Is this what he looks like?
Can anyone believe in a very old man on a cloud these days?No real believer EVER thinks of God like that. But back in history some of our big-name artists were expected to paint murals and canvasses with images of God. How could they illustrate an almighty and all-powerful being?
When Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (it took him four years from 1508 to 1512) he painted God as a huge, powerful and elderly human. The enlargement above shows God creating the sun!
And this, from the same place, is God, with angels, creating Adam.
And this, from the same place, is God, with angels, creating Adam.
Can you find it in the main ceiling picture? It was the best they could imagine; and certainly the only way they could think of painting God.
So, is this what he looks like?
Of course not; but it might give some clues about God. It's a picture, an attempt to communicate a supernatural idea to an insignificant human.
When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places; what are human beings, that you think of them; mere mortals, that you care for them?
Spookily the "pod" which God is sitting in is in the shape of a human brain...
A picture of God the super-brain! But to really answer your question, you need to become a goldfish!
Not much better than a pigeon! You're joking again!
Nice bowl; lovely green plastic plant things.
So the bowl is your "universe" - how ever hard you try you cannot get through the glass! But things happen outside your little glass universe. Strange blobby creatures move about. (you've got very poor eyesight) And you depend on those creatures for your food. Your "god" creatures even keep your universe clean and fill it with fresh water. You might even be given a plastic rock to hide behind! Your "gods" are good and generous!
So God is, like, outside our universe?
Outside our universe; not part of our apace and time, which he then "created". To us, scientifically, it would "appear" OUT OF NOTHING! He made our "goldfish bowl" and he offers to care for us. Because God is just too big a concept for our tiny human minds we give Him human charcteristics. There is a posh word for that; it's:-
Anthropomorhism
The very wise old man idea might be all right for mediaeval paintings, but perhaps pictures of magnificence; power; beauty; rich colours and especially love; give a better idea of God.
There's nothing particularly unscientific about wierd non-human dimensions and multiple universes.
Maybe I can understand that idea - just about!
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In order to grapple with the complex questions in the "Bible versus Science" debate, we are presenting infromation in the form of a conversation between an enquiring and intelligent teenager (yes, they do exist) and a reasonably knowledgeable adult; an uncle, a teacher or a Church minister. The teenager's words are shown in BLUE, the adult's in normal font. Quotations from the Bible are shown in RED as below.
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The following words are from one of the great pop songs of ancient Israel : in the bible it is called Psalm 36.
How precious, O God, is your constant love! We find protection under the shadow of your wings. We feast on the abundant food you provide; you let us drink from the river of your goodness. You are the source of all life and because of your light we see the light.
Next Bible Blog : Sunday 16th September
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