Non Catholics; a question

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PJM

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Dear friends in Christ,

Can we know ourselves apart from God?

Wisdom 2: Verse 23 “for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own Nature,”
 
I have been watching this thread, and am kinda disappointed no one has responded to you yet!!!

I have my two-cents on this, but you want non-Catholics… so I will wait… lol
 
kristanl said:
I have been watching this thread, and am kinda disappointed no one has responded to you yet!!!

I have my two-cents on this, but you want non-Catholics… so I will wait… lol
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I’ll take a wild stab in the dark and say nobody is responding because nobody is sure what PJM is getting at, and the question seems to be baiting for something. Just my guess. Maybe I’m wrong.
 
Maybe the OP’s question should be addressed specifically to atheists.
 
PJM said:
Dear friends in Christ,

Can we know ourselves apart from God?

Wisdom 2: Verse 23 “for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own Nature,”
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Well, I didn’t answer it as I’m not a friend in Christ! 😛

I agree with ckempston…it seems a little ambiguous…
 
I was thinking some may say they are not going to answer, because its not a book in their bible!

But doesnt it tell us to imitate Christ in the bible?
 
PJM said:
Can we know ourselves apart from God?
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Maybe that question should be asked to Adam & Eve, they thought they knew themselves apart from God and believed what Satan told them, which led to where we are today…
 
kristanl said:
I was thinking some may say they are not going to answer, because its not a book in their bible!

But doesnt it tell us to imitate Christ in the bible?
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The passage is quite obviously false. While I enjoy reading the deuter-canonicals, and find them useful, I’ll add this passage as a good reason that they’re not inspired, nor authoritative.
 
PJM said:
Dear friends in Christ,

Can we know ourselves apart from God?

Wisdom 2: Verse 23 “for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own Nature,”
Click to expand...
"God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. "
 
PJM said:
Dear friends in Christ,

Can we know ourselves apart from God?

Wisdom 2: Verse 23 “for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own Nature,”
Click to expand...
No.
 
Dear friends in Christ,

Sorry I was not suficiently clear:o

If, as the bible states in Gen 1; 26-27 and other places we are created in the very “image of God” must one be able to know who and what God is, in His Divine Nature, inorder to understand who we are in our nature?

Can one understand humanity apart from the one who created humanity?

Love and prayers,

Pat
 
PJM said:
If, as the bible states in Gen 1; 26-27 and other places we are created in the very “image of God” must one be able to know who and what God is, in His Divine Nature, inorder to understand who we are in our nature?

Can one understand humanity apart from the one who created humanity?
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Well, as a qualification, we can only know God for who He reveals Himself to be in interaction with us. We cannot know God for who He is in His inner being (His Essence); this is infinite and incomprehensible.

However, knowledge of and participation in the Energies of God is required to understand who we ourselves are, yes.
 
PJM said:
Dear friends in Christ,

Sorry I was not suficiently clear:o

If, as the bible states in Gen 1; 26-27 and other places we are created in the very “image of God” must one be able to know who and what God is, in His Divine Nature, inorder to understand who we are in our nature?

Can one understand humanity apart from the one who created humanity?

Love and prayers,

Pat
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The question is still too vague. Understand what about humanity? To what extent?

Even pagan religions show a fair understanding of man’s nature. You could argue that this is due only to some understanding of God, however imperfect; but some level of understanding nonetheless.

If we are made in God’s image, which I believe we are, then no knowledge of God would be required to understand humanity, to a certain extent, because of the very fact that we’re made in God’s image. If God made us to understand, then we will understand (again, to some extent) regardless of our knowledge of him.
 
PJM said:
If, as the bible states in Gen 1; 26-27 and other places we are created in the very “image of God” must one be able to know who and what God is, in His Divine Nature, inorder to understand who we are in our nature?

Can one understand humanity apart from the one who created humanity?
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Passages like Genesis 1 and Romans 1, which speak of the nature of humanity and our knowledge of God, depend on God because he gave us this revelation. We cannot escape from God seeing that in him we move and live and have our being, so that we cannot know ourselves without knowing God.
 
=ckempston;5931389]The question is still too vague. Understand what about humanity? To what extent?
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Even pagan religions show a fair understanding of man’s nature. You could argue that this is due only to some understanding of God, however imperfect; but some level of understanding nonetheless.
Click to expand...
If we are made in God’s image, which I believe we are, then no knowledge of God would be required to understand humanity, to a certain extent, because of the very fact that we’re made in God’s image. If God made us to understand, then we will understand (again, to some extent) regardless of our knowledge of him.
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Very interesting thought.👍

I’m not sure that I agree with you. It seems to me to a necessary interaction of a need to know God inorder to know ourselves, and conversely, a need to know ourselves inorder see at least a glimpse of God’s Devine Nature.

How are we to understand what God desires from us, demands from us without specific knowledge and [always limited] understanding of God?

Love and prayers,

Pat
 
PJM said:
How are we to understand what God desires from us, demands from us without specific knowledge and [always limited] understanding of God?
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The sum of what God asks of us is in the bible. The bible is summed up in two commandments which are performances of His law.

Love God completely, and love your neighbor as yourself. These are the works.

Forget all the rest of it…
 
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