Abstract:
The theism of the bible is based on an understanding that God and humans necessarily interact with each other. God wants sacrifices and obedience to moral principles, while humans want protection from danger, disease, captivity, and premature death. The idea of a theistic God developed from a fear of earthquakes, thunder and lightning, storms and tempests, and the conviction that belief in God could offer victory in war, a guaranteed supply of food and water, and the fertility of all living things. Theism died with the rise of modern science but the monotheistic faiths have not yet adjusted to it.