A carved wooden figure mdash a household god mdash had been stolen from a woman named Ekuwa so she reported it to the authorities Believing they had found the idol law enforcement officials invited her to identify it ldquo Is this your god rdquo they asked She said sadly ldquo No my god is much larger and more beautiful than that rdquo People have long tried to give shape to their concept of deity hoping for a handmade god to protect them Perhaps that rsquo s why Jacob rsquo s wife Rachel ldquo stole her father rsquo s household gods [... more]