Every idea, every concept that man has created or discovered has been subject to change – it has either evolved or been sent to the incinerator. While the question of whether or not Gods themselves are a man-made construct is open to debate, it is beyond a doubt that the responsibility of how these Gods are depicted rests solely with man. Since it is fairly evident that this concept has not been sent to the incinerator (more’s the pity, though many would object), one can be sure that it has evolved and grown.

‘God made Man in his own image’ is what the Bible says. However, this might just be a result of the limitation of the human mind. Can humans, in fact, describe something they have no idea how to visualize? Decidedly not. And thus, even the earliest depiction of Gods is, if not entirely human in appearance, then at least partly human like the chimeras of Egyptian Gods (it is important here to note that while there are many religions that believe God to be formless, they have no way to depict these Gods or make them part of mainstream media).

With each passing generation, the existing ideas of how these heavenly beings are depicted has heavily been influenced by changes in culture and tradition. Whilst the early Greeks had no qualms depicting their Gods in the nude, as time progressed, these Gods had, at first, fig leaves, and later, entire sets of clothes magically woven for them so as to not hurt the sentimentalities of their current set of worshippers.

The changes that they have been subjected to are not limited to just aspects like their attire. Indeed, there are many instances where things like attire have undergone possibly no change. But what has changed has been something more valuable. The very core idea about that God. I think Indian culture is a good example of this. Popular media, especially the television has romanticized stories surrounding these Gods to an almost obscene and nauseating level where nearly nothing is left of the original concept of those Gods.

Jesus (the writer silently crosses himself with a look of abject devotion and commands his heathen readers to do the same else they shall burn forever in the deepest pits of Hell) has also found himself embroiled in such marring controversies. It turns out that the hippie, Bohemian look we all associate with Our Saviour was not how he was initially meant to be. The depiction of the Son of God was one that was a subject of hot debate in the Early Church and was only standardized in the 6th century in Eastern Christianity (presumably this was when the majority of the Christians there embraced marijuana as a way of life – Man did make God in his image, after all) and much later in the West.

In more recent times, the influence of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games can be clearly seen. Gods are, once again, being depicted nearly bare. They are shown to have large bosoms and clearly appeal more to the eye than to the spirit. These Gods have a very sexually distinct representation, which is in stark contrast to how many cultures depicted Gods as androgynous – something that can clearly be seen in many temples throughout our country.

From all this, it is evident that Gods (or their depiction, at the very least) have not remained static or unchanging, as many are want to say to comfort themselves. Gods have undergone so many transformations that it would not be invalid to ask if they are still the same Gods – a clear example of Theseus’ paradox. Whatever be the reader’s cup of tea, radical Jihad, pacific theism, militant atheism, or even undecided agnosticism, there is definitely food for thought in considering how this depiction has affected the lives of the reader.