Humanizing God

When I was growing up in Christianity, there were certain ideas that I heard over and over and just took for granted. I didn’t give them much thought. Looking at those phrases now I can see Satan’s hand in them. They make it easy to diminish God, to humanize Him.

Things like: “God is sad when you don’t believe.” God doesn’t need our worship. He doesn’t need our prayers. If we fail to heed His guidance, it doesn’t hurt Him in any way. Under the subtitle: Believe For Your Own Good, 39:7 makes this clear.

If you disbelieve, GOD does not need anyone. But He dislikes to see His servants make the wrong decision. If you decide to be appreciative, He is pleased for you. No soul bears the sins of any other soul. Ultimately, to your Lord is your return, then He will inform you of everything you had done. He is fully aware of the innermost thoughts.

Or: “He created man in His image.” This phrase gives one a mental

picture of God with a face and a body, feet and hair.  The painting on the Sistine Chapel of God reaching out His hand to give life to Adam makes it seem like one man touching another, equals. God is Light and Energy and Truth and Peace. He doesn’t have or need a body; He is so much more.

Or: “He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…” To place God on the level of a human male, begetting a child, is blasphemous, as the Quran clearly tells us in 19:88-92.

They said, “The Most Gracious has begotten a son!” You have uttered a gross blasphemy. The heavens are about to shatter, the earth is about to tear asunder, and the mountains are about to crumble. Because they claim that the Most Gracious has begotten a son. It is not befitting the Most Gracious that He should beget a son.

Or: “On the seventh day He rested.” Perhaps more than any other, this to me made God seem human. I get

tired; I need to sit down and relax; I need to sleep. If I exercise strenuously or work hard at a task, I need some time to recuperate. This phrase put God on that same level. Putting together this whole universe (in fact, seven universes), and then figuring out how to make the world work properly for millions of years—well, that’s hard work. It must have tired Him out. Of course, He needed to rest.

How easy it is to get caught up in those thoughts. Unless we’re blessed with God’s guidance, we may never examine closely what they really say. The first time I read 2:255, it hit me how awesome God is, how high above all of our follies. And the phrase that really struck me was: “Never a moment of unawareness or slumber overtakes Him.” Never a moment. He is never unaware of anything on earth or in the heavens. He never takes a vacation or a coffee break or a power nap. Doesn’t even close His eyes for a second. Because He doesn’t need to.

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