Is Mankind an extension of God?

[Faxero]

There are times when I get the impression that we humans are ‘extensions’ or ‘expansions’ of God.



I’m not sure how else to explain it, but I’ll try to organize my thoughts in list format.

1. 
   *]- God is the creator.
   *]- We humans are made in God’s image and likeness.
   *]- Being made in God’s image and likeness gives us the capacity to create.
   *]- Since we can create, we are creators.
   *]- Since we are creators, then we are (considerably less powerful) ‘extensions’ of God, who is the ‘ultimate’ or ‘king’ creator.
   *]- Since we humans are creators, we can also be considered as… deities, since God, who is the creator, is by nature, a deity.
   
   :ehh: What do you folks think? I feel empowered at the idea that I might be a “mini-god”. At the same time, I fear that I may have fallen into heresy, or some subtle kind of pride.
   
   Is it safe to say that Mankind is an ‘extension’ or ‘expansion’ of God?

 

[Faxero]

It just crossed my mind that we might be extensions of God’s glory, but not extensions of God himself.

We might partake in his divine nature, but we are still a fundamentally different species than he is.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

He is the vine. We are the branches.

 

[Beryllos]

The Bible and the Catechism say that we are like God, but I think it’s safe to say we are not part of God. I mean God is complete, even without us, and God is not made larger or better by our existence.

Also note, we do create, in the sense of making something new from other materials, or of building upon the works and ideas of others, but we do not create like God, who can create something from nothing.

 

[Jerusha]

Only insofar as we dedicate our lives to following God’s will.

 

[ClearWater]

I don’t agree with #6 that we, too, are deities.

 

[wllmjoseph]

*]- Being made in God’s image and likeness gives us the capacity to create.
*]- Since we can create, we are creators.
*]- Since we are creators, then we are (considerably less powerful) ‘extensions’ of God, who is the ‘ultimate’ or ‘king’ creator.
*]- Since we humans are creators, we can also be considered as… deities, since God, who is the creator, is by nature, a deity.
[/LIST

While it is true that as humans we are able to procreate and that we able to create things from the resources we are provided. God is able to create something from nothing. One of the things that makes God a deity is that he can create something from nothing while we humans can not.

I don’t believe that we are creators but that we are participating in God’s plan. That is not to say that we do not sin but that when we do sin and make mistakes God is able to work through those mistakes.

Do we need to be creators to be extensions of God? I don’t believe that we do. I believe, please correct me if I am wrong, that we are extensions of God in that we are part of His creation. I don’t believe that humans can be considered deities for unlike God we are limited while he is unlimited.
[/quote]

 

[Faxero]

He is the vine. We are the branches.

Only insofar as we dedicate our lives to following God’s will.

I ran a search on the phase ‘vine and branches’ and found the following:

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c3a2.htm

**1988 **"Through the power of the Holy Spirit we take part in Christ’s Passion by dying to sin, and in his Resurrection by being born to a new life; we are members of his Body which is the Church, branches grafted onto the vine which is himself: [God] gave himself to us through his Spirit. By the participation of the Spirit, we become communicants in the divine nature. . . . For this reason, those in whom the Spirit dwells are divinized."
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The Bible and the Catechism say that we are like God, but I think it’s safe to say we are not part of God. 1I mean God is complete, even without us, and God is not made larger or better by our existence.

2Also note, we do create, in the sense of making something new from other materials, or of building upon the works and ideas of others, but we do not create like God, who can create something from nothing.

2I don’t believe that humans can be considered deities for unlike God we are limited while he is unlimited.

1Since we glorify God by worshiping him, then we might be “adding to him” in a way. He doesn’t need us to exist, but since we exist, we add to him…?

2We are limited because of our physical needs. Once/When/If we enter Heaven, will our creative potential increase? Will we be able to craft worlds and species?
Since God has granted us creative power, would it be safe to say that we have a faction’s worth of God’s power?

Since/If we have a faction of God’s power, then we have divine knowledge? Are we divinized beings?

.----------------------.

I don’t agree with #6 that we, too, are deities.

Right. I don’t agree with #6 either.

I don’t mean to sound heretical. This thread is meant to be hypothetical. I don’t believe in anything I’m saying, myself. :hypno:

 

[Jerusha]

I don’t mean to sound heretical. This thread is meant to be hypothetical. I don’t believe in anything I’m saying, myself. :hypno:

Nothing wrong with presenting theories and debating on how far they can be legitimately extended. God gave us brains. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between true doctrine, heresy, apostasy, and abomination.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

Whatever else one holds, we must believe that:

Since [God] is one unique spiritual substance, entirely simple and unchangeable, He must be declared really and essentially distinct from the world…" (Vatican I, Chap. I; Denz. 3001)

Systems such as emanationism and pan-entheism (in which phrases like “extensions of God” and “expansions of God” would be very much at home) tend, in my opinion, to blur that distinction.

Scripture does say we are made “in his image,” which means that in a special way we resemble him (chiefly in our intellect and will). J.R.R. Tolkein said that we are “sub-creators,” meaning that God is the only Creator. He alone draws being from nothing; we only fashion things out of what exists, and God already thought of it before we make it.