How do you like to visualize God?

Before I begin, let me point out the spectrum of belief everyone falls into: A gnostic theist is one who claims to know God exists. A gnostic atheist is someone who claims to know God does not exist. An agnostic theist is someone who believes there is a God but does not state it for a fact. An agnostic atheist (which is what I am) is someone who does not believe in God but does not state it for a fact.

So if you are a gnostic atheist, this thread is not for you. Now with that out of the way, how do you like to visualize God? I see that there are 3 ways. If you know other ways, tell me.

The first way is the man in the sky version. I know nobody knows what God looks like but they would like to think of him as a Gandalf figure on a balcony looking down upon his creation and pointing his finger to wherever he desires to intervene or create. This version can be both polytheistic and monotheistic. That's overly simplistic, but that's generally how some like to do it.

The second is the deist version. In this version our universe is a marble in a much bigger reality, in which the creator of the marble does not know and does not care for the affairs of humans. This one also would be the best way to justify polytheism. Again, that's overly simplistic, but that's generally how it is viewed.

The third is my favorite and the one I would like to believe personally. I don't have a name for this version. In this version God is a formless energy that has a consciousness. This invisible force is everywhere, including between my hands and this keyboard. This invisible force creates and destroys as well as distributes karma. This version is the strongest case for monotheism.

So if you are open to the idea of the existence of a higher power, what do you like to think it is?

 

I tend to thing that God is beyond our ability to visualize at this point.

To think we could possibly grasp something like a God (people don't really understand what a concept that is) is just silly. All we have are a few pages written down explaining Him when it could probably fill thousands of volumes in reality.

This is a force that can create anything, do anything it wants on scales we can't even imagine and has invited us in to be part of it.

To me, that is an undeserved gift and something I would never turn away.

 

I don't rule out the possibility of an indifferent deity, but I believe the universe and nature are unconscience forces. I accept highly scrutinized science as our best knowledge and hypothesis for our existence.

 

I don't visualize or think about this gawd at all. My basic premise is that I don't care and have seen no evidence of such an entity.

 

I think the whole idea of gods is meaningless, if there were such things it would be so far beyond our understanding as to make any visualisation pointless.

 

The OP states this thread is not for people like you.

No reason for you to respond to it.

 

Agreed here. A force that has the power to create the entire universe is beyond comprehension for mere mortals. We can only grasp small pieces of the whole much like the story of the blind men and the elephant.

Spoiler: The Elephant and the Blind Men

https://www.jainworld.com/literature/story25.htm

ELEPHANT AND THE BLIND MEN

Once upon a time, there lived six blind men in a village. One day the villagers told them, "Hey, there is an elephant in the village today."

They had no idea what an elephant is. They decided, "Even though we would not be able to see it, let us go and feel it anyway." All of them went where the elephant was. Everyone of them touched the elephant.

​

"Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man who touched his leg.

"Oh, no! it is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.

"Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.

"It is like a big hand fan" said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.

"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.

"It is like a solid pipe," Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.

They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right. It looked like they were getting agitated. A wise man was passing by and he saw this. He stopped and asked them, "What is the matter?" They said, "We cannot agree to what the elephant is like." Each one of them told what he thought the elephant was like. The wise man calmly explained to them, "All of you are right. The reason every one of you is telling it differently because each one of you touched the different part of the elephant. So, actually the elephant has all those features what you all said."

"Oh!" everyone said. There was no more fight. They felt happy that they were all right.

The moral of the story is that there may be some truth to what someone says. Sometimes we can see that truth and sometimes not because they may have different perspective which we may not agree too. So, rather than arguing like the blind men, we should say, "Maybe you have your reasons." This way we don’t get in arguments. In Jainism, it is explained that truth can be stated in seven different ways. So, you can see how broad our religion is. It teaches us to be tolerant towards others for their viewpoints. This allows us to live in harmony with the people of different thinking. This is known as the Syadvada, Anekantvad, or the theory of Manifold Predictions.

 

OK so I don't know who to respond to in particular. The reason I started this thread is because different religions and beliefs have different concepts of who or what God is. With the various descriptions of God, it's easy to conclude that people actually visualize God even though they say they don't. Very few religions don't describe God at all (Buddhism being one).

Example: The Bible states how man was made in God's image and somewhere in Exodus or Numbers Moses saw the palm of God's hand (or was it the bottom of God's feet?). There is also the description how the Earth is God's footstool.

People who believe in an interventionist God I would strongly suspect that they actually do literally imagine a Man in white standing in the clouds looking down on them. People who say 'Thank God we did not miss our flight!'

 

There is no "higher power" and, even if there were, it would not be God, it would just be something more powerful than you. We are all manifestations of God. I see humans, and other sentient lifeforms, as being the consciousness of God.

 

Also no reason not to respond. The idea of this site is for open debate, the attempt to not allow it is censorship and indicates no desire for open discussion.

 

Consider the source of ancient stories. In this case desert nomads sharing stories around campfires for thousands of years before Moses wrote them down. Most cultures of "origin" stories and it's not unusual for those to involve human or human-like characters. It gives people something to relate to.

 

You guys aren't debating anything, you are simply stating you don't believe in God so who cares.

That adds nothing to the thread which is why the OP said this discussion doesn't include you folks.

Would you like to add to the discussion from your viewpoint or just cross your arms and pout that its not real?

 

Like theists, atheists are relying on faith for their beliefs since there's no way to prove their beliefs.

 

I visualize a being of pure energy, sortof the 'operating system' of our reality.

 

That's fine but the topic of this thread is asking those who DO believe.

<Mod Edit- Rule 3/4>

 

A big ball of nothing and everything. A contradiction of awesomeness.

 

Yes, to think the brain could grasp what the Creator of all universes was, is just silly. Yet as humans we have tended towards creating images of this Creator. From juvenile images to higher heights of fantasy. But any such image is necessarily fantasy, and nothing more. The Creator being immeasurable, is outside our intellect, and can never be measured by thought. It just IS. If indeed it exists.

 

Everyone knows what God looks like = http://www.divinerevelations.info/documents/jesus_pictures/jesus_004.jpg

http://www.crystalinks.com/kali_blue.jpg

http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/images-6/610_09_2.jpg

http://pre00.deviantart.net/6817/th/pre/i/2013/213/3/2/odin_by_kejablank-d6f644b.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fb/eb/01/fbeb018a82b04ea2edf47ae90e7158e7.jpg

http://editorial.designtaxi.com/news-africangod1409/21.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IWbNOmxBn_k/T02rYiGwvzI/AAAAAAAAAIc/kKxGqOFEBuU/s1600/jehovah.jpg

 

Actually, the OP tried to set up a discussion, known as debate, to support only his statements. You bought into it which shows a lack of the ability to debate and now you do your best to support it. Doing a poor job, by the way.

BTW, if you could read, I asked him to re-provide his facts which he refuses to do. What does that indicate to you oh all knowing one?

 

He was pretty clear.

So if you are a gnostic atheist, this thread is not for you.

So if you are open to the idea of the existence of a higher power, what do you like to think it is?

 

Doesn't he look godly? https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-s...6/17/17/enhanced-buzz-25072-1382045873-27.jpg

 

I really have no interest in what porn you like to look at.

 

I cannot give facts as religion is a set of beliefs based on very little if any facts. I merely provided a multiple choice question with the option of writing in another choice if you so desire. The reason for this was I'm interested in hearing your ideas. A debate can spring from those ideas.

And if anyone is still unclear let me clarify: I'm not saying atheists cannot comment here. What I'm saying is that if there is still a corner of your mind that has not concluded 100% the creator/higher power question to please share those thoughts. And if you claim to know that there is no God, at the bare minimum use your imagination.

 

I visualize God as the author of His creation.
God does not read minds; He writes them.

 

So, do you have faith there is no flying spaghetti monster?