Okay, so, these are all pictures that popped up when I simply typed "God" in the Google search bar. They all are of, obviously, God. (And one of Jesus) What do they all have in common? What single personality trait of God is shown in all of these?
Ooof, that's difficult. Let's try something easier, shall we?
Who is this?
If you don't know the answer to that one, you're lying. Better question, what is he? Well, duh, Lissa, that's Thor, the god of thunder. Everyone knows that. Okay, but what about this one:
That's Athena. She's the goddess of war and wisdom. Give me challenge, here.
Okay, that's not fair. That's an anime character. Alright, alright, it's Tenjin, the Japanese god of learning.
And that's Ra. The Ancient Egyptian god of the sun.
So, I've been having a good time reading all the other posts since everyone basically agrees that God has a sense of humor. I particularly enjoyed Clint's story and proof of God's sense of humor. And, through reading all of these, we've all been arriving to the same question (many of us attempting to answer it, too. (over-achievers...)): Why do we, as Christians, feel uncomfortable with the idea of a humorous God? Or, in other words, why don't we dare see him any other way than the "stoic" being?
Keeping this in mind, let's look at these pictures again. I'll ask the question again: what do all of these have in common? Let's look:
...
Let's break these down one by one now. The first one shows a gentle father, maybe? The next one a vengeful warrior? The next one a creator of humankind. The last one is just kick-butt.
Um, so, they have...uh, something in common here...
Let's try some more...(Basically my favorite results)
Yes! That receding hairline! Beautiful! Of course God is more dignified than a come-over.
This one is certainly...different. A totally unique perspective on God, and one that probably offended A LOT of Christians.
Yes. Let's admit it, this was a magnificent portrayal of God. Like Val mentioned, this portrayal shows different sides of God's personality.
So, what do these have in common? Getting frustrated yet? There may be a reason if you are.
Okay, let's look back at the gods I listed earlier. We had Thor, the god of thunder. What do we know about Thor (the myth, not the Avengers character)? Well, he has a hammer and he gets angry and he defeated the frost giants. That's 'bout it. Athena? Goddess of war and wisdom. She's smart...has a lot of pride, very wise (arguably the wisest of the gods). There's a problem here.
None of the mythical gods have three-dimensional personalities. They're all simply "the god of..." Their characters are defined by what humans associate them with.
So, y'all know where I'm going with this. God is not simply "the god of..." His personality is more than what humans have associated him with. Remember in class a while ago, Leeper had said that there isn't just one symbol for God. In Isiah, God is likened to a shepherd, a king, an avenger, and a friend, all in the same passage.
In truth, and for this reason, I, similarly to everyone else, can't see how other Christians view God as someone without a sense of humor.
However, I'm starting to understand it this way: they've only viewed God as "the god of..." The god of redemption. The god of Israel. The god of love. The god of justice. The god of humor?
What we (as flawed humans) have done is not only "put God in a box" as other blogs suggested, but simplified his personality down to the lowest denominator so we can simply understand him. A god who is literally three-dimensional (Holy Trinity, anyone?)! We've all forgotten exactly who god is.
So let's try this again (last time, I promise):
What do these have in common? Do you have your final answer? Lock it in.
My answer (not necessarily meaning it's the right one (not necessarily meaning there is a right answer)):
1. It's a trick question. They don't have anything in common. Or, at least, God is portrayed differently in each one. So, wait, even though we've all simplified God, we've still somehow portrayed him differently? Each artist had a different vision of what God was truly like. And I think that's absolutely beautiful. And, I'm starting to think that maybe, if we all, humanity, work together, share our visions, our relationships with God, maybe we'll come to a closer understanding of who he really is.
2. There is an answer. I already answered it from the beginning. Each one has God in common. These images are how each artist saw God. These are God. And that is beautiful, too. We all see God differently, but, that doesn't mean that there's only one way. It means we're all seeing a different part of God. A different side.
So, maybe the version of God you see is different than mine. Maybe he doesn't pick on you, laugh with you, support you the way he does me. Maybe you can't imagine a God like that. The way I can't imagine a God who I can't honestly tell my problems to late at night. But, maybe, that doesn't mean only one of us is right. I know I don't see God the way Jesus did, since, let's face it, I'm not Jesus. However, we both love God.
We all love God. Every part of him. Just like he loves us all. How freaking beautiful is that? That's the God we all love, people. He isn't simply "the god of..." He is our God. He belongs to us. His image ours to imagine. His personality ours to try to understand. And we are his. Our image his to mold. Our personalities to create. Our souls to love for all eternity.
If God made us all individual snowflakes, then of course we're all going to fall in a different path. We're all going to fall, seeing the world from a different point of view. Seeing God from a different angle. How do you see God? Comment and let me know!
So, closing statement: as Leeper said, it will take so many different symbols (though he doesn't seem to like the word "symbol") to explain God.
For once a thousand pictures are worth one word: God.
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