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What does God look like ?

Mystic-als

Active Member
Have you ever thought of what God looks like?
I seem to have this picture of a "Father Christmas" type old man in my mind.
He's wearing a long white robe that covers his feet but is just above the ground.
He is white with white medium length facial hair.

What do you see when you picture God?
 

James the Persian

Dreptcredincios Crestin
Mystic-als said:
Have you ever thought of what God looks like?
I seem to have this picture of a "Father Christmas" type old man in my mind.
He's wearing a long white robe that covers his feet but is just above the ground.
He is white with white medium length facial hair.

What do you see when you picture God?

How can you picture an immaterial God? I don't see anything at all. I can picture Christ because He was incarnate as man, but not the Father. I can also picture the Holy Spirit as a dove or tongues of flame, but this is only really relevant to the instances when he is described as appearing as such. In general, I find it impossible to picture God at all except as Christ, in which case I picture Him as you see Him in our iconography.

James
 

Mystic-als

Active Member
Everyone has their own thoughts on God and his person. I personally think that to picture God is to limit him in some way. But never the less i still have an image of him in my mind. Maybe just an imagination thing.
 

niceguy

Active Member
That's easy, God look like whatever God want to look like. What's the point of omnipotence if one cannot change one's look when one feel like it?
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
JamesThePersian said:
How can you picture an immaterial God? I don't see anything at all. I can picture Christ because He was incarnate as man, but not the Father. I can also picture the Holy Spirit as a dove or tongues of flame, but this is only really relevant to the instances when he is described as appearing as such. In general, I find it impossible to picture God at all except as Christ, in which case I picture Him as you see Him in our iconography.

James

I agree; what God looks like is a thought I have had, but one which I have dismissed as swiftly as it came up.

Jesus Christ incarnate is a different thing altogether; it interests me, James, that you should view the Holy Spirit as you do. Obviously, knowing little of theology, I have never had an image of the Holy Spirit, apart from a form of energy.
 

Katzpur

Not your average Mormon
Mystic-als said:
Have you ever thought of what God looks like?
I seem to have this picture of a "Father Christmas" type old man in my mind.
He's wearing a long white robe that covers his feet but is just above the ground.
He is white with white medium length facial hair.

What do you see when you picture God?
I see someone in whose image I was created. Pretty simple, really. I don't even try to imagine the details, but I hope very much to find out what He looks like when I am finally welcomed into His presence and get to see Him face to face.
 

Halcyon

Lord of the Badgers
Mystic-als said:
Have you ever thought of what God looks like?
I seem to have this picture of a "Father Christmas" type old man in my mind.
He's wearing a long white robe that covers his feet but is just above the ground.
He is white with white medium length facial hair.

What do you see when you picture God?
I think that's quite a common image, like Da Vinci's painting. Based upon Zeus of course.
 
niceguy said:
That's easy, God look like whatever God want to look like. What's the point of omnipotence if one cannot change one's look when one feel like it?

Personally I believe the unseen is veiled from sight. However I'm feeling you on this one niceguy, let me try and sum it up for those who anthropomorphise.

God walks into Gucci, having freshly shaved obligatory long white beard. Personal shopper offers God obligatory long white robe. God replies 'No....thats just so last season'
 

James the Persian

Dreptcredincios Crestin
michel said:
it interests me, James, that you should view the Holy Spirit as you do. Obviously, knowing little of theology, I have never had an image of the Holy Spirit, apart from a form of energy.

I don't view the Holy Spirit like that all the time. Sorry if I gave that impression. In general I don't think it's possible to give a form to the Holy Spirit any more than it is to give one to the Father but He did appear twice with a certain form and so, when I think of episodes like Pentecost or Christ's baptism I can envisage the Holy Spirit. That's also the only time you'll see the Holy Spirit depicted in iconography.

We also do have a tradition of viewing God as an old man. One way you see this is actually representative of Christ as the Ancient of Days and is perfectly allowable (icons of Christ always have a cruciform halo and so when you see an old man with a cross within the halo that is not God the Father). The other is generally considered heretical. You occasionally see non-canonical icons of the Trinity showing Christ, an old man and a dove. The only canonical icon of the Trinity is one which shows three angels as a type of the Trinity, for we believe that it is wrong (and impossible) to depict the Father. That doesn't mean some haven't tried. Iconographers, like everyone else, are prone to errors at times.

James
 

Booko

Deviled Hen
Mystic-als said:
Have you ever thought of what God looks like?
I seem to have this picture of a "Father Christmas" type old man in my mind.
He's wearing a long white robe that covers his feet but is just above the ground.
He is white with white medium length facial hair.

What do you see when you picture God?

If "God is a Spirit" then there's not much to see, eh?
 

Mystic-als

Active Member
It's a case of the wind and the effects of the wind. You can't see the wind, but you can feel it and see it's affects.

The OP calls for imagination. Use it.
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
Booko said:
If "God is a Spirit" then there's not much to see, eh?
I must admit that If I was called to say how I view God, apart from backing out as in my previous reply, I would believe God to be an unseen force or energy.

That doesn't mean that God doesn't have the ability to take on any shape.
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
Mystic-als said:
Some people see nature as God. So even that could be a view.

It could indeed; I see Nature as being God (or maybe a part of him)
 

BucephalusBB

ABACABB
Mystic-als said:
Some people see nature as God. So even that could be a view.
Yes, but if you only see nature as God and nothing more than that you could also say that you are just substituting the word nature for God.
 
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