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| Symbol of the three Abrahamic religions. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
A personal god is a deity who can be related to as a person[1] instead of as an impersonal force, such as
the Absolute,
"the All", or the
"Ground of Being".
In the scriptures of
the Abrahamic
religions, God is described as being a personal creator, speaking in the
first person and showing emotion such as anger and pride, and sometimes appearing in anthropomorphic shape.[2] In the Pentateuch, for example, God
talks with and instructs his prophets and is conceived as possessing volition, emotions (such as anger, grief
and happiness), intention,
and other attributes characteristic of a human person. Personal relationships
with God may be described in the same ways as human relationships, such as a Father, as in Christianity, or a Friend
as in Sufism.[3]
A 2008 survey by the
Pew Research Center
reported that, of U.S. adults, 60% view that "God is a person with whom
people can have a relationship," while 25% believe that "God is an
impersonal force."[4] A 2008 survey by the National
Opinion Research Center reports that 67.5% of U.S. adults believe in a
personal god.[5]
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