One is reminded of the small girl drawing something on her paper. When asked what she was drawing, she answered, �A picture of God.� �But nobody knows what God looks like,� said the teacher. �They will when I have finished,� was the reply. Is this not true of many overconfident definitions of God? The historic creeds record men�s thinking at the time when they were formulated or at least a certain consensus of thinking perhaps involving concessions and compromises. They are historically valuable. To borrow a military figure, creeds may be likened to trenches dug in to secure ground gained. They help hold the line, but it is hard to move out of these trenches when new ground needs to be gained.
The startling phrase, �the death of God,� so characteristic of our sensation-loving era, covers a wide range of meaning. Much of the discussion is neither new nor actually sensational. To take the phrase in its more obvious meaning, i.e., that there is no God, is by no means new. There have been atheists from the beginning of systematic thought. There will continue to be atheists. So vast and complex a universe will continue to baffle any attempt to arrive at final meanings. The temptation to deny all meaning is inevitable and not to be surprised at.
