Yes, we do. And, yes, it’s necessary. The problem arises when we start being fooled by our models into thinking that the model is the thing. And we do the same for many other things besides God. Nature, for instance, is often anthropomorphized(?). We talk about the wind blowing, the sky looking angry, mountains standing, etc. Yet, most people can realize the difference between the model and the thing. Perhaps it’s because science understands (or thinks it does) the thing whereas God is not understood and so it’s easier to get caught up in the model as the thing?

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

I think that it is hard for people not to anthropomorphize. I think one often tries to relate to the ineffable in someway through our human constructs–otherwise, we would have a hard time talking about the subject at all. We construct models in our heads for that which cannot be modelled. And in the West, that usually means giving God human characteristics. Not just a personality, but also very human personality characteristics, including anger or authoritarianism or changing “his” mind. Oh yeah, there’s the little matter of gender.

Looking at the Bible, I am reminded of the story in the Garden of Eden, where God was said to be physically walking in the garden and didn’t even know where Adam was. Talk about anthropomorphizing! I think that over time, there was an increasing development of an idea of God’s universality.

How the concept of God was given according to the time and its stage of evolution of humanity is interesting to note as you pointed out from OT to NT. You might notice if we further go back into the history of world religions, we will see based on the time and the stage of human conscious evolution, the very concept of the Divine also was very much according to that evolution.

For the older generations, God needed a form, needed a place. That explains the idols, Mount Sinai. There is no problem with that, but understanding it deeply helps understanding the wholeness.

if we go back further even more ancient tradition, God Spirit is worshiped in nature, in huge mountains in australia and tall trees of africa. see how the stage of mind affects the perception?

now along that line if we progress and go forward we will see that the higher mode of evolution let go of forms and reaches to what is beyond our ideas of Beyond.

Abrahams rejection of idols and turning his face to One Transcending God was an example of “Punctum Saliens”, a leaping point at the history of conscious evolution toward understanding of God. All gnostics and mystics also easily grasp the idea of God Who is beyond our ideas of Beyond. It is so Transcendental that they begin to see His Presence is every form and shapes.

Thats what Buddha declared, everyone is Buddha, everything intrinsically have Buddha Nature in it.

peace be to you and to all.