Got God? Which one?

[ooga booga]

Baylor University with help from the Gallup Organization did a study on contemporary religion. Here is an interesting bit of it:


In the survey, four perceptions of God emerged: the authoritarian God, who is highly involved in daily lives and world affairs and is capable of punishing; the benevolent God, who is active in lives, positive and less willing to punish; the critical God, who observes but does not interact with the world but may do so in another life; and the distant God, who is not active in the world but is a cosmic force which set nature in motion.

The breakdown showed that more than 31 percent believe in the authoritarian or angry God, more than 24 percent in the distant God, 23 percent in the benevolent God, and 16 percent in the critical God. More than 5 percent of respondents described themselves as atheists.

The answers can be important predictors for political and social attitudes, researchers said.

For example, "People who believe in a critical God are more likely to think that the government should promote affirmative action," Froese said.

Low-income people are more likely to think of God as angry, he said. Women are more likely to see God as forgiving and loving, while men are more likely to see God as angry.

IN THE KNOW

Survey

Here are some other findings from the Baylor survey:

More than 68 percent of respondents indicated they do not believe that God favors the United States in international politics; 18.6 said they believe God does; and 12.8 percent were undecided.

More than 88 percent said they do not believe that God favors a political party, while nearly 8 percent were undecided. Four percent believe that God favors a political party.

Of those who believe that God favors a political party, 95 percent supported President Bush in the 2004 election.

Religious conservatives supported Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq despite the fact that they generally find war morally reprehensible.

Believers in an "angry God" are more likely to think that their religious faith is the only correct one.

Adherents of mainline religions are as likely to be politically liberal as they are to be politically conservative.

-- Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion

[Double T]

1. ' The Great Spirit(s)'............

covers ANY and ALL of THEM in the event THEY might have figured out how to live in peace and get along with each other.

[GeorgeGist]

2. Do you suppose ...

God knows that religion is necessary for God to be known?

[Bill McBlueState]

3. this was in USA Today yesterday

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-09-11-religion-survey_x.htm

I think the most interesting aspect of the findings is that almost no position of any kind has majority support. 20% might agree with one statement, 40% might agree with another, but there's no overwhelming support for any particular theology. So any politician who claims that Americans as a whole have any particular belief about gods is full of crap.

It also makes those chain e-mails look pretty stupid that go, "85% of Amurricans believe in God, so I just don't understand why I can't poop all over the First Amendment! I'm being persecuted!" That 85% figure is meaningless in light of this study.

[TechBear_Seattle]

4. No, really: Which God?

I'm partial to Freyr, myself. A good friend is a frequent devotee of Aphrodite, and the couple down the hall from me give reverence to Krshna.

[Dervill Crow]

5. Cernunnos is my guy.

Cerridwen is my Goddess of choice.