Discussion»Statements»Rosie's Corner» This never occurred to me before but it did today so I'm sharing. Why is GOD always depicted as old and gray? GOD doesn't age right?
A supernatural Spirit does not age or have any human qualities but the concept of God is an imaginary attachment to the Spirit to give it a semblance of human personification so believers can assume more readily that they are in communication with the Spirit.
I think GOD is a spirit. How do you depict that? I don't think GOD is flesh and blood so trying to humanize HIM doesn't work for me. Thank you for your reply Kg and Happy Thursday to thee. You look up at the sky and see traces of spirit vaguely outlined through which you can see the stars. See what I mean? Maybe I am saying exactly what you are saying. In reading your reply again I think I am. :)
This post was edited by RosieG at May 20, 2021 11:24 AM MDT
In my reply I said God is an imaginary man made concept that can display human characteristics such as appearing old and ancient, being jealous, angry and wrathful, etc., rather than a flesh and blood humanized being.and apart from the Great Supernatural Spirit -which should be above and beyond any human llikeness.
SpunkySenior has a bit of the idea. To expand on it ... 20-something was middle age, even a few hundred years ago. So picturing God as white-haired, also implied longevity beyond the average lifespan.
Picturing God as white and male - those are just due to racism and sexism.
I think of GOD as a spirit not flesh and blood Walt. As I wrote to Kittigate you look up at the sky and see traces of the spirit through which you see all the creation beyond. Spirits cannot really be depicted can they? So there is no aging with a spirit. How we can depict it is not going to be the same way we depict a human. I have never thought very deeply about how I "see" GOD and now I am and this is it. A spirit is ageless. Always was is and will be. I think the concept of GOD is much too big for the human brain to comprehend. So what we do is the best we can and I think I just did. Thank you for your reply though Walt. Depicting GOD as anything specific reduces HIM and shrinks HIM and minimizes HIM. Don't you think? Thank you for your reply. :)
Well said, Rosie. But in my congregation and other egalitarian/progressive conservative Jewish ones, we don't ascribe any gender, and thus we do not refer to God as He, Him, or Father.
So there is no gender assigned then? This I did not know. So how do you refer to the ALMIGHTY then? Thank you for educating me about this Stu. I appreciate it bigly. GOD the mother? GOD the all-in-one? So Mary holds so special significance for you. Is it true that you see JESUS as a prophet but not the son of GOD? Happy Wednesday to thee and thine! :)
God evolved, in ancient times the gods were originally depicted in the image of beasts; man woman or beasts then when God of the Bible came into the picture the Bible story writers turned things around completely to say man was created in the image of God instead.
People are still debating what is meant by the 'image of God'.
Those of us who think of God in a more abstract form, such as the human conscience and/or the physical laws that govern nature and the universe, including quite a few Jewish people I know, have trouble with any human-like and finite image/representation. We feel that it's simplistic and not intellectually challenging or honest.
I would prefer to avoid the term God because it does imply human-like characteristics, instead use the term Spirit that identifies as the force that governs nature and the universe.
Unbelievers may use the term 'consciousness' which means the same but refers to natural force rather than supernatural.
Both work the same way as being one's life force that can help heal from sickness or injury (placebo effect) and help with life's problems. "Natural miracles"
Kittigate 