New gods are created all of the time

A really interesting phenomena to me is the proclivity of some to create new gods never before worshipped by the ancients nor described in any ancient text, but are better suited to the liking of their modern creators.

Many start with the god of the Hebrews, but due to his many objectional qualities, begin to just create a new god without all of those nasty habits, and yet claim their new god is the same as the ancient one. The ancients never knew such a god as these moderns describe and would not recognize him as the one that Abraham is believed to have worshipped.

I guess this practice isn't all that new. The god of the New Testament is nothing like the nasty and cruel god of the Old, and yet is supposed to be the same god that is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

I don't mind people creating their own gods, but don't delude yourself in to thinking that your new and improved god is the same god of the Bible. Does it not seem wrong to convieniently ignore much of the Old Testament because the god you worship could never do such things as are recorded there? One person doesn't like divine vengence, so creates a new god like the old one minus the vengence. Another person has a problem with god putting Job and Abraham through such heartless trials of loyalty, so they create a new god like the old except for the heartlessness.

There have been many gods: Egyptian gods, Hindu gods, Greek gods, Native American Great Spirits, etc. But, the most amusing gods are the new ones of which their creators do not even recognize that they have created them. If they did, maybe they would realize that they don't really exist, for they were created in the imaginations of contemporary men and women.

Of course, their standard apologetic is that they (the god makers) are not creating gods, but only discovering the true nature of God. So, the prophets who wrote God's word did not know the real God of Abraham, but you do. Shall I also claim that the oracles and poets did not know the real attributes of Zeus and Athena, but I shall discover their real attributes?

Comments

Anonymous said…
All religion is man made, and this shows to me all our versions of G-d are just human attempts to define something as intangible as faith in G-d.
Sun Apr 15, 05:16:00 PM PDT
Hüffenhardt said…
Oh, I definitely agree with you there. This post was inspired and written more toward Christians who think they believe in the god of the Bible, but conveniently get rid of any characteristics they don't like. I am atheist.
Sun Apr 15, 05:32:00 PM PDT
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