EvC Forum: The validity of an Anthropomorphic God

this version of God is held within the Bible and in sermons I imagine.

Why do you imagine it, don’t you know for sure?

In the book of Genesis it is said that God created man in his image. This can be interpreted various ways and I do not want to direct this topic into what we think this means.

So why mention it?

I believe that if God exists it cannot be apart (sic) of this system. We are but creatures that exist and we must eat, we must sleep,

Didn’t God also eat in the Old Testament?

and to an extent we need to be part of a routine to buy food and to have shelter to sleep in.

Ah, you mean like Queen Elizabeth? Yes I often see her down in Tesco’s getting a few supplies in.

Also, we do not always need shelter to sleep in.

But God perplexes me.

Imagine how perplexed you would be if you had a critical mind and weren’t already brainwashed?

I oft sat and questioned "Why this". I imagined the need for men to be of different cultures, traditions and territory. These men they hurt and kill each other in the name of ethnocentrism or patriotism, what have you.

Don’t forget that they also kill because God orders them to.
Remember Joshua was told to slaughter all the innocent women and children in Jericho (and the wee baby animals as well), and recently God told George Bush to invade Iraq.

I asked God why this? What is the point of this?

Did He not answer you?

It was then that I realized there is no reason.

Most sensible people would realise that this is when you should realise that there is no God.

God cannot be held within reason or logic, God cannot be defined by man.

All the mystics say that. God is ineffable. It stands to reason, God cannot be defined because that would place a limit on God. You cannot say God is love because He is meant to be more than love.

For this is my argument against an anthropomorphic God, for when one questions existence, purpose and the various properties of existence one realizes that one cannot logically reason it. God cannot be held within the parameters of human logic, for all we know is that it exists and nothing more.

The problem is though, in order to get an IDEA of what God is like we need to use language, you need to TRY and define God and then forget the characteristics of the definition because God is beyond them. But if you didn’t give a definition, no matter how short of the truth it is, then you wouldn’t have a starting point.

The impossiblity for an anthropomorphic God was easy to see for us, I raised this discussion in the middle of class mind you and my the majority of the other students had no idea what we were talking about. She had to assure them that it was related to our studies of the day.

I think everyone can see the impossibility of an anthropomorphic God, even the staunch Christian.

What you have to remember is that the people who invented God had to give Him characteristics or their audience wouldn’t understand what they were trying to describe.

Take as an example the instructions to the Israelites to make sacrifices to God. Don’t you think it is more likely that they would follow the commands to sacrifice if they it pleased God? I’d say it would, therefore the creators of God claimed that the odour pleased God, what else could they say to describe it to their audience?

As in God doesn't hear, God doesn't see, God isn't good, God cannot be reasoned or boxed in, It simply cannot be described, God doesn't exist.

These arguments are as old as the hills, there is nothing new here. Read Meister Eckhart, you are saying virtually the same as he did. Hope you aren’t plagiarising, you wont go to heaven

I have reasoned this because we are but humans and our minds are limited, the mobility of our minds are limited. We are essentially damned to think in human terms and likeness. We cannot be anything greater than what we inherently are.

I urge you to read some of the writings of the world’s mystics. Don’t limit yourself to Christian mystics because other faiths have nystics that say almost the same thing as Christian mystics do. If you would like a reading list I’d be happy to provide one.

I have always said that all we can know for sure (if one believes in a deity) is that It exists.

A bit of a foxes paw, but I am sure you realise your error here. Try to be more careful in future.

The realization that we are but humans, a limited species can often be disheartening to say the least.

It can also be very very liberating.

(But have you heard the term "ignorance is bliss"? Dylan once said that "if you're not depressed you don't have anything to say.")

But Dylan was a drug addict, probably still is a smack head and an embarrassment to the human species, so I think you should have a more moral role model.

To discuss if this view is valid or invalid this is my purpose here. I believe it is invalid, as I've said God cannot be articulated by man, God cannot be described.

You and several billion people before you I am afraid.

Brian.

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