The Real Face of Jesus

[Dwight Schr-ute]

I don't know if anyone has seen this or brought it up in another thread, but I haven't seen anything, so I thought it deserved it's own thread.

It seems that us Westerners have created an idea of what Jesus looked like. This mental painting has been driven home over and over among the LDS with all recreations very closely resembling those before. There is such a consistency among LDS art that I find myself feeling almost uncomfortable when I see a Catholic or Protestant version. And I hate that I react at all.

So Popular Mechanics comes out with this article where they have used forensic anthropology to recreate the "real face of Jesus." I think that it's fair to say that the Popular Mechanic Jesus falls well outside the standard deviation of the Mormon Jesus.

So the question is, if this were the gentleman awaiting you on the other side, the man that paid the price for your sins, would it cause you pause? If this man tried to pass you the sacrament, would your wife physically guffaw in front of the whole congregation?



How important are looks to you when selecting your savior?

(I'm really not trying to be combative or irreverent, so hopefully I'm not coming across that way. I was just reading this story and the final result seemed almost ridiculous to me. It would almost be a challenge to take this guy seriously if he laid claim as the Savior. I guess I'm shallow like that.)

[creekster]

Nothing wrong with this, but it is a ten year old article.

[Commando]

If this man tried to pass you the sacrament, would your wife physically gaffe in front of the whole congregation?

[falafel]

I wouldn't have such a hard time if he didn't have such a goober look on his face.

[SuperGabers]

Yeah... I like the long-haired hippy Jesus better.

[wuapinmon]

There's a whole school of thought that claims that Jesus was actually African via Egyptians who descended from a tribe from what is now modern-day Ghana. There's another one that claims that Mary was descended from Black Jews, so Jesus was black too.

[Commando]

I wouldn't have such a hard time if he didn't have such a goober look on his face.

Have you received his image in your countenance?

[clackamascoug]

Yeah... I like the long-haired hippy Jesus better.

I like the Kenny Loggins version of Jesus. But then, you know... I'm a big Kenny Fan. (OK... and a big Jesus fan too... can't leave Him out.)

[falafel]

Have you received his image in your countenance?

Lol. Perfect.

[LA Ute]

Are you suggesting that he doesn't look like a blue-eyed Dane?

Actually, I'm pretty sure we'll be happy with the way he looks. ETB taught that “Nothing will surprise us more than when we get to heaven and see the Father and realize how well we know Him and how familiar His face is to us.” I like that idea very much and it makes sense to me. So if Jesus looks just like his father, then we should be delighted to be reminded what he looks like.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

Nothing wrong with this, but it is a ten year old article.

Interesting. I didn't realize that. So you're saying that he probably looks a little older now?

[Sullyute]

Interesting. I didn't realize that. So you're saying that he probably looks a little older now?

Thanks, I got a good laugh out of that.

[Indy Coug]

I don't know if anyone has seen this or brought it up in another thread, but I haven't seen anything, so I thought it deserved it's own thread.

It seems that us Westerners have created an idea of what Jesus looked like. This mental painting has been driven home over and over among the LDS with all recreations very closely resembling those before. There is such a consistency among LDS art that I find myself feeling almost uncomfortable when I see a Catholic or Protestant version. And I hate that I react at all.

So Popular Mechanics comes out with this article where they have used forensic anthropology to recreate the "real face of Jesus." I think that it's fair to say that the Popular Mechanic Jesus falls well outside the standard deviation of the Mormon Jesus.

So the question is, if this were the gentleman awaiting you on the other side, the man that paid the price for your sins, would it cause you pause? If this man tried to pass you the sacrament, would your wife physically guffaw in front of the whole congregation?



How important are looks to you when selecting your savior?

(I'm really not trying to be combative or irreverent, so hopefully I'm not coming across that way. I was just reading this story and the final result seemed almost ridiculous to me. It would almost be a challenge to take this guy seriously if he laid claim as the Savior. I guess I'm shallow like that.)

So Popular Mechanics has a genetic baseline for God? Is there solid rationale for thinking why Mary would possess more dominant genes than God? I honestly don't care what God looks like, but I find it beyond amusing how people think there is a valid scientific approach to narrowing down the spectrum of possible skin tones and other physical attributes Christ might have had.

[All-American]

So Popular Mechanics have a genetic baseline for God? Is there solid rationale for thinking why Mary would possess more dominant genes than God?

Sure: everybody who looked at him thought he was Joseph's son.

[Indy Coug]

Sure: everybody who looked at him thought he was Joseph's son.

So Joseph and Mary could have looked like this?