What experience, nature and instinct teach us about God as a parent

In times past, it has been noted on this blog that all living things reproduce. Whether we are talking about Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista or Monera, every living organism has some means of perpetuating itself. Hence, when we look at this truism from a macro perspective, it is reasonable to conclude that God is very much concerned with the perpetuation of life.

Moreover, when we focus our attention on the animal and plant kingdoms, we observe that most parents go to extraordinary lengths to protect and nurture their offspring - to increase their chances for survival. And, we tend to find that the more complex an organism is - the more elaborate and remarkable the care provided to that offspring tends to be. Indeed, whether we are talking about male Emperor Penguins carrying their eggs on top of their feet or the way a sow Black Bear cares for her cubs, it is apparent that a great deal of energy and attention is devoted to parenting among the tetrapods.

Then there is that most famous of all tetrapods - humans. And, while we must admit that many humans do not qualify for what most of us would characterize as "good" parents, there are a number of minimum standards/expectations for parenting which exist across almost all cultures and ethnicities. For instance, most humans believe that parents are responsible for providing their offspring with nourishment, shelter, protection, love/affection and education. And, like many of our distant cousins in the animal world, most human parents would go to great links to protect their offspring from hurt or harm - even to the point of sacrificing their own lives if necessary.

These observations about ourselves (and the other organisms with whom we share this planet) enable us to make some informed guesses about our Creator's role as a parent. Indeed, they give new meaning to statements like: God is "not willing that any should perish", "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" and "How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings". Thus, when we observe these things and try to imagine God as our parent, it becomes very hard to imagine someone who isn't actively working to ensure the survival of his offspring. In fact, I think that the notion of an angry God dangling humanity at the end of a thin thread over the fires of hell is made absurd by these observations. What do you think?