World Mission Society Church of God

[For_The_Kingdom]

[tam]

Peace again to you,

Apparently, this religion (the one you mention in your OP) believes that a man was Christ as the second coming (even though this man died). They also appear to claim that an actual living woman in Korea is this 'heavenly mother' (oddly enough, they make this claim even though this Ahn guy once said such a claim was - to paraphrase - 'crazy talk'). Two schisms formed after the Ahn guy died, both he and they have made failed predictions about the last day, etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahn_Sahng-hong



Funny - sad funny - how people do not wake up even with the evidence of their religion or its leaders being false prophets; and not just in this religion, but in other sects as well.



"A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?" Jeremiah 5:30, 31




Very sad.



Especially when Christ has said,

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."




May anyone who wishes them be given ears to hear so as to hear as the Spirit (Christ) and the Bride (the people who make up His Church, His Body), say to you, "Come! Take the free gift of the water of Life!"


(which water is holy spirit, poured out from Christ)


Peace again to you,
your servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy

[William]

[Replying to post 1 by For_The_Kingdom]

I get the impression 'made in the image of' is not about form at all, but 'the spirit' and that is something we don't have, but something which we are...just like GOD.

The clues are within the biblical stories, as well as in other theologies.

Once the spirit was breathed into the form, the form became living and due to the form and the environment the form is occupied in, this lead to a natural enough expression of talent through the form, which inhibited some things while allowing other things, and this allowed for the eventual formation of GOD ideas, which included the idea that GOD was a male - modeled upon the masculine in terms of masculinity and patriarchy - not often the good side of male expression either.

Often the mother is completely hidden from view in relation to the Abrahamic religions
or thought of in the image of Mary, wife of GOD and mother of Jesus - all very 'human' suggesting yet again the evidence for the GOD being made in the image of humans.

I would say that the more humans push for changes in their world views and love and acceptance and tolerance the more they will be listening to the voice of the spiritual that they are and the closer they will come to realizing the image of GOD is in everyone and everything.

Moving from the monotheism of 'one GOD as a form, in the sky/alternate reality male humanoid on a throne judging this and that etc et al, to a more realistic version of monotheism, more related to Panentheism, which sees oneness in the same way as it sees the universe...all that is, individual, separate, yet one and the same altogether, making up what is 'the universe' - just as all that is spirit altogether makes up 'what is GOD'.

[rikuoamero]

[For_The_Kingdom]

[Replying to post 10 by Divine Insight]

Well, well, well...you know, when I made this thread, I had no idea it was going to turn into a "debate" with a guy who did a half-job of reading the OP, and with that comes the misinformation springing from his fingertips as he attempts to critique me, which is also accompanied by down-right ignorance of what the WMSCOG believes, and what their claims are.

As I read your last couple of posts, DI..what I noticed is that you've done something special..as you were able to adequately misrepresent the theology, of people who are actually misrepresenting theology (true Christian theology).

Now, I have mixed feelings about that. I don't know if I should be shocked, or impressed. Maybe a combination of both.

Instead of replying to your many straw man tactics and down-right misrepresentations, I will simply just let you have the last word and let you think whatever it is you want to think about the subject at hand.

Oh, and another thing; let me "apologize" for having you wrong, on the whole "Christian Apologetic" tip. You see, usually when someone uses "Christian Apologetics" in a context, after the "context" is over, the word "apologetic (Greek verb/adjective)" term is no longer used. Afterwards, the word goes back to the English word/verb/adjective of "defense".

However, you've done something else special...you continued to use the word in the Greek sense, which I didn't expect. Again, shocked, or impressed? Both? Anyway, I was wrong and I apologize.

[William]

[Replying to post 13 by rikuoamero]

Great. While I know this is the TDD subforum, I will say that this likely points to a polytheistic origin for the story in Genesis. After all, even in our "official" English versions that we have today, there is mention of gods in the plural. So it very well could have been that the story in Genesis first was told with multiple gods in mind, if at least two (a mother god and a father god), then through various tellings and re-tellings, it eventually morphed (or should I say evolved?) into what we have today - a singular father god who creates man and woman in his image and who muses about what would happen if Adam and Eve ate both magical fruit and became like them.

While this might be the case, we are able to extend our knowledge to include explanations outside the common ideas associated with GOD, even from the human perspective.

We could wonder if dolphins have some idea of GOD, and if their ideas include imagery of a GOD in the form of a dolphin.

We have many different examples of form and procreation on this planet to work with in understanding that;

IF
All biological life forms were created by an entity of some sort (which we can agree would fit into the context of what might be considered an attribute of a GOD)

THEN
We can determine that there must be more to this GOD than being 'male' or 'female' or even 'humanoid'.

This because of the myriad of forms which occupy the planet...even those which once existed, and even those which have yet to exist.

What this tells us then is that GOD (this creative entity) is masterfully imaginative but cannot so easily be seen to be 'this' or 'that' in terms of form.

We would be forced to reconsider the imagery altogether and desist with the idea altogether that GOD is recognizable as being any particular form at all and that phrases such as "you have seen me, you have seen the father" are part of that attempt to make images of GOD tangible but not permanent, as in doctrinal. GOD can be no more a 'father' than a 'mother', a 'sister', a 'brother'...these are merely things which act as steps towards deeper/wider truth pertaining to GOD and as such are left behind once they have been utilized - else the individual simply stands on their favorite step and moves no more.

So it is not really a case of "Polytheistic?" or "Monotheistic?" as these are terms infused in form and in Spirit are really indistinguishable. GOD is Spirit and in that GOD is ONE, consisting of the many. The nature of the universe explains this to us as well. As form it is one thing which consists of multiple things.

[For_The_Kingdom]

[Replying to post 12 by William]

Angels are/have spirits, too. Are they also made in God's image?

[William]

[Replying to post 12 by William]

Angels are/have spirits, too. Are they also made in God's image?

See post #15 which I think answers your Q adequately.

[Divine Insight]

[Replying to post 14 by For_The_Kingdom]

I understand. Screaming "straw man" when you can't think of a meaningful apology to the issues raised is a quite common 21st century tactic.

Don't feel bad, you're hardly alone. This has become the status quo for Christian apologetics anymore.

[For_The_Kingdom]

I understand. Screaming "straw man" when you can't think of a meaningful apology to the issues raised is a quite common 21st century tactic.

I only "scream" straw man when someone attacks a position that isn't being held.

[For_The_Kingdom]

[Replying to post 12 by William]

Angels are/have spirits, too. Are they also made in God's image?

See post #15 which I think answers your Q adequately.

Bruh, I really didn't understand that post. Dumb it down for me if you can muster up the energy.