"If there was no other proof of the infinite patience of God, a very good one could be found in his toleration of the pictures that are painted of him." -Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton was a 20th century Catholic writer. This quote struck me because I have always thought about it. Deuteronomy 4:15-18 says, "You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below." It seems from this passage that God doesn't want people to represent him in an image. One reason for this is because he doesn't want people to worship the image instead of him. Another reason is because God is not human. He does not have a body like we do. Painting him as a human limits him. Paintings of God usually depict him as an old man with a white beard. But he is not that. He is not constrained within human flesh. The Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, represents God in this way. However, it is still considered a religious work of art. Is this sacred or profane?
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