Personal Deity, Personal Destiny: The Moral Foundations of Divine Choi
Choosing a specific deity reflects a personal perception of the divine that is deeply connected with an individual's worldview and moral values. In other words, when a person selects a particular deity for worship, he essentially defines his view on the connection with a higher power and his place in the world. This connection is expressed through a sense of unconditional dependence on the deity, its ability to influence the life and fate of the person, and the desire to meet its demands.Thus, as emphasized in one of the sources ( link txt), "According to a person's perception, a deity can do everything that is necessary or harmful for man and nature. As an ever-living being, a deity usually expresses its life and power in its relationship with man. Therefore, a person’s attitude toward the deity is primarily characterized by a feeling or even an awareness of his unconditional dependence on it. A person's entire life, all his fate with its sorrows and joys, seems to him to be determined by the deity’s favor or wrath. Hence, a person develops the need to be in the closest possible communion, even in the tightest union with the deity, in order to know its demands and be able to win its favor." This understanding suggests that the choice of a specific deity is not accidental—it reflects an inner need of a person to feel cared for and to have the possibility of building a close relationship with the one responsible for his life experience.Furthermore, as noted in the same text ( link txt), "This desire for communion with the deity drives a person to get to know his God, its properties and desires, and what can please it. This, in turn, leads the person to try to shape his behavior and even his entire life in the way that, in his view, is desirable to that deity. Hence, every religion inherently contains moral demands. And a person's morality is directly correlated with his view of his deity: as his god is, so is his morality, and so is his entire life’s self-determination." This indicates that the choice of a deity is closely intertwined with personal ethical criteria, as the image of the deity becomes a guide for forming moral norms and behavior.Thus, the specific deity chosen by a person serves as a reflection of his religious convictions—it embodies the notions of an all-knowing, life-giving, and governing force to which the individual aspires to submit, seek support from, and, in a sense, establish a personal connection. This choice influences the system of values and moral self-determination, demonstrating that a religious worldview is an integral component of a person's identity.Supporting citation(s):"According to a person's perception, a deity can do everything that is necessary or harmful for man and nature. As an ever-living being, a deity usually expresses its life and power in its relationship with man. Therefore, a person’s attitude toward the deity is primarily characterized by a feeling or even an awareness of his unconditional dependence on it. A person's entire life, all his fate with its sorrows and joys, seems to him to be determined by the deity’s favor or wrath. Hence, a person develops the need to be in the closest possible communion, even in the tightest union with the deity, in order to know its demands and be able to win its favor." (source: link txt)"This desire for communion with the deity drives a person to get to know his God, its properties and desires, and what can please it. This, in turn, leads the person to try to shape his behavior and even his entire life in the way that, in his view, is desirable to that deity. Hence, every religion inherently contains moral demands. And a person's morality is directly correlated with his view of his deity: as his god is, so is his morality, and so is his entire life’s self-determination." (source: link txt)