Posted by:
Amyjo
(
)
Date: June 12, 2018 09:30PM
According to a psychological study at University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill.
"“Together, these results help paint a picture of an American God who may not resemble scriptural or historical depictions,” the researchers wrote. “The face of the modern American God appeared kinder and more approachable than the God of the Sistine Chapel, perhaps reflecting different cultural concerns of the 16th century versus today.”
It’s still, however, a white face.
“People tend to believe in a God that looks like them,” Professor Kurt Gray, the study’s senior author, told NBC News. “And most of the people who took part were male and white."
What surprised the researchers, however, was that most of the women thought the Almighty was male, and “even many black Americans saw God as white … and with twinkling eyes, “ said Gray.
“I think it’s because for millennia Christians have been led to think of God as male and white,” Gray said. “It’s changing a little now, but the church hierarchies are still mostly male and mostly white. In the Catholic Church, for example, the Pope is male and the priests are still only male.”
The participants were demographically diverse — 153 from the South, 143 from the Midwest, 124 from the Northeast, and 91 from the West, according to the study.
Politics also played a role in people’s perceptions of God, the researchers found.
Conservatives were more likely to see God as white and powerful. Liberals saw God as younger and loving."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/face-god-eye-beholder-researchers-say-n882491