Is it possible to describe God?

Answer 1

Certainly not, part of worship is having a go at a full description of God's qualities. It would be wrong to think that you've ever fully described God though, as soon as you think you've got a clear picture of God he tends to blow you away with some new aspect you've missed.

Answer 2

Opinion

It is first necessary to outline what is implied by a 'description'. There are two aspects to highlight; firstly the description of what something is, it's physical attributes, for example a dog would be described as having fur, four legs and a tail. Secondly the description of how something is, it's characteristics, for example a dog might be described as obedient, affectionate and loving. In some cases, however, regarding the description of God, there can be ambiguity surrounding the distinction between the descriptions of what God is compared with how God is.

The Bible, along with other scripture, provides us with the most reliable descriptions of God. The Bible describes how God is and, though rarely, also describes what God is (or rather what God is not). For example the Bible makes it clear that God is not a man - but a spirit. John 4:24 outlines; "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." This therefore shows how the Bible describes God however; paradoxically it may be God describing God. The relationship between God and Man must be a top-down relationship, if we accept the omnipotence and omniscience. Therefore what we know of God through scripture comes from God's control of the human realm. And therefore, because God has chosen to reveal Himself to us it is possible to describe Him.

Furthermore if we continue to support this view it may also be possible to describe God's characteristic attributes. For example the Bible contains a plethora of descriptions of how God acts: "Our God is a Mighty Warrior ... "God is light ... "He Covers us with His feathers." These descriptions are more implications of the nature of God as opposed to what God is. Nevertheless surely it is still a valid description because God has chosen to reveal himself in the scriptures. However these descriptions of God come from the ink of man and a relating God to man and to the human realm - anthropomorphosis. We know from the scriptures that God commanded us not to create the image of anything in heaven: "you shall not make yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above." (Exodus 20:3) i.e. it is wrong to imagine what we perceive God to be otherwise we run into the issue of worshipping the God that we have created instead of the true God.

It is also appropriate to consider the view raised by empiricist David Hume who outlined how evidence from the senses is a requirement for all claims of reality. He would argue that it is impossible to verify the truthfulness of any description of God rendering it meaningless. Adopting an empirical approach suggests that it is impossible to describe God due to the lack of evidence to back up any propositions.

It is clear that there are issues with describing God validly. It is, it seems, almost impossible to describe God without relating any depiction to the human realm. Despite the scriptures telling us that God is a spirit and not a man, preachers still use human imagery to depict Him. Therefore it is impossible to describe the true God - but possible only to describe Him in relation to the human realm.

Opinion

No. Gods are a component of religious belief. Religious belief is the unquestioning acceptance of something as true in the absence of any proof. Gods take their shape through a person's or group's emotions, imagination, hopes and needs. There are thousands of religions and they all have different views of gods. Gods cannot be described definitively. They can only be described on a personal level, i.e., as what the particular god means to any particular person according to their particular religious beliefs.

Answer 3

Yes, though different religions will not necessarily agree on how to describe Him. The following is a Jewish answer.

God is One. The concept of a dualism (as in Zoroastrianism), an independent Satan, multiple gods (polytheism; paganism) or a trinity of three in one, are all unimaginable in Judaism. Also, any belief that an intermediary between humanity and God should be used, whether as necessary or even optional, is considered heretical.God is non-physical, indivisible and incomparable. Jewish tradition teaches that God is beyond human comprehension; and that it is only God's revealed deeds, as He interacts with mankind and the world, that we can begin to grasp.

God is omniscient (He is aware of everything), and infinitely wise.
God created the universe and all existence, including time and space, in a deliberate, purposeful act of benevolent Creation.

God is the mover of everything. No molecule can move without the energy and direction with which God imbues it.

God is eternal; and His ways are also eternal. He is not capricious, forgetful or fickle.
God is just. He rewards good and punishes evil - whether in this world or in the afterlife.

God is ethical and moral; and He expects us to imitate His ways.

The God of Israel is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is the guide of history, who delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.
God is the source of law, who gave the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
God is immanent and personal, meaning that he relates to humanity and hears our prayers. This is the basis of the Psalms and our siddur (prayerbook).

See also:

Names of God