Does it say in the bible anywhere that God was an old white man?
2007-11-21 14:41:17 · 48 answers · asked by Small Victories 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Does it say anywhere in the Bible that he isn't?
2007-11-21 14:43:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
God is a Trinity of three Persons. Only one of Them has a body: Jesus. So there is no basis for viewing God as an old white man. I think this is just a popular myth about what we believe.
People who mention Michaelangelo probably have put their finger on the reason. I think Michaelangelo depicted God as old because being old represented wisdom, and God has an infinite amount of wisdom. Michaelangelo could illustrate certain religious concepts (such as God creating Adam) by painting Him in the form of a man. How could he depict God as a spirit? That would be much harder.
Jesus was only 33 when He rose into heaven, so He was NOT an old man in appearance at all.
So I think it's mostly a popular conception based on some artistic representations, and it has no biblical basis. As mentioned, Jesus was middle eastern, so had the appearance of a middle easterner, not a "white man".
The person who mentioned that God had hair like wool is forgetting that some wool is black. ;) Actually, there is no such thing as race. We are all of one blood. Some of us have darker skin than others, and if your parents and grandparents have a certain color of skin, you probably will, too. But since we are told that only eight people survived Noah's flood, all of the different skin colors had to come from those eight people. I think it was Ken Ham who said once there are only four different skin tones, and any one set of parents COULD have genes that would yield children with each of those tones.
2007-11-21 15:44:02 · answer #2 · answered by Pat G 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most of the earlier depictions of characters in the bible have always been shown as white while in fact they are from different nations including, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, etc. God being depicted as a older white man merely shows that we believe God to be a wise and mature man thus the rendering of an elderly man. Yes it does sound sort of racial in some means but again we are looking at characters of the bible of the Hebrew nation mostly. It does not say it anywhere in the bible that God was a man whether white or black but that God created man in his image. Thus believing that Adam and Eve were white everyone assumes that God too was white.
2007-11-21 14:50:24 · answer #3 · answered by Gypsy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think it says anywhere He is an old white man. That is just the was artist decided to paint him because that is what they knew from their imagination.
Try checking out Ezekiel chapter 1, it has a great description of angels and verse 26 has a description of how Ezekiel saw God.
2007-11-21 14:49:55 · answer #4 · answered by 9_ladydi 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God was depicted that way in some paintings, but I don't think most Christians view God as an old white man.
2007-11-21 14:44:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Why do so many people think that just because the media portrays certain certain Christian concepts (like God being an old white guy) that all Christians have that same view?
Just because YOU think that all Christians see God as old and white doesn't mean that WE see him that way.
2007-11-21 14:48:14 · answer #6 · answered by William D 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
White people have dominated Christianity as it spread out of Rome and to the west. White men have historically felt superior and therefore, since God created man in His image, white man created God in white man's image.
2007-11-21 14:50:24 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know where Christians view God as an old white
man. We only know the scriptures say, "if you've seen
me (Christ), you've seen the Father. Many people did see
Christ during the 33 years He lived on earth. He was a
Jew (not White), and probably resembles His Father (God)
as children today sometimes resemble their earthly father.
2007-11-21 14:55:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its just the way that he is portrayed...paintings, sculptures, statues, pictures and so on... I've always thought he was "an old white man". I questioned it when I was younger but everyone was like "Super PI (not going to use my real name) why in heavens are you questioning this. Little girls don't do that.”. So I just had to keep my mouth shut. Oh I left the Catholic church when I was 13.
2007-11-22 02:34:36 · answer #9 · answered by Super PI 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Um no one really noes what he looks like. And Christians see him as a guy with a brown hair and a big beard, i have never seen an "old white man" but maybe u have seen it in pictures.
2007-11-23 01:44:57 · answer #10 · answered by Mari 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why do you assume we all view God as an old white man?
2007-11-21 14:44:39 · answer #11 · answered by Smeather 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋