If God really was a rock

I don't know if it comes with aging and maturity or if something else is happening.

When I was a child I held an image in my mind of a God that resembled an old white male with long white hair and a long white beard. He had a rosy complexion and a beatific smile. My mind held images of Jesus was just a very young version of this man.

Now I can not hold an image of God or Jesus in my mind. All pictures that I see of Jesus and of God seem some how inaccurate. And though I can appreciate the sentiment I completely reject the image.

I have no clue to what God looks like and I have no better knowledge of what Jesus looked like either. I have just reached a point in my life were I don’t care.

Does it matter if God is a beautiful aged man, woman or looks like a tree?

Would it change how you feel about him? What if he is wizened and ugly? What if he resembled something that you have learned to fear or reject?

Does God have to look the way you want him to look?

This is not a question about religious belief or even if you believe.

I guess it is more a question about how you form your beliefs.

I feel that the first mistake in our understanding of spirituality is to try and associate such with visual imagery.
We try and associate "GOD" with what we think "GOD"should look like.
When in reality, "GOD" may have no form at all.
We were allegedly created in "GOD'S" image, but look at the source of that thought. A (man) writing the "BOOK" would have wanted to try and understand where we came from, and the first place to look would be ourselves, a reflection, so to speak.
Yet man none the less.

The closest way I might imaging "GOD" is as I might imagine the universe in it's entirety, including everything from the sub atomic level to the farthest reaches of the 11 known dimensions.
How does one imagine, a consciousness?
How does one imagine love or hope or compassion.
All we know is the feeling, and one cannot place those with an actual image.
"GOD" is the same.
When we stop superimposing what we think, "GOD" should look like, maybe we will be off to a good start.

We are much more than we can understand, and in realizing that, can we imagine what else there is.

reply to post by SpiritoftheNightSky


Very good subject. My sister believes she can find God in a tree, or anywhere else she looks, However, she doesn't find God within.

That was just an aside thought.

Next door to me live an old couple, they are of the Pentacostal persuasion. They are very strict in their beliefs in God, and quite steadfast when it comes to different ideas and opinions. They have a granddaughter who visits from time to time. She is 10 years old. The other day we were talking about God, and what God might look like, Her opinion is that God looks like whatever the beholder is comfortable with seeing. She and I are of the same opinion. She asked me to paint a picture of God for her. I did. It's not like she was wanting. She wanted a picture that just showed a bright light where God's face would be, with a man looking at God and being surprised at what he saw. I liked this idea. And so I painted a painting. It's surely nothing like she seemed to imagine, nor is it what I foresaw as I considered God's appearance with her. But, I painted God as I saw God at the time I was actually painting. I think she will be happy with the results.

But, hey, God as a rock. Hmm.......I thought St. Peter was "the Rock". lol

Well, according to most religions, God isn't a man. It's not that God is Jesus; but that Jesus was supposed to be God, born as a man on earth. Since Jesus the man died, God is no longer in that human form. That's my understanding of the Christian teaching, anyway.

According to most religions, God is beyond the ability of humans to comprehend. Some religions say that God has human traits like jealousy and anger and love, but others say that God is beyond that. To my understanding, no religion literally believes that God is some old guy with a beard and long hair. That's more or less an artistic or poetic way of representing Him, something like putting wings on angels to symbolize their mobility.

I have heard it said that if you can imagine what God is, that's not God, because God is beyond the power of our minds to conceive of Him.

no it doesnt. in fact hes not supposed to be an image of anything.

Originally posted by SpiritoftheNightSky

Does God have to look the way you want him to look?

Doesn't every imaginary friend have their own unique characteristics..?


Mr. Potato Head and his interchangeable parts isn't a stellar example, but you get the picture...have fun!

reply to post by reticledc


I think that you are right. By trying to attach an image to God you limit what he/she/it is.

If God is truly the creator of everything he/she/it would either have to look like everything or nothing.

reply to post by SpiritoftheNightSky


I suggest that, instead of having to look like anything, try to conceptualize what being without limitation is.
Does love have an image?
Besides our own opinion on what love is, there is no way to visualize, love.
To me, I might see love as my wife, to others, their children, to others still, their pets, to even more, their hobbies, or even their locations.
It's visually, different for everyone.
The feeling is the same though.
How do you describe that feeling?
Man has been trying in every way imaginable to do that since the dawn pf recorded history, and before.

Just imagine the enormity of trying to describe EVERYTHING, which is what one is doing when trying to describe "GOD".
We may have come from somewhere else at one point, but as for now, we lack the ability to conceptualize anything beyond what our five senses tell us.

Not to mention, every single language and culture has their own way of thinking and coming to conclusions, which may totally contradict, anything that doesn't fall into the realm of their own philosophy.

I always imagined, how would human beings communicate if we had no language, no symbolism, no forms of sensory communication whatsoever.
Would we simple cease to exist, because we have no way to perceive the universe, or would we find other ways we are not even capable of comprehending?

A quote from Joe Mrshalla, PHD
from this thread
3 areas of knowing
#1, that which we know we know
ex:: we know how to tie our shoes, etc...
#2, that which we know what we don't know
ex: the escape velocity of a rocket, etc...
#3, that which we don't know that we don't know
ex: if you don't know that you do not know it then how could you possible fear it?