Theomorphism
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"But if cattle and horses and lions had hands [...]" --Xenophanes |
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Theomorphism, from Greek θεος, theos (God) and μορφη, morphē (shape or form), refers to the bestowal of divine attributes on humanity. The term literally means "God-shaped", corresponding to the Hebrew name Michael. Islam, Christianity and Judaism teach that "God created man in his own image" (KJV Genesis 1:27). Though the term is apparently a neologism, the idea of man being in "the image" of God is at least as old as Judaism and possibly much older. In a sense, it stands the idea of anthropomorphism on its head by affirming that humanity did not create God in its own image, but the reverse. Some religious traditions, most notably the Latter-day Saints, hold that God is a literal physical being, and that mankind is literally created in his image; such traditions fully embrace the concept of theomorphism as a foundational concept.
