Made in God's image?

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Zerg

Zerg

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According to jewfaq.org a Jewish website, Jews are not expected to visualise God, and forbidden to make any image of god (the mistake when the Israelites worshipped a golden calf).

*All references, such as suggesting that the commands were written by “God’s finger” are only metaphorical.

Why do we believe, then, that we were created in the image of God?
 
More, importantly, how do we know that God is a TRINITY?

All, I know, is what I heard from a priest’s homily, when he said that according to the pronouns used in the Bible when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit, and his Father, that we know God is a trinity.
 
Cant prove the Trinity from any one particular verse.

Not stated explicitly but is stated implicitly in the gospels and the NT. Starting with John chapter 1 and move on to others from there. Paul says that Jesus “emptied Himself” and became a little lower than the angels.

Jews are anti-Theophany. Something tells me this is because of the claims we Christians make about Jesus…

Anyway, there seems to be quite a few Theophanies in the OT…
 
Zerg said:
According to jewfaq.org a Jewish website, Jews are not expected to visualise God, and forbidden to make any image of god (the mistake when the Israelites worshipped a golden calf).

*All references, such as suggesting that the commands were written by “God’s finger” are only metaphorical.

Why do we believe, then, that we were created in the image of God?
Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead – CCC 357
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Zerg said:
More, importantly, how do we know that God is a TRINITY?

All, I know, is what I heard from a priest’s homily, when he said that according to the pronouns used in the Bible when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit, and his Father, that we know God is a trinity.
Click to expand...
When know God is a Trinity through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition and Magisterial Teaching. All three concur God is a Tinity.
 
The image of God is not per se the human body; we just need them to hold/express our aliveness and record our mind within the head.

The image is rather in the rational/conscious mind, or soul, which we have in common with God, who however as an infinite being has no need of embodiment.

ICXC NIKA
 
Zerg said:
According to jewfaq.org a Jewish website, Jews are not expected to visualise God, and forbidden to make any image of god (the mistake when the Israelites worshipped a golden calf).

*All references, such as suggesting that the commands were written by “God’s finger” are only metaphorical.

Why do we believe, then, that we were created in the image of God?
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Genesis 1: 27 is the transcendent super-natural Pure Spirit Creator God giving the first two humans a rational spiritual soul so that they and we, their descendants, can share in God’s spiritual life.

**CCC 356 **Of all visible creatures only man is “able to know and love his creator”. He is “the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake”, and he alone is called to share, by knowledge and love, in God’s own life. It was for this end that he was created, and this is the fundamental reason for his dignity:



What made you establish man in so great a dignity? Certainly the incalculable love by which you have looked on your creature in yourself! You are taken with love for her; for by love indeed you created her, by love you have given her a being capable of tasting your eternal Good. (221)

Footnote 221. St. Catherine of Siena, Dialogue 4, 13 “On Divine Providence”: LH, Sunday, week 19, OR
​
 
Zerg said:
More, importantly, how do we know that God is a TRINITY?

All, I know, is what I heard from a priest’s homily, when he said that according to the pronouns used in the Bible when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit, and his Father, that we know God is a trinity.
Click to expand...
Jesus said " I and the Father are One."
Jesus also said to the apostles, “I will send you the Spirit of Truth” & since Jesus is the way the truth & the Life…they are One.
 
The Most Holy Trinity is in chapter 14, Gospel of John
Last Supper Discourses
link usccb.org/bible/john/14

15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.j

16
And** I** will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate* to be with you always,k

17
the Spirit of truth,*
 
Zerg said:
According to jewfaq.org a Jewish website, Jews are not expected to visualise God, and forbidden to make any image of god (the mistake when the Israelites worshipped a golden calf).

*All references, such as suggesting that the commands were written by “God’s finger” are only metaphorical.

Why do we believe, then, that we were created in the image of God?
Click to expand...
Zerg said:
More, importantly, how do we know that God is a TRINITY?

All, I know, is what I heard from a priest’s homily, when he said that according to the pronouns used in the Bible when Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit, and his Father, that we know God is a trinity.
Click to expand...
Genesis 1
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Who is “our” referring to? Some people think that this is a reference to the Trinity. However Jewish scholars would disagree with that.

These webpages provide a good resource for seeing the Trinity in the Bible:
carm.org/dictionary-trinity
carm.org/cut-trinity
 
Zerg said:
According to jewfaq.org a Jewish website, Jews are not expected to visualise God, and forbidden to make any image of god (the mistake when the Israelites worshipped a golden calf).

*All references, such as suggesting that the commands were written by “God’s finger” are only metaphorical.

Why do we believe, then, that we were created in the image of God?
Click to expand...
“Made in the image of God” has been an ancient discussion…

Per the Wikipedia article:

*Ancient Jewish scholars such as Saadia Gaon and Philo argued that being made in the Image of God does not mean that God possesses human-like features, but rather the statement is figurative language for God bestowing special honor unto humankind
*
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_of_God

Let’s look though at the Hebrew words…

צֶלֶם tselem, tseh’-lem; from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol:—image, vain shew.

blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H6754&t=KJV

Baha’is view the Perfect Man or Manifestation of God as a Perfect Mirror that reflects the attributes of God:

*Lastly the perfect man, the Prophet, is one who is transfigured, one who has the purity and clearness of a perfect mirror – one who reflects the Sun of Truth. Of such a one – of such a Prophet and Messenger – we can say that the Light of Divinity with the heavenly Perfections dwells in him.
*
~ Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 23
 
susanlo said:
Genesis 1
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

Who is “our” referring to? Some people think that this is a reference to the Trinity. However Jewish scholars would disagree with that.

These webpages provide a good resource for seeing the Trinity in the Bible:
carm.org/dictionary-trinity
carm.org/cut-trinity
Click to expand...
“Our” refers to the Trinity…although the flying saucer advocates say it means the Aliens from space. 😛
 
There is plenty of scientific evidence out there that proves homo sapiens existed long before the Book of Genesis. My personal take is that Adam and Eve were not so much actual historical figures, but rather that their story is more of an allegory about man’s fall from grace.

A friend of mine who is a fundamentalist type adamantly refuses to accept the idea of evolution and that God literally made Adam and Eve in His image. He doesn’t like the idea that the earliest life forms on Earth were, say, some kind of primordial slime. I really ticked him of once when I posited that “Who’s to say that God doesn’t look like primordial slime and He created the original primordial slime in His own image, and we today are the evolutionary descendants of that original primordial slime from millions of years ago?”

He about had a fit.

I followed by saying “You know, it is the epitome of human arrogance to say we look like God when what we really believe is that He looks like us.”

My :twocents:
 
Lost_Sheep said:
There is plenty of scientific evidence out there that proves homo sapiens existed long before the Book of Genesis. My personal take is that Adam and Eve were not so much actual historical figures, but rather that their story is more of an allegory about man’s fall from grace.

A friend of mine who is a fundamentalist type adamantly refuses to accept the idea of evolution and that God literally made Adam and Eve in His image. He doesn’t like the idea that the earliest life forms on Earth were, say, some kind of primordial slime. I really ticked him of once when I posited that “Who’s to say that God doesn’t look like primordial slime and He created the original primordial slime in His own image, and we today are the evolutionary descendants of that original primordial slime from millions of years ago?”

He about had a fit.

I followed by saying “You know, it is the epitome of human arrogance to say we look like God when what we really believe is that He looks like us.”

My :twocents:
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May I add my :twocents:

The science of human origin basically looks for signs of human presence. However, it is a tad difficult going millions of years backwards to examine every geographic location on planet earth during every year since …

When we discover the first three chapters of Genesis, we do find evidence of human existence. Genesis 2: 15 tells about the science of agriculture which is a good sign of human activity. Some people may recognize Genesis 2: 20 as biology 101. Others might consider it to be the opposite of the large indiscriminate random breeding humanizing populations which followed the Homo/Pan Split right down to us. Thus, the science of human origin tries to tell us loudly that we evolved from major polygenetic populations and not from two individuals.

God – look like primordial slime. :rotfl:

Even Atheists know in some manner that the God being denied is a spiritual being. Actually, there are some humans in our world who could be primordial slime. :eek:
 
Zerg said:
According to jewfaq.org a Jewish website, Jews are not expected to visualise God, and forbidden to make any image of god (the mistake when the Israelites worshipped a golden calf).

*All references, such as suggesting that the commands were written by “God’s finger” are only metaphorical.

Why do we believe, then, that we were created in the image of God?
Click to expand...
Great question, thanks,

[1] Have you ever considered WHY we exist?

Isaiah 43: verses 7 & 21
“And every one that calleth upon my name, I have created him for my glory, I have formed him, and made him. & This people have I formed for myself, they shall shew forth my praise”

[2a] The Book of Genesis cleary sates that humanity Cf. “Is MADE in the Image and likeness of God”

Gen. 1: 26-27 “And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.”

Now God never showed “His face” [His person] in the Old Testament, but only as a voice, a flaming bush, a cloud, and so on. WHY? Because He IS a Spiritual Reality. John 4: 23-24 " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father also seeketh such to adore him. God is a spirit; and they that adore him, must adore him in spirit and in truth."

So then my friend this raises two additional questions:

HOW does humanity emulate our Spiritual God?

WHY does humanity resemble our Spiritual God?

[2 b] In the Universe their are BILLIONS of stars, galaxies and planets; BUT ONLY ONE; Planet earth can be PROVEN to support the life forms we are aware of.

On Planet Earth, with hundreds of thousands of “Living THINGS” ONLY ONE; only humanity can choose to rationaize, choose to love and or choose to hate: WHY IS THIS?

In order to rationalize, love or hate requires in an absoulate sense the following attributes:

a mind [not speaking here of the brain]

A intellect [not meaning ones "IQ]

and a freewill

All of these attributes are “spiritual things” and “eternal” Iike OUR GOD; and are permanetly attached to mans Soul [defined here as the source and activator of all life forms]

If you doubt this then please describe for me your “freewill”: What is its size, color, shape and weight… we can’t but still it exist in every human person.🙂

Like God who is ETERNAL; this “other self”; our Spiritual self cannot be killed and never dies. Its the part of us that WILL face Gods necessarily Just and Fair Judgment; based on our lives decisions here on earth, while we still have our bodies; which, I remind you return to DUST when we die.

Genesis 3:19 “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.”

It is precisely the manner that humanity alone DOES emulate our God that REQUIRES God follow His owh physical laws of “Cause and effect” with actions DO cause consequences.

These Consequences MUST [fairness and Divine Justice] last for Eternity; and that is where Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are a critical part of God Plan for Creating man “in HIS Image.” Amen!

Patrick
 
Lost_Sheep said:
There is plenty of scientific evidence out there that proves homo sapiens existed long before the Book of Genesis. My personal take is that Adam and Eve were not so much actual historical figures, but rather that their story is more of an allegory about man’s fall from grace.

A friend of mine who is a fundamentalist type adamantly refuses to accept the idea of evolution and that God literally made Adam and Eve in His image. He doesn’t like the idea that the earliest life forms on Earth were, say, some kind of primordial slime. I really ticked him of once when I posited that “Who’s to say that God doesn’t look like primordial slime and He created the original primordial slime in His own image, and we today are the evolutionary descendants of that original primordial slime from millions of years ago?”

He about had a fit.

I followed by saying “You know, it is the epitome of human arrogance to say we look like God when what we really believe is that He looks like us.”

My :twocents:
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I’m not surprised…your statement would p_ _ _ off the Pope!
 
grannymh said:
God – look like primordial slime. :rotfl:

Even Atheists know in some manner that the God being denied is a spiritual being. Actually, there are some humans in our world who could be primordial slime. :eek:
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You obviously took my statement totally out of context. My point is that since no human has ever seen God face to face, we have no idea what He looks like. Yet we read the “in His image” clause of Genesis and think that humans must look more-or-less like God because we are “made in His image” while forgetting that humans have not always looked like they do today, and have existed in some form long before the book of Genesis.

Admittedly, the primordial slime idea is a little extreme, but it begs the question, when in the timeline of history did God first create life? Did humanoid creatures just magically appear on Earth one day as a result of an act of God, or are they the evolutionary descendants of a single-cell organism from way back when?
 
Since the image of God only indirectly involves the human body, concerns about Genesis and primordial slime are really beside the point.

God (except the human IHS) is not a body. The image resides in the human mind/soul.

ICXC NIKA
 
Lost_Sheep said:
You obviously took my statement totally out of context. My point is that since no human has ever seen God face to face, we have no idea what He looks like. Yet we read the “in His image” clause of Genesis and think that humans must look more-or-less like God because we are “made in His image” while forgetting that humans have not always looked like they do today, and have existed in some form long before the book of Genesis.

Admittedly, the primordial slime idea is a little extreme, but it begs the question, when in the timeline of history did God first create life? Did humanoid creatures just magically appear on Earth one day as a result of an act of God, or are they the evolutionary descendants of a single-cell organism from way back when?
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May I respectfully repeat my deeply serious statement? “Even Atheists know in some manner that the God being denied is a spiritual being.”

God, being a spiritual being, does not need a material human image. Once that point is accepted, than one needs to pay attention to Genesis 1: 27. The Catholic Church, guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit (chapter 14, Gospel of John) has duly defined that human nature is an unique unification of both the material world and the spiritual world. (CCC 355-366)

In addition, the Catholic Church understands and respects that life or the life sciences are found in the material world. (shift from Genesis 1: 25 to Genesis 1: 26) We consist of a decomposing anatomy and a non-decomposing rational spiritual soul. Practically speaking, our material body could have come to its present condition over years in the material world. Or, since the Creator God is all-powerful, there could have been an immediate material formation which would accept the animation by the God-created spiritual soul. In either scenario, the Catholic Church insists that the first human being with his spouse, the second human being, are the sole founders of the human species.

Being in God’s image is why the human species does not conform to all of the principles of the current life science model.
 
Here is a good source w/ the OT quoted for The Trinity.😃

According to Augustine, it seems, he interpreted the three men in Genesis 18 as The Trinity God appearing in human form, hence the three men.

On the Trinity (Book II) - Chapter 10

But under the oak at Mamre he saw three men, whom he invited, and hospitably received, and ministered to them as they feasted. Yet Scripture at the beginning of that narrative does not say, three men appeared to him, but, “The Lord appeared to him.” And then, setting forth in due order after what manner the Lord appeared to him, it has added the account of the three men, whom Abraham invites to his hospitality in the plural number, and afterwards speaks to them in the singular number as one; and as one He promises him a son by Sara, viz. the one whom the Scripture calls Lord, as in the beginning of the same narrative, “The Lord,” it says, “appeared to Abraham.” He invites them then, and washes their feet, and leads them forth at their departure, as though they were men; but he speaks as with the Lord God, whether when a son is promised to him, or when the destruction is shown to him that was impending over Sodom.
Genesis 18 is taken seriously by many Trinitarians to prove that Trinity is mentioned in the Old Testament. The language used in Genesis 18 is vague and subjected to many interpretations. This has to be one of the most debated passages of all time. Non-Trinitarians and even some Trinitarians understand this as “God and two angels”. However, as a Trinitarian, I prefer to believe that it was The Trinity who visited Abraham.

Explanation why the two men were not merely angels

Genesis 19 called the two men as angels. However, as the language here is vague, it seems the two angels were also the Lord(or Lords). For they said “we are going to destroy this place” and then later the Bible says “God destroyed the cities”.

(Genesis 19, NIV)

(1) The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.

(12) The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, (13) because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

(24) Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.

(29) So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

As far as us (human beings) being created in Gods image, all a Christian must do is contemplate on our Lord Jesus’s face, to quote St Pope John Paul The Great “Jesus Christ, the human face of God and the divine face of man.”
 
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