You may not perceive God as a man in the heavens sporting a grey beard...or you might. There are many paintings and drawings of God personified, easily available for your perusal. God needed to be made into the image of a human male so that humans could easily relate to 'him'. Many religions help to control followers by reinforcing that this omnipotent deity in man's image will punish them if they don't behave, obey strict guidelines, give away individuality and regularly access the proper teachings through the given religious channels...
