Authoritarian
(31.4 percent of Americans overall, 43.5 percent in the South)>
• How God is seen: Angry at humanity's sins and engaged in every creature's life and world affairs.
• Believers' traits: Religiously and politically conservative, they want an active, Christian-values-based government and federal funding for faith-based social services. About one-third say God favors the United States in world affairs.
Benevolent
(23 percent overall, 28.8 percent in the Midwest)
• How God is seen: Sets absolute standards for mankind but is forgiving, like a father who embraces a repentant prodigal son.
• Believers' traits: More than half (54.8 percent) want the government to advocate Christian values. This group draws more from mainline Protestants, Catholics and Jews and mainly sees a forgiving God. More than two-thirds say caring for the sick and needy ranks highest on the list of what it means to be a good person.
Critical
(16 percent overall, 21.2 percent in the East)
• How God is seen: Has a judgmental eye but won't intervene, either to punish or to comfort.
• Believers' traits: Less likely to draw absolute moral lines on issues such as abortion, gay marriage or embryonic stem-cell research.
Distant
(24.4 percent overall, 30.3 percent in the West)
• How God is seen: Followers see a cosmic force that launched the world, then left it spinning on its own.
• Believers' traits: This has strongest appeal for Catholics, mainline Protestants and Jews. It's also strong among "moral relativists," those least likely to say any moral choice is always wrong. Less than 4 percent say embryonic stem-cell research is always wrong, compared with 38.5 percent in the authoritarian model.
Source: Study conducted by Gallup and analyzed by Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion.