Depending upon who one asks (and his or her answer, though the person won't care to admit it, depends upon when and where the person
was born and raised), God - or the gods, lower case 'g' - will come in varying shapes, sizes, and details. Indeed, human belief systems
about supreme beings seem as varied as the number of peoples who inhabit the Earth; and most of them are quite self-serving. Belief in
God or gods is spread across all nations of the globe, leading one to wonder just why such an anti-scientific notion is so popular;
is there a 'god gene'... or some supernatural source? Gee, Davey...
In any case, the different gods, or belief systems about them, can be divided into convenient categories:
God In Relation to Creation
There are two main views on God and his relation to his Creation:
God, Separate From Creation
Some Christians and nearly all Moslems believe in this variety of God. In this model there is one God who created the world, and He is
separate from it - i.e., He stands apart from, outside, and above it.
This model contrasts with the model below.
God, Part Of Creation
This model can be summed up easily in the phrase, "We are but thoughts of God." All there is, was, and ever shall be, is, in fact, a
part of God. This model proposes that everything is a part of a greater living organism - God - and therefore, people are fragments of
God and return to Him when they die. (This is also similar to 'the Force' of Star Wars, which is said to flow through and
around every object and living thing.)
Number of Gods
Religions disagree on whether there is one God or several gods; there are three basic popular views:
One God, Indivisible
This is the heart of Monotheism, and is the model of Islam. Deism also fits under this category.
One God, With Aspects
This model suggests that there is only one God, but manifests itself in a number of 'aspects'. This is the model of Christianity, where
there are three aspects of God in which He manifests Himself: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is also the model of Wicca,
where the God and Goddess are two different aspects of the same being. Hinduism takes this view the farthest, having over a million
different aspects of the same God. (A god for everybody - no waiting in line.)
Multiple Gods
In polytheism, there are a number of independant Gods. The best examples of this are the Roman, Greek, and Egyptian religions. Both
Judaism and Isalm were polytheistic in their earliest beginnings.
Polytheism is compatable with the 'One God, Many Aspects' model because each independant God can manifest himself/herself in several
aspects. (Convenient for parties where not enough guests show up.)
All is God
In pantheism, God is identified with everything in the entire universe (see 'God, Part Of Creation' above).
Local Gods
The ancient Hebrews and Greeks, among others, believed in 'household gods' that only had dominion over a finite area - i.e., the kitchen,
the hearth, a sacred garden, etc.
Whatever the reader believes, whether in one old bearded God in a nightshirt or in goofy eight-armed, blue-skinned elephant gods, one
thing is certain: man's inhumanity to man is such that somehow, somewhere, there is someone ready and willing to kill you for what you
believe. Or don't believe.
Let's give George Carlin the final word:
"Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man, living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money."
In any case, the different gods, or belief systems about them, can be divided into convenient categories:
Multiple Gods