If stage one is about survival, stage two is about power. There is no doubt that God has all the power, which he jealously guards. At the beginning of the scientific era, when the secrets of electricity were being discovered and the elements charted, many worried that it was sacrilege to look too closely at how God worked. Power was not only his but rightfully so. Our place was to obey - a view that makes perfect sense if you consider heaven the goal of life. Who would endanger his soul just to know how lightning works?
Sovereign
Omnipotent
Just
The answer of prayers
Impartial
Rational
Organized into rules
Compared to the God of stage one, this version is much more social. He is worshipped by those who have formed a stable society, one that needs laws and governance. The Almighty is not so willful as his predecessor; he still metes out punishment, but you can understand why - the wrongdoer disobeyed a law, something he knows in advance not to do. Justice is no longer so rough; the kings and judges who take their power from God do so with a sense of being righteous. They deserve their power - or so they tell themselves. As with Macbeth, the wielders of power get caught up in urges that are all but irresistible.
My comments on stage two: This is the view of God held by the nation of Israel under their priesthood and later under their kings. I also see a similarity with this view of God with that typically held by the Muslim world today.
JWs today also relate closely to this view of God and his arrangements. They are carefully organized by clearly defined rules which can never be questioned. Authority, as vested in God's representatives, must be obeyed without questioning at all times. How often is that the account of Korah's rebellion against Moses comes up in the Society's literature?
Power lies in a structure starting with the elders and going all the way up to the GB. This gives a stable framework which is a comfort zone for many, but does not allow for any individualism, or indeed, any room for individuals to search for and get to know God themselves.
