WORD STUDIES

The word of the day is “anthropomorphize”

Why study “anthropomorphize” at church?

Because a divine entity is thought to be ineffable, the idea of god often has been subject to anthropomorphization.

Definitions: anthropomorphize, to attribute human form or personality to things not human. ( ineffable, too great, powerful, beautiful, etc., to be described or expressed. (

Because a divine entity is thought to be ineffable, the idea of god often has been subject to anthropomorphize- tion.

Old Testament writers certainly did this, and it is not uncommon today for humans to anthropomorphize human characteristics to a perceived divine entity.

Because a divine entity is thought to be ineffable, the idea of god often has been subject to anthropomorphize- tion. Old Testament writers certainly did this, and it is not uncommon today for humans to anthropomorphize human characteristics to a perceived divine entity. Most human assumptions about the nature of a god are anthropomorphisms.

Anthropomorphization has a long history, and not just with respect to divine entities.

Human characteristics were imputed to animals in Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Anthropomorphization has a long history, and not just with respect to divine entities. Human characteristics were imputed to animals in Aesop's Fables and Grimm's Fairy Tales. Modern humans may be influenced to regard anthropomorphization of a god as appropriate since Disney, Warner Brothers, Hannah-Barbera, and other animation studios regularly anthropomorphized their animal characters.

Anthropomorphization may be the only way that many humans can attempt to gain even a partial understanding of the divine entity that they worship.

Karen Armstrong in her book A History of God, suggests that when humans impute human characteristics to a divine entity, they create avatars of the divine entity which they may worship and to which they may pray.

Anthropomorphization may be the only way that many humans can attempt to gain even a partial understanding of the divine entity that they worship. Karen Armstrong in her book A History of God, suggests that when humans impute human characteristics to a divine entity, they create avatars of the divine entity which they may worship and to which they may pray. When worshiped, avatars of the divine entity in effect are idols.

In their inability to grasp the ultimate nature of a divine entity, most humans worship anthropomorphized avatars of a divine entity which they then may refer to as "God."

Rather than bronze or wooden statues, anthropomorphized concepts of a god are the idols of the twenty-first century.

Since each human's god avatar is a unique collection of anthropomorphized characteristics, there may be as many unique avatars of divine entities as there are humans.

But there may be shared characteristics among the avatars.

Since each human's god avatar is a unique collection of anthropomorphized characteristics, there may be as many unique avatars of divine entities as there are humans. But there may be shared characteristics among the avatars. Humans organize themselves into religions and denominations based upon the shared avatar characteristics.

This presentation may be viewed in essay form on-line at: Click on “Selected Essays” Click on “A Post-Christian Theist” Click on “4. God”