What Does God Look Like? The Role of Visual Image in Belief If immediate impressions of God the Father’s countenance, hair color, age, race, voice, wardrobe, or dwelling place come to mind, chances are good that Michelangelo, Charlton Heston, or an Ensign illustration helped put those images into your head. History has proven that there is great power in religious images to clarify, teach, enlighten, comfort, confuse, mislead, and deeply offend. Such poser was especially present for early Christianity’s illiterate membership, but religious images clearly continue to impact even the very educated today. By focusing on popular portrayals, of the Father – from Renaissance masterpieces to 20th century cinema to LDS depictions of the The First Vision – this session will examine the evolution of traditional Christian and Mormon thought about who God is and how we fit into the picture.

Jinella Monk