Grandpa God: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~god_creation_of_adam_4843~~.png|frame|<big>{{smallcaps|[[Sinfest|Pull My finger]].}}</big> ]]

[[File:god creation of adam 4843.png|frame|<big>{{smallcaps|[[Sinfest|Pull My finger]].}}</big> ]]

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[[God]], when being physically described in media and when forced onscreen simply so we can see what the heck He looks like, usually appears as this basic figure. Old, with white hair and robes, usually with facial hair. He also has an undeniable air of authority, possibly [[Power Glows|glows]] or has a [[Holy Backlight]], and has a booming, authoritarian, yet somehow understanding voice.

[[Grandpa God]] is a manifestation of how many people, at least in the West, like to view their Almighty ~~Deity -- pretty~~ much as being the personification of their grandfather. Because let's face ~~it -- like~~ it or not, when most people think of religion, particularly Christianity, they end up thinking of something ~~old -- as~~ in, [[Time Abyss|several thousand/billion years old.]] If [[God]]'s been around telling us to do stuff this whole time, He simply ''has'' to look like an old family authority figure, [[Genre Savvy|or else how would we know well enough to respect Him?]]

'''Grandpa God''' is a manifestation of how many people, at least in the West, like to view their Almighty Deity—pretty much as being the personification of their grandfather. Because let's face it—like it or not, when most people think of religion, particularly Christianity, they end up thinking of something old—as in, [[Time Abyss|several thousand/billion years old.]] If [[God]]'s been around telling us to do stuff this whole time, He simply ''has'' to look like an old family authority figure, [[Genre Savvy|or else how would we know well enough to respect Him?]]

Of course, in order to keep from mistaking Him one of those old people we [[Acceptable Inevitable Targets|like to make fun of]], He needs all that other fantastic aura stuff, so even if He's old, He can still scare the bejeezies out of us if He feels like it.

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Some believe that the Western portrayal of the Christian God is probably taken from the classic portrayal of Zeus, of the Greek Olympian religion, including his tendency of shooting lightning at people and stuff. Of course, it could also be that the portrayal of Zeus himself draws from this very human necessity of having their God look old and wise... except Zeus is more like the angry grandfather who always grounds you for not very clear reasons and sleeps with everyone except your grandma. Needless to say, this opinion is not held by the majority of those who call themselves Christians. In fact, it ''may'' be considered a '''violation''' of the Ten Commandments just attempting to portray [[God]] as a mortal creature. Oddly, the look is also comparable to [[Santa Claus]].

These days, odds are even that [[God]] will either be this or [[Divine Race Lift]] (if not both). Interestingly, [[Grandpa God]] seems to be treated with equal respect (by other characters) regardless of whether He is being used in a comedic or dramatic way. This is a character type that exists mainly because everyone can recognize who it is almost immediately.

These days, odds are even that [[God]] will either be this or [[Divine Race Lift]] (if not both). Interestingly, '''Grandpa God''' seems to be treated with equal respect (by other characters) regardless of whether He is being used in a comedic or dramatic way. This is a character type that exists mainly because everyone can recognize who it is almost immediately.

This character usually, but not always, lives in [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven]].

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== Anime and Manga ==

* God as a cranky old man appears in one chapter of [[Akira Toriyama]] 's ''[[Dr. Slump]]''. He looks almost exactly like Master Roshi in ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', and acts almost like him too (He lives in a small house in the skies, eats, watches TV, reads porn and so on). <ref> He ''is'' Master Roshi. Or Master Roshi is the God from ''Dr. Slump''. Apparently Toriyama liked the character so much, that he redesign him in ''Dragon Ball'' as the perverted Turtle Hermit. They're even voiced by the same voice actor in Japan (the late Miyauchi Kohei).</ref>

* God as a cranky old man appears in one chapter of [[Akira Toriyama]] 's ''[[Dr. Slump]]''. He looks almost exactly like Master Roshi in ''[[Dragon Ball]]'', and acts almost like him too (He lives in a small house in the skies, eats, watches TV, reads porn and so on).<ref>He ''is'' Master Roshi. Or Master Roshi is the God from ''Dr. Slump''. Apparently Toriyama liked the character so much, that he redesign him in ''Dragon Ball'' as the perverted Turtle Hermit. They're even voiced by the same voice actor in Japan (the late Miyauchi Kohei).</ref>

* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]''.

** Subverted: There's a bearded, white-haired, white-robed figure who calls himself Father...but he's [[The Big Bad]] and the closest thing their universe has to a [[Satan]] figure. He's trying to invoke this, though; he has a [[I Am a God|god complex]]. {{spoiler|(He's also Ed and Al's ''brother,'' not their grandfather.)}}

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* In ''[[Lucifer (comics)|Lucifer]]'', God appears in several forms, from a being of pure light to taking the forms of others. Elaine eventually asks him to take a form she doesn't know, leading him to take on the appearance of... an old, grandfather aged British gentleman.

* God of the old ''[http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=35%3Apropaganda-index&id=904%3A45-smash-pages-of-god-hitler-crucified-my-son&Itemid=24 God Comics]''. He's surprisingly badass for a guy of that age.

* The Highfather from [[New Gods]] is an archetypal [[Grandpa God]], with some [[The Obi-Wan|Obi Wan]] thrown in for good measure.

* The Highfather from [[New Gods]] is an archetypal Grandpa God, with some [[The Obi-Wan|Obi Wan]] thrown in for good measure.

** He traded sons with the ruler of hell world for peace. So far as I am aware, he has never since acknowledged the existence of the escape artist known as 'Scott Free.'

*** Then you should keep reading, because he ''has''.

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* In ''[[Dogma]]'', {{spoiler|God's human form on Earth is revealed to be that of an elderly bearded man. After His mortal body is killed and He returns to heaven, He comes back to Earth in His regular form to fix things up -- as a young, pretty, rather goofy woman played by [[Alanis Morissette]].}}

* [[Morgan Freeman]]'s portrayal of God in ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' and its sequel ''Evan Almighty'' is probably inspired by this trope... although that doesn't make it any less awesome.

* [[Fanon Discontinuity|Much as we'd like to forget it]], the crew of the ''Enterprise'' met a [[Grandpa God]] in ''[[Star Trek V]]''. Naturally "He" turned out to be an [[Ax Crazy]] phony.

* [[Fanon Discontinuity|Much as we'd like to forget it]], the crew of the ''Enterprise'' met a Grandpa God in ''[[Star Trek V]]''. Naturally "He" turned out to be an [[Ax Crazy]] phony.

== Literature ==

* [[C. S. Lewis|CS Lewis]]'s apologetic book ''The Problem of Pain'' points out that Christians aren't claiming that God is some kind of generic nice guy who just wants people to enjoy themselves. (And, it's obvious that the world isn't ruled by this kind of generic nice guy.) Lewis's label for this conception of God is "the Grandfather in Heaven," and sure enough, an unserious trope like [[Grandpa God]] does often consist of portrayals of the kind of benevolent geezer that Lewis was contrasting against his own more serious ideas about God.

* [[C. S. Lewis|CS Lewis]]'s apologetic book ''The Problem of Pain'' points out that Christians aren't claiming that God is some kind of generic nice guy who just wants people to enjoy themselves. (And, it's obvious that the world isn't ruled by this kind of generic nice guy.) Lewis's label for this conception of God is "the Grandfather in Heaven," and sure enough, an unserious trope like Grandpa God does often consist of portrayals of the kind of benevolent geezer that Lewis was contrasting against his own more serious ideas about God.

* An old, grey, one-eyed "Mr. Odwin" shows up in ''[[The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul]]''. He sleeps a lot and considers clean linen to be the best thing in the universe.