Keynote Summary

Western civilization was built on the belief that God created humankind in his own image. Many Westerners have lost belief in God, but the religiocultural legacy continues to set them apart from, for example, the Japanese. By examining the Bible as a literary biography of God, one can gain insight into the Western ideal of character without having to subscribe to the religious trappings of Judaism or Christianity. As Cervantes's protagonist, Don Quixote, gained literary immortality by blending in readers' minds with the society of his day, modern actors meld into their memorable on-screen roles today, so God through the Bible became a member of the Western family. Neil Simon took for granted that even non-believers would know what God was like to understand his play, God's Favorite, based on the Book of Job. Jews and Christians concede that the Bible may be...