At the same time, the Almighty of the liberals turned out to be more feminine and dark-skinned, and the Lord of the conservatives was more masculine and "pale-faced."
Do you know what God looks like? Researchers from the University of North Carolina (USA), led by Professor Joshua Jackson, decided to compile a composite sketch of the Almighty. But how to do that? When police create a composite of a suspect, they rely on eyewitness accounts. But in our case, even eyewitnesses cannot clarify this sensitive issue. The prophet Moses could have provided invaluable assistance to the “investigation,” but the Lord appeared to him in the form of an intangible spirit, declaring, according to the Old Testament, “You cannot look me in the face. A person cannot see Me and stay alive."
In the works of Michelangelo and his great colleagues, God the Father appears before us in the form of an elderly, stern man of the European type with a thick gray beard. But we understand that this image is just a figment of the artist's imagination. Jackson and his colleagues decided that it would be better to dispense with intermediaries and ask the believers themselves about how they represent the appearance of God. The focus group included 511 American Christians (330 men and 181 women, 26% African American and 74% Caucasian).
Then each participant was shown 300 pairs of images. They were obtained by superimposing a different combination of 50 so-called "average" American people of different ages, gender and race. From each pair, it was necessary to choose one image that better corresponded to the appearance of our Father. As a result, the modern American God turned out to be completely different from the classic courageous old man looking at people from the fresco "Creation of Adam" in the Sistine Chapel. He turned out to be much younger, kinder and softer. God with such a face loves sinners rather than condemns them.
But the most interesting thing is that God looked differently for different political groups. So, among the volunteer liberals, the Almighty turned out to be younger and more feminine, he radiated more warmth and had some features of an African American. For example, he had darker skin than the God that conservatives envisioned. For those, in turn, the appearance of the Almighty personified power, masculinity and solidity. And this was a man of the European type without any admixtures of other bloods.
“The fact is that people's views of God are shaped by their group motivations, political beliefs and life views,” says Joshua Jackson. - People projected certain human qualities onto the face of the Lord. Conservatives visualized God in an image that best suited their motivation for social order. While the liberals embodied in the outward appearance of God traits that were better suited to their desire for equality and tolerance. Therefore, not only different peoples, but even different social groups have their own God.
Psychologists say that people who are dependent, infantile need a powerful and influential God who is able to take their fate into their own hands. They need to lean on the powerful figure of their father. For those suffering from loneliness, a loving God is needed so that people can experience attachment. Simply put, if you want to see God - look in the mirror and you will definitely find his features there.
YAROSLAV KOROBATOV
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