Desiccation 3

Instructions: Watch the documentary posted this week, A History of God, and then respond to the question below in a post of 100 words.  Don’t forget to also respond to a classmate’s post as well (100 words).

Summary of the Documentary – A History of God

like : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJkNs512Lsk

The documentary A History of God, based on Karen Armstrong’s book by the same title, addresses the transition from polytheism to henotheism (the worship of one god without necessarily denying the existence of other gods/goddesses) to monotheism in recounting and reinterpreting the narratives in the Hebrew bible.

One of the interesting premises of the documentary (which is detailed at further length in the book) is that God is not a static “being”—rather, God (or more accurately, the images, metaphors, and narratives we use to describe/envision God) changes or “evolves” over time and across space and culture.  As Karen Armstrong says in the film:

“The idea of God changing sounds like a contradiction in terms, because God is supposed to be absolute and eternal and sacred.  And in fact that sacred reality doesn’t change, but the way people express it over the years does change.” – Karen Armstrong

The documentary, then, is concerned with trying to understand how (and in what manner) our ways of expressing this sacred reality have transformed and evolved.

QUESTION to answer in your forum post and your response to a classmate: 

What do you think about the concept of an “evolving” God, or evolving “image(s)” of God?  How might our image, or ideas about God evolve over time and with new experiences in life?