Is God a person ?

We always think of God as a type of person or personality, but I wonder if the whole concept is off. Could God be a Force that we all are a part of ? Maybe we are all the same thing, and in a sense we are all aspects of God. Like billions of cells make up the body, then maybe all of creation is a part of the bigger body which is God.

Originally posted by buckky
We always think of God as a type of person or personality, but I wonder if the whole concept is off. Could God be a Force that we all are a part of ? Maybe we are all the same thing, and in a sense we are all aspects of God. Like billions of cells make up the body, then maybe all of creation is a part of the bigger body which is God.

Let me get you a God-shaped shoehorn and we'll see.

Originally posted by buckky
We always think of God as a type of person or personality, but I wonder if the whole concept is off. Could God be a Force that we all are a part of ? Maybe we are all the same thing, and in a sense we are all aspects of God. Like billions of cells make up the body, then maybe all of creation is a part of the bigger body which is God.

God is a metaphor.

Originally posted by buckky
We always think of God as a type of person or personality, but I wonder if the whole concept is off. Could God be a Force that we all are a part of ? Maybe we are all the same thing, and in a sense we are all aspects of God. Like billions of cells make up the body, then maybe all of creation is a part of the bigger body which is God.

Wouldn't that make us on a higher level of being then God ?

I mean what force is greater than human personality ?
The force of gravity is a tremendous force. But I think the phenomenon of life and personality is higher.'

The forces of electricity, radiation, magnetism are wonderful. I don't think they are as wonderful as the force of life and personality.

For a time I thought of God in this way. But as a force this God was below me. I was a higher order of being.

I cannot read the Bible and retain such a thought of God as a impersonal vibration of force. It just doesn't allow me to retain that kind of idea about God.

And though I may give lip service to a God that is a force or vibration, within I cannot respect such a God as too high.

So I come back to God manifest in the flesh in the Person of Jesus Christ as the revelation of God.

Originally posted by buckky
We always think of God as a type of person or personality, but I wonder if the whole concept is off. Could God be a Force that we all are a part of ? Maybe we are all the same thing, and in a sense we are all aspects of God. Like billions of cells make up the body, then maybe all of creation is a part of the bigger body which is God.

Yep. You're on the right track .

Us humans have had a tendency to personalize God, which is good for introducing children to the concept,(ie.if they ask. Don't force it on them), but ultimately God is not a person. The sooner we realize this, the sooner we arrive at the right "ball park" .From then on its just a lot of fine tuning...

Originally posted by buckky
We always think of God as a type of person or personality, but I wonder if the whole concept is off. Could God be a Force that we all are a part of ? Maybe we are all the same thing, and in a sense we are all aspects of God. Like billions of cells make up the body, then maybe all of creation is a part of the bigger body which is God.

I think the anthropomorphism of God is one of the most laughable aspects of religion.
Firstly, He is not "He" because gender is useless to a single entity with no need for sexual reproduction. Why would God have a sex?

Secondly, you are right. "He" appears to have various human characteristics such as anger, a need for love/ devotion, compassion, an ego, etc etc. Why?

Could this suggest that man created God (using his limited imagination and boundless arrogance) rather than God creating man?

Shock horror!!

Is man one of God's blunders, or is God one of man's blunders?

Friedrich Nietzsche

If by God you mean the father of Jesus christ and not Vishnu or Ra, then yes God is a person.
And i hope it's not a blasphemy to mention he's a bit overweight.

YouTube

Originally posted by twiceaknight
I think the anthropomorphism of God is one of the most laughable aspects of religion.
Firstly, He is not "He" because gender is useless to a single entity with no need for sexual reproduction. Why would God have a sex?

Secondly, you are right. "He" appears to have various human characteristics such as anger, a need for love/ devotion, compassion, a ...[text shortened]... imited imagination and boundless arrogance) rather than God creating man?

Shock horror!!

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I think the anthropomorphism of God is one of the most laughable aspects of religion.
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Why is it laughable ?

When Genesis says that God made man in His own image, it put man apart from all other creatures on eath to which such was not said. How do you explain that there is nothing else like a human being on the planet ?

Do you also get a laugh when you think of the uniqueness of human beings ? Do you laugh at the fact that as unique as chimps or dolphins may be they still do not campare to humans?

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Firstly, He is not "He" because gender is useless to a single entity with no need for sexual reproduction. Why would God have a sex?
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That doesn't bother me too much because there are some feminine word pictures in the Hebrew which assign female characteristics to God. For example El Shadai really contains a Hebrew word picture of a large breasted female. The All sufficient one carries this picture of a female with large and ample mammary glands.

I would have to admit that the very creation of man and woman is not a human idea that we can credit humans with. Whoever the Creator is what constitutes the characteristics of a man or a women came out of that divine wisdom. If the Bible uses "He" alot, "He" obviously responsible for the design of all the "he's" and "she's".


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Secondly, you are right. "He" appears to have various human characteristics such as anger, a need for love/ devotion, compassion, an ego, etc etc. Why?

Could this suggest that man created God (using his limited imagination and boundless arrogance) rather than God creating man?

Shock horror!!
================================

Men imagine God to be this or that. I don't make a generalization about that that therefore God is illusionary and a invention of men.

I carefully separate God's revelation from men's imagination. I think that there can be a discerning of the two one from another.

I think one should be careful of blanket statements and jumping to conclusions on broad brushed generalizations.

Originally posted by jaywill
[b]====================================
I think the anthropomorphism of God is one of the most laughable aspects of religion.
=================================

Why is it laughable ?

When Genesis says that God made man in His own image, it put man apart from all other creatures on eath to which such was not said. How do you explain ...[text shortened]... lanket statements and jumping to conclusions on broad brushed generalizations.[/b]

wait a minute, are you saying that God made man in his own image, therefore God looks like a person, with legs and arms and everything? Or am i missing the point?

Originally posted by twiceaknight
wait a minute, are you saying that God made man in his own image, therefore God looks like a person, with legs and arms and everything? Or am i missing the point?

I understand image there a little differently. I think an analogy could be between a glove and a human hand.

Spiritually and metaphysically man is in a kind of "God shaped" design. Just like when you look at a glove with five fingers and a thumb you could say "Hey, I see a hand" in a similar when we look at man (not merely in a physical sense) we may say "I see God".

Man in the image of God means to me that man is a vessel meant to contain someone who "fits" very comfortably and neatly into his "shape". Man is a "God shaped" metaphysical and spiritual "vessel".

No other creature on earth has this kind of design.

I would not take man made in God's image in too superfiscial a way as to indicate, two eyes, a nose, two arms, etc. I think the Bible has something more profound in mind there.

I would add that after many years of Bible study, I still have a long way to go get into its profound depths. I am opened to hear another view.

The New Testament does say that Christ is the image of the invisible God. So to be made in the image of God should also mean that man is made according to what Christ is. Yet Christ was a man - God incarnated as a man.

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation" (Col. 1:25)

" ... the Son ... Who, being the effulgence of His [God's] glory and the impress of His substance ...." (See Heb. 1:2,3)

Somehow I think what God meant by "human being" is seen in Jesus Christ the Son of God. Christ exemplifies normality. We may consider Christ an enigma. Actually, it is Jesus Christ Who represents what is normal and we all have become fallen from this standard and need His salvation.


But it is not easy for me to understand all of this.

Originally posted by buckky
We always think of God as a type of person or personality, but I wonder if the whole concept is off. Could God be a Force that we all are a part of ? Maybe we are all the same thing, and in a sense we are all aspects of God. Like billions of cells make up the body, then maybe all of creation is a part of the bigger body which is God.

Is Goddess a person?

We are all a party of Life's longing for itself. It is women who multiply the cells within! We just sperm them.

We are one. How dare we, in this day and age, be sexist! 😠

Originally posted by jaywill
I understand image there a little differently. I think an analogy could be between a glove and a human hand.

Spiritually and metaphysically man is in a kind of "God shaped" design. Just like when you look at a glove with five fingers and a thumb you could say "Hey, I see a hand" in a similar when we look at man (not merely in a physical sense) we may sa ...[text shortened]... His salvation.


But it is not easy for me to understand all of this.

Respect to you for trying, but you are not sure are you.

This is what I find laughable about the idea that God looks like a person, it's just silly and I think you agree. A lot of people have never considered this. If "He" is omnipresent, he presumably has no physical form other than possibly the shape of the universe which "He" occupies in it's entirety.

The glove analogy was a sterling effort (thanks) but sadly failed to clarify things for me.

This area of religion, you must admit, is full of confusion, contradiction and impossibility. You who have studied it for many years are still unsure. Actually I find the issue very interesting because I enjoy unanswerable questions.

God is a bachlor who is lonely and wants to be married.

In the eternal future God's wife is a corporate female New Jerusalem.

In other words the culmination of human history is discribed in the Bible as a collective, aggregate, corporate female as a Bride and Wife of God.

"And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her hushband." (Rev. 21:2)

"And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. HER light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal." (21:10,11)

"And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the BRIDE, the WIFE of the Lamb." (21:9)

"And the Spirit and the BRIDE say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who is thristy come; lethim whowills take the water of life freely." (22:17)

"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This joy of mine therefore is made full." (John 3:29)

In the consummation of man's history collectively humanity becomes a big female. God is the male, the bridegroom and husband in this eternal romance.

Originally posted by twiceaknight
Respect to you for trying, but you are not sure are you.

This is what I find laughable about the idea that God looks like a person, it's just silly and I think you agree. A lot of people have never considered this. If "He" is omnipresent, he presumably has no physical form other than possibly the shape of the universe which "He" occupies in it's ent ...[text shortened]... unsure. Actually I find the issue very interesting because I enjoy unanswerable questions.

As we have come to understand what it means to have personage, God is a person.

We've all had folks to whom we were close die. What made them them? Was it their body type, physical characteristics? Vocabulary, intellect, turn of a phrase? Without considering the possibility of their continued soul existence, when we consider them, are we not considering their personage as it was expressed within the tent of physical existence? When that tent is altered, changed, or no longer animated, do we not consider that it was animated? Whence cometh said animation?

God does not need a body to express His personage, but has donned a robe of humanity in order to execute His plan--- we call that person Jesus Christ. It is difficult for us to think in terms of a non-physical existence, but we intuitively know it exists... at least in theory. Outside the realm of Christianity, entire religions and self-improvement systems have been laboring mightily to achieve a status of mind over matter.

Christianity informs us that it's not just a theory, it is reality. Beyond the shadow of physical existence, a Mind has personally engaged us.

God is spirit.

When the book of Genesis spoke of God initiating the creation of man by the use of the term, "Let us make man in our own image," He was referring to the soul expression of Himself, not a physical similarity. Dirt, time, and etc., are simply the mode God used to tell the story. Sure, He could have used hand-puppets or cartoon characters, but He didn't. I'm okay with His chosen medium. Quite frankly, I can't think of a better one... but then again, I'm not the most imaginative guy, either.