If God is good, and that means he has no shame and all, then why is he always pictured with clothes on?
Asked by
CWOTUS (
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April 24th, 2013
Don’t mind me; I’m just trolling, I guess.
But I was viewing some old Oglaf (man, I love that webcomic!) and that occurred to me as I saw this one for the first time.
If Adam and Eve had to cover themselves because of the wickedness they developed from eating of the Tree of Knowledge or whatever – and became sinful – and if God is pure and without shame, then why is God always pictured (and also in all other religions besides Christianity that I’ve ever superficially studied) clothed?
Addendum: Come to think of it, is the Flying Spaghetti Monster the first naked god that you’ve ever seen depicted?
Second Addendum: Can you imagine the riots if Muhammed were depicted naked in Oglath or other comics?
Third Addendum: How can I contact the writers of Oglath to suggest the Second Addendum?
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15 Answers
Well, to answer your first question (the one that refers to Christianity), God isn’t pictured. He is not a person, but a being; a spirit. Humans only anthropomorphize him by nature.
I had heard of that, @bookish1 (and I like it, too), but I didn’t realize that the Hindu gods were presented naked, too.
In a fair number of reverent paintings, @dxs, the Christian god is shown as a figure. This is merely one of many depictions. In any case, if a spirit (albeit in the same image as Man), then why do clothes matter for a spirit?
@CWOTUS Again, humans only anthropomorphize God by nature. It helps humans to conceptualize God and relate to him. The understanding of God’s “being” or “unearthly” form in Christianity is a hard thing to grasp for humans.
[Addition]: And through this, I guess they just slapped clothes on him by morden customs. To quote the Gospel of Matthew, “When I was naked, you gave me clothes.”
Maybe it’s the “in His own image” concept that we’re wrangling over, @dxs. In any case, thanks for your responses.
Because every girl’s crazy ‘bout a sharp dressed deity.
After “the sequester” from imadethisupwithoutacareintheworldaboutwhatpeoplemightthink earlier tonight, that’s my second best laugh of the week, @RealEyesRealizeRealLies. I’m on a roll now.
The only time I’ve ever seen God pictured is for humor, like in The Simpsons. So apparently He looks like an overgrown shepherd who’s head you can never see. But well, if I’m wrong and there is some serious clothed God picturing out there, He better be giving the example. I mean in The Bible, sexuality and carnal desires and satisfying them is freakin’ illegal, so God better zip up, yo.
He owns a mammoth penis & doesn’t want to be accused of attracting the gay vote :-)
The Greek gods (and goddesses) were always naked. However, I am thinking specifically of stories involving Zeus / Jove in which revealing his true form to a mortal was so overwhelmingly in its awesomeness that the witness would become utterly destroyed. Maybe we cannot see a true form of the Christian God either.
I gave one example, @Symbeline, but I know there are others.
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That must be so, @ucme, if I was made in God’s image. No doubt.
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Interesting response, @muppetish. Thanks for that insight.
Product placement contracts.
@muppetish, sounds like those alien beings on the “Is there in truth no beauty?” episode of Star Trek :D
Perhaps it was to make him more acceptable to the world. After all the paintings of God is only imaginary. No one can actually tell what he looks like?
@CWOTUS In a fair number of reverent paintings, @dxs, the Christian god is shown as a figure.
Any true believe would know that is a “Man’s view” of God because man has to see things to believe it. Real believers do not try to think our feeble minds can contemplate God because no one has ever seen God but Christ.
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