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Perceptions of God

Over the summer I was reading some bits of the Bible which I find difficult, and hard to fit in with my own experience of, and relationship with, God.

While pondering these anomalies, I was considering how the Bible is so full of different people’s views of God from different times, places and situations. I thought about how sometimes one person’s image of God can be really helpful to your’s and show you a whole new dimension of God, yet another person’s can be destructive and make you feel angry and resentful, unable to accept their ideas.

It has recently disturbed me, to find just how much of the Bible can make me feel like that. Just how far away the God “I claim to, and feel, I know” is from the one who is being portrayed.

While pondering I came up with the following thought: It may be a clever explanation, it may a get out clause, it may be complete and utter nonsense, or it may be more — decide for yourselves. What I thought was: That perhaps God is what each person needs him to be at that time and in that place, caring about each one of us individually in a way we can only begin to imagine, yet one God — omnipotent and almighty.

This viewpoint would allow me to accept someone else view of God that was very different from mine as being equally valid and real. It would help me to explain why I find some peoples faith so helpful and yet others so destructive to my own.

At first it seems like a very simple, obvious statement, but read it carefully and think through all the implications before you come to any sort of conclusion. I’m still pondering!!!

NB. Please feel free to e-mail me (rc121@york.ac.uk) or talk to me in person to discuss any of the points brought up in this article.

Rachel Cavill

Last modified: 25th November 2005