Kickin' the New Knowledge

Is our view of God an indication of anything other than our view of God?

A new study by USA Today says such a view is a good indication of how we vote. The study concludes that there are four Gods from which to choose: Authoritarian, Benevolent, Critical or Distant. Seriously? I feel like the only vegan at a barbecue begging for another option. From the study:

• The Authoritarian God (31.4% of Americans overall, 43.3% in the South) is
angry at humanity's sins and engaged in every creature's life and world affairs.
He is ready to throw the thunderbolt of judgment down on "the unfaithful or
ungodly," Bader says. Those who envision God this way "are religiously and
politically conservative people, more often black Protestants and white
evangelicals," Bader says.

•The Benevolent God (23% overall, 28.7% in
the Midwest) still sets absolute standards for mankind in the Bible. More than
half (54.8%) want the government to advocate Christian values. But this group,
which draws more from mainline Protestants, Catholics and Jews, sees primarily a
forgiving God, more like the father who embraces his repentant prodigal son in
the Bible, Froese says.

•The Critical God (16% overall, 21.3% in the
East) has his judgmental eye on the world, but he's not going to intervene,
either to punish or to comfort. "This group is more paradoxical," Bader says.
"They have very traditional beliefs, picturing God as the classic bearded old
man on high. Yet they're less inclined to go to church or affiliate seriously
with religious groups. They are less inclined to see God as active in the world.
Their politics are definitely not liberal, but they're not quite conservative,
either."

•The Distant God (24.4% overall, 30.3% in the West) is "no
bearded old man in the sky raining down his opinions on us," Bader says.
Followers of this God see a cosmic force that launched the world, then left it
spinning on its own. This has strongest appeal for Catholics, mainline
Protestants and Jews. It's also strong among "moral relativists," those least
likely to say any moral choice is always wrong, and among those who don't attend
church, Bader says.

Never one to leave anybody out, I wonder about those who would choose none of the above? This article suggests atheists are smarter. Smarter or just cynical? I'm not sure such a choice says anything at all. I only know one real, honest-to-goodness atheist and he's as smart, morally sound and screwed up as the rest of us.

I don't like any of these labels. And I don't agree that a study produced by Baptists is correct in its entirety. We're trying to predict voting habits based on belief, skin color or socio-economic status. Do we want to understand each other or swing an election?