Does God look like Santa in a robe?

I'm sure, everyone has a quick answer to these questions, ranging from "no one knows" to "it's individually different" to "there is no God". So, maybe it's an interesting experiment to explore our opinions on what God does NOT look like.

Many children grow up with a God image of an old man with a flowing white beard, touching finger tips with "Adam" or cupping His hands to offer His grace. Although these are comforting pictures, they probably have very little to do with a realistic concept of God.

Why would the Creator of everything look like one of us - aged, hairy, with skin folds? Why would He wear clothing - the One who made and controls all natural forces? Why would He create a human form and then feel the need to cover it up?

It seems obvious that most of us have grown out of any serious belief in a God image resembling an old guy in the clouds. Yet, we still cling to fears that this Almighty "Father" will send us into damnation for our mistakes (the literal meaning of "sin") - an act of revenge which any good parent knows how to resist.

Shouldn't we consider that our third-dimensional image of God cannot possibly reflect the "nature" of a multi-dimensional being?

Could we move closer in our experience of God if we'd first shed our most irrational imaginations?

Do we really care? Or have we given up on this quest?

Photo courtesy of sam821. Thank you!