Man Created God in His Own Image?

[jwoodie]

I know this is not a new idea, but it seems to lurk behind many of the threads in this forum. Does anyone believe that God is a human being? The Bible refers to Jesus coming in human form, not vice versa. To me, it seems the height of audacity for a person to claim that he or she knows the precise nature of God. Instead, should we consider whatever spirit resides within us to be representative of His unseen presence? Maybe God is like that Angel on our shoulders, along for the ride?

 

[aris2chat]

man's need to equate something beyond understanding with something he might recognize, a human likeness with human like emotions and behavior.....in his image
animals, the sun, moon, stars, earth, human like figures....... figures he could equate to and see

 

[Mr. H.]

It seems man has created God's message in his own imagination too.

 

[aris2chat]

It seems man has created God's message in his own imagination too.

If there was a god, what rules would he make to bring order and control the mass to function as a unit, as a people, as nation...
To grow crops, build towns, cities, civilizations, to go to war, to build temples, to obey the gods

 

[Mr. H.]

It seems man has created God's message in his own imagination too.

If there was a god, what rules would he make to bring order and control the mass to function as a unit, as a people, as nation...
To grow crops, build towns, cities, civilizations, to go to war, to build temples, to obey the gods

IMO the only "rules of God" are physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology...

 

[Moonglow]

 

[Pogo]

man's need to equate something beyond understanding with something he might recognize, a human likeness with human like emotions and behavior.....in his image
animals, the sun, moon, stars, earth, human like figures....... figures he could equate to and see

--- just as in a science fiction such as Star Trek, the aliens are always bipeds who just happen to speak English.

 

[aris2chat]

It seems man has created God's message in his own imagination too.

If there was a god, what rules would he make to bring order and control the mass to function as a unit, as a people, as nation...
To grow crops, build towns, cities, civilizations, to go to war, to build temples, to obey the gods

IMO the only "rules of God" are physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology...

laws of science, laws of nature.
measurable, provable, repeatable, verifiable, logical, constant

 

[aris2chat]

man's need to equate something beyond understanding with something he might recognize, a human likeness with human like emotions and behavior.....in his image
animals, the sun, moon, stars, earth, human like figures....... figures he could equate to and see

--- just as in a science fiction such as Star Trek, the aliens are always bipeds who just happen to speak English.

well that was the horta and tribbles
with the translator, they spoke english, but they had their own languages as well, even metal communication
Those insect magical things that took on human form

 

[Mr. H.]

It seems man has created God's message in his own imagination too.

If there was a god, what rules would he make to bring order and control the mass to function as a unit, as a people, as nation...
To grow crops, build towns, cities, civilizations, to go to war, to build temples, to obey the gods

IMO the only "rules of God" are physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology...

laws of science, laws of nature.
measurable, provable, repeatable, verifiable, logical, constant

Why we're here today.

 

[Blackrook]

Pitting science against religion is an atheist trick. I expect that anyone who isn't an atheist will realize that science can answer most of the questions, but not nearly all of them.

Here's one: "Why are we here?"

Science does not have an answer to this question. Science can provide answers to Who, What, Where or How, but it can't answer Why.

 

[Mr. H.]

Pitting science against religion is an atheist trick. I expect that anyone who isn't an atheist will realize that science can answer most of the questions, but not nearly all of them.

Here's one: "Why are we here?"

Science does not have an answer to this question. Science can provide answers to Who, What, Where or How, but it can't answer Why.

Science may not have that answer, but science has the explanation. It took us all of 14 billion years to appear on this wandering blue marble in the Milky Way galaxy. The periodic table of elements + a hell of a lot of time = us.

 

[Agit8r]

It had to have been a really bad man:

 

[Taz]

God created man in his own image. So god is a fat, stupid slob who likes to kill people.

 

[Taz]

Pitting science against religion is an atheist trick. I expect that anyone who isn't an atheist will realize that science can answer most of the questions, but not nearly all of them.

Here's one: "Why are we here?"

Science does not have an answer to this question. Science can provide answers to Who, What, Where or How, but it can't answer Why.

The question "Why are we here?" doesn't point to a god. That question is unknown for now. God is a speculation.

 

[amrchaos]

If I were to assume there is a God, I need a simple definition to start from.

How about "That which created/triggered the start of the Universe"

Using this definition, I can quickly assume that God can't be human. Humans can only reshape or manipulate the world around them. This God created something from nothing.

How about having human social characteristics? Why would God have these? None of these traits benefit it. Those traits only benefit an organism if there are more than one of the species(benefit increase with number of organisms). However, we can assume there is only one God so basic human traits are a detriment to IT.

To assume IT does have basic human traits is an absurd assumption created by those that wish to feel a connection to IT. A connection they believe will give them an importance that does not exist even if IT did have these traits.


Hypothetically, the God defined is possible
Unfortunately, any attributes that can be shown not to benefit it are most likely due to the assumptions of man. It is highly unlike this God is human like whatsoever.

 

[onefour1]

The bible is showing that man was created in God's image. It then uses the same language to describe Adam's children being created in his own image.

Genesis 1:26-27
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Genesis 5:1-3
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2 Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
3 And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:

When Moses saw the Lord he saw a man with hands and back parts, he also knew that he had a face though he was not allowed to see it.

Exodus 33:19-23
19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21 And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23 And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Stephen saw the Lord standing on the right hand of God the Father. So he must of had hands and Christ had legs to stand upon.

Acts 7:55-60
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Christ himself had a body and was resurrected to die no more and appeared unto his disciples

Revelation 1:18
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Luke 24:36-40
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.

Resurrected beings never die again. They retain their bodies for all eternity.

Luke 20:34-36
34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:
35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Christ is the express image and likeness of the Father. If it is the express image and likeness, this would mean that the Father also has a body.

Hebrews 1:1-3
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

So the father is a person and Jesus is the express image of that person.

For this reason Jesus taught:

John 14:9
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

John 14:7
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

John 15:24
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

John 8:28
28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

John 5:30
30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.


It is not the imagination of men but the teaching of God that he is our Father and we are created in his image the same as Seth was created in the image of his father Adam.

The Prophet Joseph Smith, after having seen both the Father and Son, taught:
Doctrine and Covenants 130:22
22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.