Is God A "white Man" In A Robe?

[RubySera_Martin]

Originally Posted by Eudaimonist

Yes, and his name is Zeus. At least, I'll bet that's where that image comes from.


eudaimonia,

Mark

I feel kinda out of place on this thread....maybe it's just me. But I am always struck by the similarities between the name Jesus and Zeus.

Talk about Greek minds influencing Christianity....I guess it wasn't the Greek Christians who came up with the name Jesus...But what would happen in a helenized Judaism turned against traditional Temple Judaism???

[YO-ELEVEN-11]

Ruby, you are in the right place. The idea of this thread was to evaluate what picture comes to mind when you think of different religious figures

GOD & Jesus
Zeus & Hercules

ALL depicted as "White Males"

Any thoughts?

[path_of_one]

"We all long for heaven where God is, but we have it in our power to be in heaven with him at this very moment. But being happy with him now means: loving as he loves, helping as he helps, giving as he gives, serving as he serves, rescuing as he rescues, being with him twenty-four hours, touching him in his distressing disguise." - Mother Teresa. God is not a white man. S/He/It is in all and yet More. God doesn't look like anything at all... in particular. I have experienced God as natural beauty, music, light, infinite space... and in the eyes of people I meet. By putting a face on God through Jesus Christ, any face- be it black, white, Asian, man, woman, child, we are reminded of our own divine spark and capacity for indwelling of the Spirit of God. My spiritual goal is to eventually experience God in everyone I meet, every place I go, every moment- to pour out myself enough that God can work effectively through me, change me, and shape me... that I become the face and hands of God. And that God transform my eyes and heart so that I look out on a world filled with Christ and thus can serve others and the Earth with unconditional love and gratitude.It is for this reason that I do not limit my perception of God to human qualities, but I also do not wish to rid my faith of visualizations of God. They are valuable, though incomplete and inaccurate.

[cavalier]

Originally Posted by YO-ELEVEN-11

The idea of this thread was to evaluate what picture comes to mind when you think of different religious figures

GOD & Jesus...ALL depicted as "White Males"

I don't have a picture for God, but in my head Jesus is a white guy, fairly tall and handsome, longish brown hair, and a well cared for beard.
I never gave this depiction much thought until I went to Kenya. Not only did their pictures show Jesus as a white man, but that he was snow white, and also rather effeminate.
IMO this is wrong for 2 reasons,
1. Though not accepted by all, there is a wideheld view in Kenya (perhaps all of Africa, it is also common in Asia) that white people are somehow superior. I t must make it more difficult to leave this entirely incorrect and rather destructive view behind when your ultimate role model is literally whiter than white.
2. The efiminate nature of these depictions adds weight to the notion that Christ was a weak person. Yes, he taught us to turn the other cheek and to forgive 70 times 7 times, but the idea that Christ was or that Christians should be people who smile at everything and never take (sometimes angrily) a stand is imo just wrong.

[wil]

Originally Posted by neosnoia

“If you do not see God in the next person you see, you need look no further.” —Mahatma Gandhi

that quote floors me everytime.

They opened the movie 'the one' with that...powerful stuff.

[lunamoth]

Well, ever since LOTR I've got the picture of Aragorn in my head for Jesus. Lol!

[InLove]

I can't tell you the number of times that I have dropped what I am doing to watch the movie "Gandhi". L-o-o-n-g film, but it draws me every time!

Edit: Ha-ha! I just saw the potential pun there. 'Twas unintentional, I promise. Think I'll leave it for posterity. <---There I go again! Gotta stop playing with language...

[China Cat Sunflower]

Funny, I tend to think of God as a black woman with an enormous afro on a Harley. David Spade would make a good Jesus I think.

Chris

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by China Cat Sunflower

Funny, I tend to think of God as a black woman with an enormous afro on a Harley. David Spade would make a good Jesus I think.

Chris

Good calls China!

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by YO-ELEVEN-11

Having been raised in america, every image that was presented to me as GOD and for that matter (Jesus) have been of a "White male" with long hair and a beard and Euro-centric facial and body features.


If I were to come from a place that knew nothing of GOD or any other diety, Would it be "ok" to present this image of GOD or any other diety as
Euro-centric, Asian, or any other race?


My question: Is GOD a "White Male" with long hair and a white beard with Euro-centric facial and body features?

Any thoughts?

Which version of God, are you asking about?...

[path_of_one]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Well, ever since LOTR I've got the picture of Aragorn in my head for Jesus. Lol!

LOL- I can't quite think of Aragorn as Jesus.

I don't like to think of Jesus as someone I'm attracted to... in that way.

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by path_of_one

LOL- I can't quite think of Aragorn as Jesus.

I don't like to think of Jesus as someone I'm attracted to... in that way.

Oh my, I never thought of that. Perhaps we should stick with the David Spade version. He does have the robe afterall.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by path_of_one

LOL- I can't quite think of Aragorn as Jesus.

I don't like to think of Jesus as someone I'm attracted to... in that way.

Why not? (besides the being married thingy). M. Magdelene according to folklore considered the "physical man of Jesus" to be of upstanding character, and a fine specimen. In short He is every woman's dream husband...

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by YO-ELEVEN-11

Having been raised in america, every image that was presented to me as GOD and for that matter (Jesus) have been of a "White male" with long hair and a beard and Euro-centric facial and body features.


If I were to come from a place that knew nothing of GOD or any other diety, Would it be "ok" to present this image of GOD or any other diety as
Euro-centric, Asian, or any other race?


My question: Is GOD a "White Male" with long hair and a white beard with Euro-centric facial and body features?

Any thoughts?

Seriously, Born in Bethlehem, and of two Jewish Mediterreanianites, He definitely is not white (unless you are asking about God the Father, then He is as white as pure light), but of Mediterrenean stock.

That would mean, He was olive skinned... (lol)

[YO-ELEVEN-11]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://heraghty.diaryland.com/images/femchrist.jpg&imgrefurl=http://heraghty.diaryland.com/taoist.html&h=259&w=345&sz=20&hl=en&start=3&tbnid= TgWAu5W5hljeXM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=120&prev=/images%3Fq%3DFemale%2BJesus%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den %26lr%3D

I found this depiction..It may be a little racy, but a depiction none the less.

Any thoughts?