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Imagining God

Expected online publication date:  20 May 2026

Kathryn A. Johnson
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, Arizona State University

Summary

Introduces the topic of God representations in monotheistic traditions. Section 2 examines belief in the authoritarian (e.g., controlling and punishing) and benevolent (e.g., helping and forgiving) attributes of God as a person-like being. The discussion is expanded in Section 3 to include abstract representations (e.g., the Universe, Nature, and negative theology). Section 4 describes measures used to assess people's beliefs about God and presents survey data of group differences in beliefs about God as authoritarian and benevolent. Section 5 addresses the under-studied question: where is God? Representations of God do not exist in a vacuum, and Section 6 explores the cognitive building blocks, life circumstances, worldviews, and personal motivations that can inform diverse God representations. Finally, Section 7 concludes with an overview of some of the antecedents and outcomes of God representations surveyed in this Element and how they relate to various ways of thinking about, relating to, and imagining God.

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Type
Element
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Online ISBN: 9781009527842
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

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Imagining God
  • Kathryn A. Johnson, Psychology Department, Arizona State University
  • Online ISBN: 9781009527842
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
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Imagining God
  • Kathryn A. Johnson, Psychology Department, Arizona State University
  • Online ISBN: 9781009527842
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Imagining God
  • Kathryn A. Johnson, Psychology Department, Arizona State University
  • Online ISBN: 9781009527842
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
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