I have spent my life under the impression that the belief that God the Father is a humanoid being possessing a body and living somewhere in the universe in a manner similar to ourselves is a named heresy condemned by the early church. Is that true? If so, what is the name of the heresy? I have met several Protestants recently who believe this but my googling hasn't yielded anything.
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1Out of curiosity, what denomination of protestant were they? My experience is that at least most protestants agree that God is spirit and does not have a body like men.– Nathaniel is protestingJul 20, 2015 at 17:22
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@Nathaniel They were missionary baptist.– sirdankJul 20, 2015 at 18:19
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2See my answer to the question here.– Matt GuttingJul 20, 2015 at 19:03
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@MattGutting Wow, that is quite a reference.– sirdankJul 20, 2015 at 19:28
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1 Answer
Wikipedia's list of Christian heresies turns up Audianism. This fourth-century group understood Genesis 1:27 to teach that God has a body like men.
This is a form of anthropomorphism, which is more broadly defined by the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia as:
Anthropomorphism is the ascription to the Supreme Being of the form, organs, operations, and general characteristics of human nature.
answered Jul 20, 2015 at 17:14
Nathaniel is protestingNathaniel is protesting
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