Gods Quote by Sheri S. Tepper
““cultures define their gods when they’re young and primitive, when their main concern is survival. They endow their gods with survival characteristics like omnipotence and authoritarianism, belligerence and suspicion, and that’s what goes into all their myths or scriptures. Then, if they survive long enough, they begin to develop morality. They examine their own history, and they learn that authoritarianism doesn’t accord with free will, that belligerence and suspicion are unhealthful, but this newly moral culture is stuck with its bigoted, interfering gods, plus it’s stuck with people who prefer the old bloody gods and use them as their justification for doing all kinds of awful things.””
About This Quote
Early societies create gods reflecting survival needs; as they mature, they develop morality that conflicts with those authoritarian origins.
In simple terms: Gods evolve from survival to morality.
Key Takeaway
Moral progress challenges inherited divine narratives.
Themes
mythology
evolution
morality
authoritarianism
cultural change
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analysis
philosophical
When to use this quote
- comparative religion studies
- cultural anthropology
Key Concepts
religious development
ethical evolution
Practical Applications
- academic research
- public education
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do societies cling to outdated divine images?
- How does moral awareness reshape religious narratives?
![“[T]he scripture worshippers put the writings ahead of God. Instead of interpreting God's actions in nature, for example, they interpret nature in the light of the Scripture. Nature says the rock is billions of years old, but the book says different, so even though men wrote the book, and God made…” quote by Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/102/sheri-s-tepper-8133_action_t-he-scripture-worshippers-put-the-writi_160608.jpg)
