why we think god in humanoid form

[rajanpunj]

why dont we think god in a form which is beyond perception by our senses

[MarcusOfLycia]

Well... there's two parts to this.

1. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Read the Gospels (the entire New Testament actually) to see the foundation for the idea that we need a Savior who is a man and yet who is God.

2. God is spirit, and not 'humanoid'. As human beings are created in God's image, that begs the question as to what exactly the statement means. It really comes down to the fact that He is a Person, and we are persons. Person implies personality, love, feeling, free will, etc.

As far as him being 'beyond our senses', He really is bigger than our senses. Sometimes, He's a lot bigger than our reasoning, our logic, our sense of what should happen, etc. That's something Christians kind of already accept, unless I'm misinterpreting you.

However, now I'm curious; what exactly made you ask the question?

[Katabole]

Hi rajanpunj,

We don't think of God in a form which is beyond perception to our senses because God revealed Himself through His Son to be perceived by our senses, otherwise, God would not be understandable.

I believe that in the beginning, God did not have a humanoid form but he took upon Himself a form or image and from this form He made us, as He says, in His own image.

Dt 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God. (KJV)

Hb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

In the Book of Revelation, John the writer of the book, sees Christ in a humanoid form in that dimension:

Rev 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Rev 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

Rev 1:14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

Rev 1:15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

If the eyes are the window of the soul, then this being, Christ, that John saw, had eyes that were as a flame of fire and His body shone like the sun because our God is a consuming fire. It certainly sounds like a being in humanoid form with a head, hair, arms, legs and feet. I think to stand in the presence of such a being would be completely and utterly intimidating. And from John's description, he echoes my sentiment because he fell at His feet as if dead. God also revealed Himself to Moses as a burning bush that did not burn up, again, in the form of a fire.

The Christian God, the God of the Bible wants to have a relationship with His creation. For Him to appear as something completely alien or a monstrosity, is not in the character of the God revealed in scripture.

[rajanpunj]

answers from both the friends lack scientific evidence. if i start saying that i am god and have few friends who are willing to propagate this idea and somebody who has not seen me starts writing imaginative but practical theories which are soothing to hear,does this make me god or son of god? if yes then all of us are as much god as jesus was. anybody who does something to improve the quality of human life and advocates procedures to sooth human mind and produces a sought of revolution becomes a god and or is immortal. i see no difference in jesus, buddha, krishna and mohammad.

[Canuckster1127]

answers from both the friends lack scientific evidence. if i start saying that i am god and have few friends who are willing to propagate this idea and somebody who has not seen me starts writing imaginative but practical theories which are soothing to hear,does this make me god or son of god? if yes then all of us are as much god as jesus was. anybody who does something to improve the quality of human life and advocates procedures to sooth human mind and produces a sought of revolution becomes a god and or is immortal. i see no difference in jesus, buddha, krishna and mohammad.

That's a speculative conclusion on your part. I'd be inclined to give what you say some credence if it weren't for the fact that of the "few friends", many suffered martyrdom for their belief when all they had to do was recant. That's not quite as casual a belief as you wish to imply.

What "scientific evidence" would satisfy you in this regard?

I see many differences between Jesus, Buddha, Krishna and Mohammed. Of them, Jesus is the only one who claimed to be God, and presented Himself as the means to reconcile God and Man. All others are religious systems based upon performance.

Anyway, thanks for your opinion on the matter (which itself for some reason isn't scientific either ....

[Katabole]

Hi rajanpunj,

You did not ask for any scientific evidence in your initial question, otherwise I would have just pointed you to the many liks on this site with vast amounts of scientific evidence. Btw, nice answer Canuckster

Rajanpunj, if Jesus had been born into the Hindu culture of the past or present, for Him to claim that He is God would be no big deal for many have claimed that they were gods in that culture.

Jesus was born into the Israelite culture, a culture where they worshipped only one God. For Jesus to claim that He was God (which He did), in this culture, it was either total blasphemy and a breaking of the first commandment of the Israelite law for which he was condemned to death, or Jesus was telling the truth and that He was God, the only Son of God. You decide.

[rajanpunj]

Hi rajanpunj,

You did not ask for any scientific evidence in your initial question, otherwise I would have just pointed you to the many liks on this site with vast amounts of scientific evidence. Btw, nice answer Canuckster

Rajanpunj, if Jesus had been born into the Hindu culture of the past or present, for Him to claim that He is God would be no big deal for many have claimed that they were gods in that culture.

Jesus was born into the Israelite culture, a culture where they worshipped only one God. For Jesus to claim that He was God (which He did), in this culture, it was either total blasphemy and a breaking of the first commandment of the Israelite law for which he was condemned to death, or Jesus was telling the truth and that He was God, the only Son of God. You decide.

it is we the people who made humans the gods. mythology is like poetry, where points are conveyed in a language which can penetrate human mind. unless people around jesus made him god nobody would have listened to them. to bring a social reform that was a need to make him a god. i still have lots of rgards for jesus, because the kind of reforms in society he could made is just amazing. he changed the picture of world altogether over a period of time and made him immortal which is comparable to god. same words stand true for many a demi gods in hindu culture, buddha and mohhamad.

[jlay]

Raj,

I recommend reading Ravi Zacharias' book:
Jesus Among Other Gods

If you are sincere about understanding the answer to the questions you posit, it will clear up most everything you bring up and much more.

i see no difference in jesus, buddha, krishna and mohammad.

A major difference is that except for Jesus, none of these men lived up to the standard that they taught.

[rajanpunj]

i will definitely read the recommended book, thanks. i would suggest you go through gita, quoran and buddhist philosophy. i would personnaly like to have broader outlook but concerted steps towards god.

[SnowDrops]

I don't think of God as a person. I picture Him as a vague white form in heaven, that's it. God Himself said not to make an image of Him (I'm looking at you, Michaelangelo ) As for us being created in His image, that has more to do with morals and personality, etc. If that was about our physical body, then that could only be true for men or women, not both as the Bible claims. Huh? God isn't male or female, He's a spirit. We say He because we don't have a word for... wait And we don't refer to Him as She so it wouldn't be too confusing.

[neo-x]

it is we the people who made humans the gods. mythology is like poetry, where points are conveyed in a language which can penetrate human mind. unless people around jesus made him god nobody would have listened to them. to bring a social reform that was a need to make him a god.

They made him god still only a hand full listened . you are evaluating a religion using a close proximity of logical positivism. The problem with your argument is, Jesus is a myth, which is not true. There was no social reform needed. The Jews were in slavery, a social reform would have had political consequences. but none of that happened.

No one made Buddha or Muhammad, immortal much less any stone figures in Hinduism. There are a lot of holes in those philosophies.

[rainagain]

Don't forget when Christ transfigured Himself on the Mount, there's your physical image.

Remember when He healed the blind man? He spat in the dust, made clay, applied it to the man's eyes, and asked, "What do you see?"

"I see men, walking about as trees."
Uh-huh....
Repeat the spit/clay process, reapply. Now the blind man sees 'normally'.

Did God really not get it right the first time? Or did He give the blind man full vision. Could he perhaps see men, but also their spiritual emanations too? It wasn't an accident, it's in there for a reason.

We have bodies, and spirits.