GOD

I have written in my book Myth of Mind on this issue at length, but the early Judaic concept of an omnipresent god appears based upon the developing monarchy of Persia, which had an empire that stretched from present day Pakistan to the Mediterranean. The Persian king employed spies to ensure order in his vast kingdom, spying not only on the conquered populations but also on his satraps or administrators. From this political development we have a concept of an all-powerful deity. This can be seen in the changing nature of the Hebrew god particularly with the return of the exiles from Babylon, an intellectual, administrative elite. It is my contention that versions of god, most certainly that of the Near Eastern Book religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam-represent fossilised political developments of a period centuries or millennium ago.