Do humans look like God?

[Justin108]

Man was made in God's image. As most modern Christians interpret this, it means we have a soul.

OK. Actually, I believe that we look like Him, not the other way around, but...OK.

Do humans look like God? Wouldn't it be pointless for God to have hands, feet, teeth, etc. when he can literally do anything? Why have feet when you're everywhere at all times? Why have teeth when you never eat? Why have hands? Does God ever need to pick something up? Does God have a penis? Does he need to urinate or reproduce? Does God need a nose to smell? It seems entirely nonesensical to assume that if a god existed that he would look even remotely human.

[dianaiad]

[Replying to post 6 by Saint_of_Me]

Saint, I agree with you.
It is even possible that God created dinosaurs from his image.
This is not to say that god looks like a dinosaur, but to say that the creature was created from what God saw what the dinosaur would look like, from his imagination. This is not to say that God is a man in the clouds with an eccentric imagination to ponder as we do.

We all have an internal, mental idea of what God 'looks' like, whether we figure that we can see Him with our mortal eyes or not, or whether He actually has a 'shape.' Some of us see Him as a fictional construct of imaginative minds afraid of death or curious about questions they can't answer.

Some of us believe in Him, and have a vision of Him that is...anything BUT like us.

Some of us are more literal; being made in His image means...being made in His image, physically.

That's where I am. I actually go a bit further. I not only believe that we are made in His image, we are actually, quite literally, spiritually, His offspring. We HAVE to be made in His image, the way a newborn babe is in the image of his parents. The difference between that babe and his parents, in intellect, choices and abilities is pretty wide; the difference between us and God must be considerably wider.

But that is my belief.

[catnip]

Man was made in God's image. As most modern Christians interpret this, it means we have a soul.

OK. Actually, I believe that we look like Him, not the other way around, but...OK.

Do humans look like God? Wouldn't it be pointless for God to have hands, feet, teeth, etc. when he can literally do anything? Why have feet when you're everywhere at all times? Why have teeth when you never eat? Why have hands? Does God ever need to pick something up? Does God have a penis? Does he need to urinate or reproduce? Does God need a nose to smell? It seems entirely nonesensical to assume that if a god existed that he would look even remotely human.

In the first place, the first story of the creation of man and woman, the scripture states that we were created in his image and likeness. That does not necessarily mean a physical resemblance. In the second version, it says that God formed man from the dust of the ground and then breathed life into him and he became a living soul. It has been taken, if I am not mistaken, that the breath of God is the Spirit of God by the Jews. But at least, that is the way I take it.

I could go on more deeply into spiritual mysteries, but to say the least we are not a body.

[FreeBird]

[Replying to dianaiad]

Well, isn't the raindrop indeed in the image of a thunderstorm? It is, after all, water, formed from the storm.

The storm is not the image of a raindrop, nor is the raindrop the image of a thunderstorm. They are both different, individual, reactions from an action. One can occur without the other, so, they are not images of each other.

The storm is formed from the water. We can have water, in a form of light drizzle, which is not a storm (a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow). It is, after all, the storm, formed by snow; or lightning, formed from the storm.

Do you have so poor a view of humans, that deity would absolutely not choose to make us look (even a little) like Him?

The issue is not having so poor view of humans that a deity would absolutely not choose to make us look in any way close like Him.
The issue is that God created man and all life form from his image. It doesn't mean that God resembled a dinosaur, monkey, man,
apple or orange. It means that God produced a creation from what he thought it should look like, as from his
imagination (his image). We are a mere form of life on this planet, in this universe, ignorant, daydreaming, unaware, only left with a desire to understand what already has been placed for us, to explore and ponder.
God is not a man in the clouds with an eccentric imagination to ponder as we do.

[FreeBird]

[Replying to post 11 by dianaiad]

We all have an internal, mental idea of what God 'looks' like

Can you give me your idea of what God looks like?

[Willum]

[Replying to catnip]

Do you know, I need to disagree; "image" has very specific meaning in Hebrew Anciens, otherwise, they would not have specified.

Besides, they DID specify. They did not specify a rakish god with twelve arms coming out of his mouth, a puma or cow-headed god, but the did specify man.

I think the positive specification, and the negative constitutes deliberate description.

Any reason to suspect otherwise?

It is re-enforced by the proscription against graven images; those might not look like god, but some Tom, Dick or Joshua.

[1213]

Do humans look like God?

Bible says God is spirit:

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.
John 4:24

If we are images of God, then we are images spiritually. But does spirit have nose for example? Probably not physical nose.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 16 by 1213]

An ALL POWERFUL SPIRIT can have physical form without missing a beat or contraicting whatever definition of spirit you wish to use.

Why does nobody get the concept of all powerful?
It means god can be a spirit man, be the universe, be dry water, anything or nothing, certainly defy any parameters man, or even himself places on himself.

Why do you keep having conversations like this when omnipotence is at play?

You wish to say God doesn't look human despite it saying so very plainly, because it contradicts another ephemeral belief, but omnipotence goes way beyond belief, and according to most Christian beliefs beyond comprehension as well.

So take a step back and tell us how you can make the previous claim in terms of omnipotence and ineffability.

[FreeBird]

[Replying to post 11 by dianaiad]

We all have an internal, mental idea of what God 'looks' like...
I not only believe that we are made in His image, we are actually, quite literally, spiritually, His offspring.

You have not given me a vision of what your mental idea of what God looks like, is. I have no mental idea of what God looks like.
If you're telling me that God has human qualities, such as muscles, a digestive system, moving bowels, lungs to breath, a heart to pump blood, a penis to urinate and ejaculate sperm (when fully erected), reproduce with a female, regardless if she's still a virgin or not, then you are awfully confused about the Abrahamic God.
Does your god, whom you are an offspring of, have a naval? He seems to have every characteristics of man, as an image of himself.
Give me a vision of this man-like god. Is he White, Black, Asian, or other?

[Zzyzx]

.
How could anyone even pretend to know what "God" looks like (or doesn't look like)?

On what would that "knowledge" be based?

[catnip]

[Replying to post 16 by 1213]

An ALL POWERFUL SPIRIT can have physical form without missing a beat or contraicting whatever definition of spirit you wish to use.

Why does nobody get the concept of all powerful?
It means god can be a spirit man, be the universe, be dry water, anything or nothing, certainly defy any parameters man, or even himself places on himself.

Where do you get this idea? Why does "all powerful" equate with pantheism?

Why do you keep having conversations like this when omnipotence is at play?

Interesting that! It is a claim about God that creates a paradox and this was discussed way back when by Aquinas and Maimonides. You will never see me use the word.

You wish to say God doesn't look human despite it saying so very plainly, because it contradicts another ephemeral belief, but omnipotence goes way beyond belief, and according to most Christian beliefs beyond comprehension as well.

1) Even if the Christian New Testament did not state explicitly that God is Spirit numerous times, the very early parts of Genesis wouldn't be convincing.
2) Not all of us believe in a literal reading of the book. In the tradition of the church, this is not true. Even Pope Clement complained about the difficulty in the process of teaching about the scriptures. I would further point out that my faith is not in the book nor do I mistake believing in the scriptures to equate to having faith.

Who is it that makes a big deal about omnipotence, anyway?

So take a step back and tell us how you can make the previous claim in terms of omnipotence and ineffability.

Ineffable I have no problem with. It says, in short, that saying God is omnipotent is a weird thing to claim. What I wonder is what this has to do with creating God in man's image?