Nearly a third of Americans, 31.4 per cent, believe in an Authoritarian God, angry at earthly sin and willing to inflict divine retribution — including tsunamis and hurricanes.
And as Times Online reports,
There’s the Critical God, at 16 per cent, viewed as the classic bearded old man, judgmental but not going to intervene or punish, and is popular on the East Coast.
The Benevolent God, popular in America’s Midwest among mainstream Protestants, Catholics and Jews, is one that sets absolute standards for man, but is also forgiving — engaged but not so angry. Caring for the sick is high on the list of priorities for these 23 per cent of believers.
The Distant God, seen by 24.4 per cent as a faceless, cosmic force that launched the world but leaves it alone.
“You learn more about people’s moral and political behaviour if you know their image of God than almost any other measure,” said Christopher Bader, one of the researchers.
America is 91.8 per cent religious.
More religious than any nation on earth.