Translation

http://about.me/Pharista

Thursday, February 18, 2010

What does God look like?



God is Incorporeal

Catholic Teaching:
The doctrine of the incorporeal nature of God states that God is a spirit, and as such has no body (John 4:24). Neither is God a composition of body and spirit. It is true that Jesus was both God and man, but we must remember that Jesus had two natures: that of both the divine and the creature (man). As such, we say that Jesus’ Godhead in the divine nature had no composition of body and spirit.

Definition of the Dogma:
John 4:24 quotes: "God is a spirit". Additionally, the 4th Lateran Council and the Vatican Council teach: "God is absolutely simple" (De Fide). Since God is absolutely simple it must follow that he is a spirit.

Heresies which reject or confuse this teaching:
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism confuses the interpretation of Genesis 1:26 which states, "Let us make man in our image after our likeness." Based on the mistaken interpretation of Genesis 1:26, Anthropomorphists believe that humans are made in the same material form as God. St. Thomas Aquinas proves that this idea is patently false by showing that the cosmological proof reveals God to exist in complete actuality. As a result of this actuality, it follows that God cannot be in potential and therefore must be entirely simple and without parts. If God had parts, a potential for movement would exist and Aquinas has already shown that God has no potential.

Thus Genesis 1:26 is an analogy between the spiritual nature of man and God; the quote is not an analogy between the material form of man and God. Anthropomorphism was part of the Audian heresy and is part of modern day Mormonism (Church of Latter-day Saints).

Philosophical Proof from St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica
Primary Argument:

P1. No body is in motion unless put in motion
P2. The cosmological argument for the existence of God proves God is the first cause and the unmoved mover. P3. Suppose God has a corporeal body that can move.
C1. Premise 3 must be absurd because it conflicts with Premise 2. Since P2 has been proven, P3 is false.
C2. Therefore, God has no body.

Secondary Argument

P1. God exists in complete actuality and has no potentiality in his being.
P2. Corporeality requires parts, which inherently have the potential to move and change.
C1. Since God has not potentiality it follows that he can not be corporeal.

Above is an exerpt from Catholic teachings, when I meditate on God I see him as A living point of light, I think the key word is living (feeling, conscious,) and not attached too or influenced by matter or human feelings and emotions. Thus can be described in my experience as god is indeed the purifier and remover of sins or past karma
The Powerful God:
Shiva is 'shakti' or power, Shiva is the destroyer, the most powerful god of the Hindu pantheon and one of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity. Known by many names - Mahadeva, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhava, Bhole Nath - Lord Shiva is perhaps the most complex of Hindu deities. Hindus recognize this by putting his shrine in the temple separate from those of other deities.
Shiva As Phallic Symbol:
Shiva, in temples is usually found as a phallic symbol of the 'linga', which represents the energies necessary for life on both the microcosmic and the macrocosmic levels, that is, the world in which we live and the world which constitutes the whole of the universe. In a Shaivite temple, the 'linga' is placed in the center underneath the spire, where it symbolizes the naval of the earth.
In Hinduism God or Shiva is described in a different light.
Instead of the form of light they see the shape of God, as a Phallic symbol, or oval shaped image, so now we have colour and shape.
According to Sikhism, God is One who has infinite qualities and names. God is one and the same for all religions irrespective of the names, philosophies and ideas which vary from place to place as well from one culture to another.
God is seen as formless power without any particular attribute but the potential for everything. this is the Sikh point of view according too Wikianswers. So as you can see across 3 religions a common thread can be seen about God.

No comments:

Post a Comment