God created us in His image, not the other way around.

[William]

Obviously the claim in the OP title is that human beings did not create the idea of GOD in their own image, which appears contrary to the evidence when aligning Abrahamic imagery to human social and cultural behavior, and thus people see this connection and contend that the idea of that GOD most certainly was created in the image of humans.

What does it actually mean "God created us in His image"?

[marco]

A sense of love and justice was in God before us. But not just these things. Sadness, joy, anger, self-control, faith, and yes humor are not unique to only humans. The Almighty God had these qualities before we existed.

This is poetic speculation, a few levels below Michelangelo's pictorial vision of the Almighty. It is a human thought that God might exprience sadness; perhaps shed a divine tear. In this respect we are making God as we would want him to be.


His biblical biographers made him the titanic hero they wanted people to fear and respect. It would be hard to find any humour in Yahweh. The passage where he asks Abraham's wife what's she's giggling at is funny, but perhaps not intentionally so. The occasional, clumsy characterisation of Yahweh does lead to laughter but I don't think we can take this to indicate that Yahweh tells jokes. He might, of course.

That we are made in the image of gods is a human boast: Who's like us? The human specimen varies widely in its abilities; some, very few, might have god-like qualities. The others are very much like the beasts of the field.

[2timothy316]

A sense of love and justice was in God before us. But not just these things. Sadness, joy, anger, self-control, faith, and yes humor are not unique to only humans. The Almighty God had these qualities before we existed.

This is poetic speculation, a few levels below Michelangelo's pictorial vision of the Almighty. It is a human thought that God might exprience sadness; perhaps shed a divine tear. In this respect we are making God as we would want him to be.

Are you saying that men spontaneously made a new emotion without God giving them that ability? Are we made in His image or are we not?

Is your suggestion that sadness was invented by men and then God learned sadness from us? That is not possible. Men can't do anything that Jehovah has not given them. This means that God was capable of sadness before we were. Not the other way around, like the thread heading says.

"Jehovah saw that man’s wickedness was great on the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only bad all the time. Jehovah regretted that he had made men on the earth, and his heart was saddened." - Gen 6:5,6

The Bible has the final say if Jehovah can be sad or not. According to Genesis, God can be sad and I speculated nothing. Without you siting Bible support the speculating is on your side of the debate.

[marco]

Are you saying that men spontaneously made a new emotion without God giving them that ability? Are we made in His image or are we not?

Is your suggestion that sadness was invented by men and then God learned sadness from us?

We dance in and out of poetry. I sometimes forget that people take obvious pieces of poetic writing as solid metal. No, I'm not suggesting man invented sadness, nor indeed did dogs since they appear to suffer from this frailty. One would have thought God to be above frailty, though, and hence the interpretation of God's sadness in Genesis is that it is a projection of human reaction on God so as to explain the situation in human terms. But if we feel that it's okay to have God weeping, then what can I say?

The Bible has the final say

But between the Bible and what we have here comes the interpretation. We are forever arguing about what is literal and what is figurative. My own view is that God doesn't shed tears and cry his eyes out. Can he be touched ever so slightly with human weakness? It is not for me to say but I would guess not.

[2timothy316]

One would have thought God to be above frailty,

So who is projecting now? Who told you that being sad equals being frail?

I'm not talking poetry or interpretation, I'm talking truth. God told Moses what to write and he wrote God's heart was saddened by the amount of violence on the earth. I look around me today and I too am saddened by the amount of violence on the earth. Do I feel frail? Not at all. Do appear frail to someone else? I don't care. I don't view God as frail either. Even if I did, why should the most powerful being care? Are you not sad by the harm people are doing to others? Or are you concerned that will make appear frail to others? Why does that matter? Were you taught that not showing sadness makes you appear weak?

This frailty view is frankly, odd. But it's probably just how some people are taught from their youth up. Fathers telling their sons, 'do not show your emotions! Caring and emotions, those are for wimps'.

My own view is that God doesn't shed tears and cry his eyes out.

Are you trying to create God in your image? I simply pointed to a scripture that said God was sad. Was God crying? I don't know, the Bible doesn't say God cries. I know Jesus cried. On many occasions in fact. I'm not a trinity believer but I do believe that if we have seen Jesus then we have seen his Father Jehovah. Though water doesn't come from God's eyes, I can only imagine his heart broke when His Son died a violent death. Yet I still don't view Jehovah as frail, even if there was some version of crying for a spiritual creature.

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 7 by William]

I believe nobody can enjoy full relation with God except through Christ because Jesus said "'no one comes to The Father except through me".

This is one reason as one of JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES I preach from door to door, in the street and informally to those around me, because the bible says God wants all people to have the opportunity to enjoy a personal relationship with him.


JW

So, are you saying that no one comes to the Father except by the Watchtower Society of Jehovah's Witnesses? If not, what does it mean for "Jesus" to say that "no one comes to the Father but by me"?

How, exactly, does one go though Jesus to get to the Father, in your opinion?

[brianbbs67]

Obviously the claim in the OP title is that human beings did not create the idea of GOD in their own image, which appears contrary to the evidence when aligning Abrahamic imagery to human social and cultural behavior, and thus people see this connection and contend that the idea of that GOD most certainly was created in the image of humans.

What does it actually mean "God created us in His image"?

Actually, we are created in Adam's image.

Just check Genesis 5:3

And when Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth.

[William]

[Replying to post 9 by dio9]

We humans cannot relate beyond our human capability.

No. But we can sometimes experience things which are beyond our capacity to relate in any language.

Simplistically speaking we cannot relate to God other than as we are humanly able.

This is still an unknown as to what the limits of 'human capacity' are.

Likewise creatures cannot relate to man as other than what they are. Our pet dog is only able to relate to us are a dog to other dogs.

It is enough.

It is not surprising we humans relate to God as if God were human. That's the best we can do.

I am not so sure this is the truth of the matter. My understanding is that we are not really the bodies we occupy, but the consciousness occupying the body and having the experience as 'being human'.

When one is able to leave the body, the experience is very different and thus how we relate to that experience is different. So perhaps we do ourselves a disservice in relating too intimately with the flesh and the results are statements such as you have made above. It is not 'the best we can do.'

So do we create God?

We create ideas of GOD which are most likely not ideas which 'nail it'.

No but we do create our understanding and relationship with God through things like acts religion prayer and meditation.

Spirituality, treating others kindly (without pandering to their beliefs) deep introspection, love for discovering truth etc...

The idea we created God is untenable , its like saying we created the universe , of which we are a part.

I suspect that we had a hand in that as well. We are all aspects of GOD. We all forgot that due to our particular circumstance, and so we invent as a means to help us find the way, not as something to accept as true, as if it were the end of the matter.

The 'matter', in this case, being the thread subject.

We are GOD Lost In Space. WAGLIS

[William]

[Replying to post 15 by brianbbs67]

Actually, we are created in Adam's image.

Just check Genesis 5:3

And when Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth.

Oh wow Brian! Why don'tcha just throw a spanner in the works!

So um... is 'God Created Man in His Own Image' not biblical...?



I know...


'Google is my friend." brb...

Found something!!

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness

Same book (Genesis) different chapter (thus perhaps different author?) Genesis 1: 26.

Should we go with the first claim or the second?

Was the GOD talking to his Wife and suggesting some begetting got done?

And Adam was the result?

And then...130 years into his life, (why so long?) Adam looked at his wife and suggested they too should get some begetting done?

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to post 15 by brianbbs67]

Actually, we are created in Adam's image.

Just check Genesis 5:3

And when Adam had lived 130 years, he begot a son in his likeness after his image, and he named him Seth.

Oh wow Brian! Why don'tcha just throw a spanner in the works!

So um... is 'God Created Man in His Own Image' not biblical...?



I know...


'Google is my friend." brb...

Found something!!

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness

Same book (Genesis) different chapter (thus perhaps different author?) Genesis 1: 26.

Should we go with the first claim or the second?

Was the GOD talking to his Wife and suggesting some begetting got done?

And Adam was the result?

And then...130 years into his life, (why so long?) Adam looked at his wife and suggested they too should get some begetting done?

If i read it literally , Adam, Eve, Cain and Able are in God's image. Adam is a copy of God's image. We, are copies to the nth degree of Adam. Further showing our separation from God. We have the appearance and if we try, attributes of God, but we are mere replications. Which is why we need help.

So, we look like Him (God) in visage, but are different due to our rejecting of his will. (intentionally or not)

Begating is always a fun exercise . No, I don't think Adam was the result. We are a product of them. And the second creation described there.

[marco]

I'm not talking poetry or interpretation, I'm talking truth.

How many before you have declared the same thing, after reading a text? Were the extraction of truth so clear there would be little or no dissent or difference.

I look around me today and I too am saddened by the amount of violence on the earth. Do I feel frail? Not at all. Do appear frail to someone else? I don't care. I don't view God as frail either. Even if I did, why should the most powerful being care?

You do and then you suppose God does. My point exactly.

This frailty view is frankly, odd. But it's probably just how some people are taught from their youth up.

I wasn't discussing human frailty. Of course being human we are subject to the pains that flesh brings. The transference of this to a diety is what is in question.

Though water doesn't come from God's eyes, I can only imagine his heart broke when His Son died a violent death. Yet I still don't view Jehovah as frail, even if there was some version of crying for a spiritual creature.

If this type of imaginative attribution to God helps one's faith it is harmless. To imagine God having a heart and the heart breaking is pure poetry. In any event hearts do not break or experience feelings as was once supposed. Giving God a heart is exactly what Moses did in his reports; it allows people to digest ideas of God. But it is poetry, whatever you say.