Imagining God

This Element introduces the topic of God representations in monotheistic traditions. It discusses antecedents and outcomes of God representations and how they relate to various ways of thinking about, relating to, and imagining God.

Introduces the topic of God representations in monotheistic traditions. Section 2 examines belief in the authoritarian (e.g., controlling and punishing) and benevolent (e.g., helping and forgiving) attributes of God as a person-like being. The discussion is expanded in Section 3 to include abstract representations (e.g., the Universe, Nature, and negative theology). Section 4 describes measures used to assess people's beliefs about God and presents survey data of group differences in beliefs about God as authoritarian and benevolent. Section 5 addresses the under-studied question: where is God? Representations of God do not exist in a vacuum, and Section 6 explores the cognitive building blocks, life circumstances, worldviews, and personal motivations that can inform diverse God representations. Finally, Section 7 concludes with an overview of some of the antecedents and outcomes of God representations surveyed in this Element and how they relate to various ways of thinking about, relating to, and imagining God.