here and dissing God and his word then I have the same right to point out what you may not want to hear. In other words..Brother if you don't want to hear the Preacher..Don't go inside the Church..Comprende??

[Rick Beekman]

Steve Grant;
I almost forgot...Where is your solid proof (1) there is no God (2)That God's Word is not true made up by people with no connection to God?

Would you kindly enlighten us with your knowledge and sourse of this knowledge?
This will be interesting at the least.

Oh And Steve Take this with you and ponder what it says;

I Corinthians 1 v 18 & 19; "For the Preaching of the cross is to THEM THAT PERISH foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent". Amen!!

[Nigel Dawkins]

I would like to introduce you to my God.

1. He is Most Wise - He created him and her in His Image (the brain)

2. He is Most Capable - He breathed His Spirit into him & her (the soul/spirit)

0. He has no stomach - man & woman have a stomach

3. He is Most Just - man & woman have 'legs' to walk, either to be just or unjust (heaven or hell)

Because man and woman have a belly and have to eat, they will sell their spirits for provision, and will be unjust to themselves, and they create their 'wisdom' (that of the money-lenders), and they come up with broken stones 'commandments' and lie through their teeth.

The story of Adam and Eve makes great sense - there are millions of 'fruits' which are damaged / have been 'bitten'.

The theory of evolution is very unscientific. Part of the Might (capability) of God is right in front of you on this planet, but the 'wisdom' of man would say, that the world and the living creatures have mutated and evolved for millions of years, and that there is no Divine Wisdom behind it. Can Prozac mutate and exist by itself without the 'wisdom' of the pharmaceuticals?

[Ian Kemmish]

The Abrahamic deity is documented as wishing humans to live completely amoral lives (well, that explains a lot, recently!). A believer in slavery. Someone who rewards a man who pimps his own daughter by making him the only survivor from an entire city. A sadistic racist, practising collective punishment, rewarding for all time the descendants of a psychopath who breaks treaties, rapes and mutilates, and even goes to far as to torture his own brother. This deity, of course, punishes for all time the descendants of that brother, whose only fault is to be honest and faithful.

And that's all just in the first few pages! (Later on we discover that the deity also talks to itself....)

Which is the whole point. If you're trying to create an empire out of warring desert tribes, you devise a deity which demands obedience, utter obedience and nothing but obedience (not even goodness).

[Coel]

Rick Beekman writes: "By the same token please don't come on here and tell Christians The Bible is not True ..."

This blog was set up for non-believers as well as believers to discuss the role of faith in society.

[Paulus de Bierkabouter]

It would make some sort of sense to ask this question of a Jew or a Muslim. They have one god each, and their gods have one personality each.

Christians, on the other hand, have three gods, two of whom have completely different personalities. One of his personalities is spiteful, angry and jealous, the other is compassionate, tender and merciful. This second personality was, for some reason, kept secret until 2000 years ago. The so-called 'Holy Spirit' appears to have no personality at all, and only exists to make up the numbers.

I sympathise with Christians, having to believe this arrant twaddle.

[alan]

Libby - I'd just like to clear up one controversial point. Please give me a straigt answer.
Since I'm a godless, non-believing, atheistic heathen, it is OK for me to contribute to your Faith blog?

Bess writes: Libby says that Faith Central is open to all provided they are civil and observe the decencies of debate.

[Steve Grant]

Rick asks for solid proof that there is no god, and also requests some backup for my statement that there is a growing body of evidence which leads me and a grat many others ot the conclusion that the bible was written by men for their own ends.
The first point asks for the impossible, since a negative cannot be proven. I can state with some conviction that unfortunately, there are no fairies at the bottom of my garden, but I am unable to furnish any proof.
As regards evidence to the statement that the bible was written by us, this body of evidence is now overwhelming, in my view. There is far too much to go into here, but starting at the beginning, just by looking objectively at the pentateuch and its historical context (esp. Kings Hezekiah and Josiah), shows how those books were written not because of any divine inspiration, but to serve the purposes of Josiah and his efforts to unite his lands under one king, one temple and one god. He simply dismissed the Baal pantheon and allowed only Jahweh and only one temple in Jerusalem. Worship of all the other deities, including Ashirah, Jahweh's wife, was outlawed. The temples were destroyed and the priests murdered.
Thus the concept of one god itself was the result of social engineering. The Christian god, the Muslim god and the Jewish God was selected by a King in order to unite his lands. The pentateuch was written to underline this strategy. Deuteronomy was 'discovered' by Josiah's high priest. The commandments themselves are transparent when seen in their historical context. I regard Deuteronomy as the greatest book of the bible; one that marked a turning point and began the traditions of respect, tolerance and in many ways, a more enlightened social order. We owe a great deal to the priests that wrote it, it my view.
I am sorry that you ask me 'not to come here'. I, like Coel, was under the firm impression that Faith Central was set up in order that faith, its meaning, relevance and role, could be discussed by all. If it is indeed intended only for the faithful, then I would immediately apologise and post no more. Perhaps someone could clarify Ricks point? I have no intention to disrupt or 'diss', any more than I would during a service.

[Steve Grant]

This thread seems to have gone quiet, but I would just like to thank Bess and Libby for clarifying that Faith Central is open to all (Rick - please note). I seem to have become quite addicted to its cut and thrust!

[J.Barry.]

Having read the Old Testament, I think God´s profile can be summed up simply as that of a typical serial killer,though perhaps more jealous and prone to tantrums than some.