Would God change a person into something else?

[blase6]

Could God change you so that you are something other than human, or are you forced to live eternally as what you are? Could He change your being if you so desired, or would that be a sort of “twisted and unnatural” desire which could never be sincere?

 

[bzkoss236]

Could God change you so that you are something other than human, or are you forced to live eternally as what you are? Could He change your being if you so desired, or would that be a sort of “twisted and unnatural” desire which could never be sincere?

Could He? Technically, yes. He has the power to transform us into whatever He wills.

Would He? It depends on what you mean by human.

We are man, by our nature, and when we are baptized, we are said to become a new ‘creature’, or a new ‘creation’. We are still human, but we are born anew in Christ. And when we die, we are given glorified bodies. We are eternally Man, before and after baptism, before and after death, always.

Now, if you are asking if God would change us into something other than Man or human, such as an animal, or a mythological creature, then no, we have no evidence to suggest He would do that. Man is considered to be God’s greatest creation.

Why would you desire to be something other than human? Yes, humanity has its faults, but as an individual you have the free will to do wonderful things.

Might I ask from what thoughts spawned this question?

 

[Allegra]

Theoretically, He could. But why would he? On the other hand, we will be changed significantly when we go through purgatory and we’ll be something completely new. However, we’ll still be in God’s image so we’ll still be human souls.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

God could certainly change aspects of a person’s outward appearance. Indeed it’s traditionally been believed that demons can do this too. And of course we can do it to ourselves in our own natural ways (shaving, cutting, or dying hair, tattoos, piercings, amputations, etc.)

God can also in principle annihilate a person, though He does not do so.

But could God change a human being into something that was truly not a human being and have that person retain their identity? Or would such a transformation necessarily constitute the destruction of one being and the creation of another? I’ll have to think about it some more, but I intuitively think it may be a philosophical impossibility, one of the things even God cannot do like making a rock too heavy for Himself to lift. If the genus of a thing changes how can the species remain the same? It’s a pretty advanced question.

 

[empther]

The whole Bible is God’s promise that we will exist forever.

Since God cannot lie,
he precludes himself from annihilating our person,
or changing it into something else which is really the same thing ( you’re either this or that ) .

The answer to the thread question is “no”.

 

[openmind77]

Could God change you so that you are something other than human, or are you forced to live eternally as what you are? Could He change your being if you so desired, or would that be a sort of “twisted and unnatural” desire which could never be sincere?

I know this question refers to Christian beliefs, but this is just for your information:

Both Buddhists and Hindus believe in reincarnation - that you will keep on being reborn on earth after your death (until you are pure enough to enter heaven for eternity). However, Buddhists believe you can be born as a human as well any type of animal (Hindus believe that you will always be born as human). According to Buddhists, the type of animal will depend on your karma (which could be a result of your desires). I believe this phenomenon of being born as something other than human is called transmigration of the soul.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I know this question refers to Christian beliefs, but this is just for your information:

Both Buddhists and Hindus believe in reincarnation - that you will keep on being reborn on earth after your death (until you are pure enough to enter heaven for eternity). However, Buddhists believe you can be born as a human as well any type of animal (Hindus believe that you will always be born as human). According to Buddhists, the type of animal will depend on your karma (which could be a result of your desires). I believe this phenomenon of being born as something other than human is called transmigration of the soul.

The term “transmigration of souls” usually, in the literature I have read at least, refers to the Greco-Roman concept of metempsychosis, in which the soul would return to heaven (sometimes meaning the physical sky with its “spheres”) or somewhere similar only to return later as the soul of another person (not some other kind of animal).

The idea is not acceptable to Christians.

 

[openmind77]

The term “transmigration of souls” usually, in the literature I have read at least, refers to the Greco-Roman concept of metempsychosis, in which the soul would return to heaven (sometimes meaning the physical sky with its “spheres”) or somewhere similar only to return later as the soul of another person.

The idea is not acceptable to Christians.

Transmigration of the soul is a concept in many different traditions. But today it survives mainly in Buddhism (which is a pretty large community worldwide). This would be a way a person could be changed into an animal.

I realize this belief is not acceptable in Christianity