The God of any religion is only a fragment of God. This has to be true, because a being who is unbounded has no image, no role to play, no location either inside or outside the cosmos, whereas religions offer many images—father, mother, lawgiver, judge, ruler of the universe. There are seven versions of God, which can be associated with organized faiths. Each one is a fragment, but so complete as to create a unique world:
Stage one: God the Protector
Stage two: God the Almighty
Stage three: God of Peace
Stage four: God the Redeemer
Stage five: God the Creator
Stage six: God of Miracles
Stage seven: God of Pure Being—”I Am”
Each stage meets a particular human need, which is only natural. In the face of nature’s overwhelming forces, humans needed a God who would protect them from harm. When they felt that they had broken the law or committed wrongdoing, people turned to a God who would judge them on the one hand and redeem their sins on the other. In this way, purely from self-interest, the project of creating God in our own image proceeded—and continues to proceed.