Why are there so many different versions of god?

For the sake of this debate, i'm talking about the christian god, the one in the bible.
All the other gods both current and throughout history are excluded from this debate because of course they aren't real.

I've visited many christian countries and I'm struck by how each place has its own, slightly different version of god.

Lets take an obvious example. The UK & the USA. Seemingly, we both worship the same god but Americas god seems very different than ours.

Whose version of god do you think is closest to the one in the bible?

Americas? The UK's? Australias? What about one of the African countries?

With so many versions of the same god in the world, whose is the closest to the real thing?

 

The biblical God is a bigot, homicidal maniac, insecure, cruel, petty. Sounds like the American God.

 

Because man has a good imagination.

 

prove they aren't real

 

Prove the biblical God is real.

 

There are multiple versions of "God" because there are multiple versions of people who make it up. Just as there are multiple Pokémon creatures and each gets a following of children who think it's cooler than the rest. The "Closest to the Real Thing" is entirely based on the individual extrapolating upon the things they made up for them.
Anyone who thinks they "Know" this God thing is fooling themselves and others.

 

When people realized they were going to die and there was nothing they could do about it they invented religion. Next came alcohol, marijuana and hi speed internet.

 

It isn't different versions of God, it is different understandings. We as people are all different, we all look at the world a little differently based on our education, culture and life experiences. It is my opinion that it isn't how we perceive God as much as it is if we have a spiritual connection with him, without the connection perception means nothing.

 

I am not sure, but I think it was Emil Durkheim who wrote, "Religion is society projecting itself onto the universe." If this is accurate, then the answer to the question is that societal structure and cultural differences between countries/societies explain the societies' different conceptualizations of deity.

I think a reasonable corollary is that the difference between individuals' concepts of deity are the result of differences enculturation, hopes and fears, etc. My experience is that people use the word god as if everyone means the same thing by it, but that when you get people to go into detail and talk about what they think God wants, people in the same parishes, or even the same families, have remarkably different concepts of god.

It is almost like the word god, capitalized or not, is functionally a pronoun.

 

Because there are so many different humans and human interpretation. If there is a God I doubt that said God would be anything like mankind makes said deity out to be. The writings of humanity on the subject of God are mankinds interpretation of God as opposed to the literal word of God... IMO anyway.

I believe that religion is the construct of man and as mankind's view of God is subjective thus is religion.

 

Because the Christian God only exists in the imaginations of Christians.

Easy Peasy.

 

I want a god with big tits!

 

God is very large, and God loves wondrous variety...

 

My god can beat up your god.

 

Which version? With so many on offer, it means that either their are lots and lots of gods are there are none. Asking such a simplistic question isn't a good enough argument - I need you to tell me whose version of god i should try and prove isn't real - Be more specific.

 

But this version of god proved by his own words there are other gods in the First Commandment. Further if you take the Bible literally or as true historically other gods had power the Egyptian Priests created magical snakes so they had power from their gods. So perhaps your premise is wrong?

 

Because consensus is even more rare than divinity.

 

I don't believe in the christian god, except as a set of interesting legends and myths, but even I can see a plain and rational answer for this.

I'm more curious about what your opinion is though. And what you mean exactly by 'different versions'.

 

Humans are gullible so they believe in God. They are creative so they make up many different Gods. Reality is difficult to comprehend and science doesn't answer everything so people naturally try to explain things through the supernatural. We also have too much free time now that we don't have to survive, hunt, defend our caves, forage, etc.

 

You left out television. Heretic!

 

That is the typical stance of both sides of warring cultures in the Old Testament.

 

Try Artemis of Ephesus; she had many tits, all of which were of ample size. Other versions of Artemis only had two. This brings us back to the question of why there are multiple versions of single deity.

In this case it is because some people like tits so much that two are not enough, whereas others are fine with only two.

<https://www.google.com/search?q=mesopotamian+fertility+goddess+multiple+breasts&biw=1262&bih=760&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwilhe2VkPvOAhXG2R4KHankA5oQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=gVkdaWAFp1habM%3A>

 

I used to think TV was godlike until NBC cancelled Star Trek in 1969. They couldn't deal with a white male captain and a sexually ambivalent Vulcan commanding a starship in the future.

 

There are different interpretations. Are you sure you arent talking about traditions? Non essential beliefs and traditions within Christianity can be vastly different.
Ive found listening to most Christians, the core beliefs are the same.
Now some people do take traditions to the extreme and lose the whole concept of what the gospel is. Theres also the blatant hypocrites...be seen as "good" yet act like greedy scum.
Not sure how the UK is

 

I apologize for calling you a heretic. Apparently, you are actually an apostate.