Perhaps this is your god. Your god loves you unconditionally. He’s all about you. Of course, he just loves everybody that way, no matter who they are. He’s colorblind. Your god is pleased with whatever time you will give him, whatever gifts you offer him and whatever you say about him. Sure, you’ll talk about your god with others. Your god is special to you, just like another person’s understanding of god is special to that person. You would not push your understanding of god on someone else any more than you would sponsor a dogfight.
You know others who are more about god than you. They’ll take god with them on their errands or for a fun drive. They’ll take god on prayer walks and even parade him around the park. They seem to like showing off their awesome god, how smart he is, how fun he is, how awesome he is. “Good god! Such a good god!” they’ll say.
Their mushiness can be a bit over the top for your tastes. You understand, though. You really do.
You’re not judging of course. You have a different, perhaps more mature, relationship with god. Your god is a natural part of your life. He is a central fixture in your household, your life. You miss him when you’ve not spent a lot of time with him. When he speaks, you hear him and will pay attention to his interests. He keeps you safe at night, and he’s with you when you get up. His loving insistence that you spend time with him only endears him to you.
Your god is always happy to see you. Your god is uber-eager to spend time with you. Your god will do tricks if you ask him just right. Your god will jump with you when you’re happy and cuddle you when you’re sad. If this is your god, you confuse the canine with the divine. Your god is your dog.
Much of what I have written above applies to the god Americans tend to believe in, the god they think of when they read, “In God we trust” and hear “God bless America!” Such a god is not worthy of our trust, nor should it be sought for blessing. This false god has been crafted in violation of the Second Commandment, “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:4-5a). This is a false god made in the likeness of a good dog: loving, loyal, protective, strong, easy to please, attentive.
This god remains wildly popular. Who wouldn’t want the privilege of being the master of such a well-trained, good god? Those with itching ears have heaped up for themselves teachers who proclaim such a god and give practical instruction on how to get the most out of this therapeutic relationship. Dyslexic theology begins with man: man’s thoughts, man’s needs, man’s desires and man’s values. Dyslexic theology creates god in man’s own image. Dyslexic theology crafts deity as man’s best friend. Dyslexic theology worships a dog.
Why don’t the dog worshipers ever snap out of their puppy love? They believe their well-groomed, well-trained, well-bred dog deserves first prize when it comes to religion, spiritual experiences. Dog worshipers dominate American Christianity. All in the name of the truth, they suppress the truth. All in the name of worshiping Almighty God, they worship the all-furry dog. “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures” (Romans 1:22-23).
