In God's Image

[gaara4158]

Just out of curiosity... for those of you who take Genesis literally, what do you suppose the assertion that we are "made in God's image" actually means? Does God have two arms, two legs, ten fingers, etc.? Where do the similarities end? Does God have an appendix, wisdom teeth, a tailbone, and other vestigial organs?
Or perhaps it means that we were created not in God's physical image, but in his spiritual image (high intelligence, spiritual accountability, dominance over animals, etc.)? I'd like to hear what you all think.

 

[MoonLancer]

Just out of curiosity... for those of you who take Genesis literally, what do you suppose the assertion that we are "made in God's image" actually means? Does God have two arms, two legs, ten fingers, etc.? Where do the similarities end? Does God have an appendix, wisdom teeth, a tailbone, and other vestigial organs?
Or perhaps it means that we were created not in God's physical image, but in his spiritual image (high intelligence, spiritual accountability, dominance over animals, etc.)? I'd like to hear what you all think.

i sometimes wonder why its man's image and exactly how far that really goes. Note, before i have pondered this openly on the forums and every time all the posts have been removed. tread carefully.

 

[gaara4158]

i sometimes wonder why its man's image and exactly how far that really goes. Note, before i have pondered this openly on the forums and every time all the posts have been removed. tread carefully.

Censorship for Jesus eh? Interesting, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[adimus]

I recently became a theistic evolutionist from being a YECist.

I must conclude that "the image of God," the Imago Dei, is a qualitative state of consciousness. The human mind is a very spiritual thing. It is our spirituality that makes us in the image of God, much as "God is Spirit" and yet He manifested as a simple bird at one point. You don't cease to be the image of God when you die and separate from your body. And women are called the image of God too. So either God is some sort of amalgam of male and female (which is preposterous in light of scripture) or the image is something more than the physical.

What will people say if perhaps someday strong AI is developed that is an exact mirror of human consciousness? Will us pro-lifers defend their rights? I know this sounds silly but I am a bit of a Kurzweilian.


The image of God is an important issue.

 

[consol]

Made in God's image could mean that god is a woman, or that god is black,
or Chinese or Nordic or a pigmy or a cripple or paraplegic or blind,
god is not American but god could be black, why? because black people have been around the longest,
god is definitely toasted anyway, god sure ain't white.

In truth your god is anything you want your god to be, because your god is only in YOUR mind.

 

[gaara4158]

I recently became a theistic evolutionist from being a YECist.

I must conclude that "the image of God," the Imago Dei, is a qualitative state of consciousness. The human mind is a very spiritual thing. It is our spirituality that makes us in the image of God, much as "God is Spirit" and yet He manifested as a simple bird at one point. You don't cease to be the image of God when you die and separate from your body. And women are called the image of God too. So either God is some sort of amalgam of male and female (which is preposterous in light of scripture) or the image is something more than the physical.

What will people say if perhaps someday strong AI is developed that is an exact mirror of human consciousness? Will us pro-lifers defend their rights? I know this sounds silly but I am a bit of a Kurzweilian.


The image of God is an important issue.

So the spiritual/intellectual image of God, then. That's what I think the author of Genesis meant as well.

And that's a good question about AI... it would be made in our image, but it wouldn't necessarily be in our physical image.

 

[MoonLancer]

garra I'm going to pm you more details (because i cant even talk about it openly, its that bad), but your inbox is full.

 

[adimus]

Wish I was able to be a fly on your wall...

 

[pgp_protector]

Spiritual Image as God is a Spirit.

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

[pgp_protector]

Wish I was able to be a fly on your wall...

Ditto

 

[gaara4158]

garra I'm going to pm you more details (because i cant even talk about it openly, its that bad), but your inbox is full.

oh yeah, sorry about that. my inbox is filled with warnings and deletion notifications. lol. you can go ahead and send that PM now.

 

[gaara4158]

Wish I was able to be a fly on your wall...

that totally just went over my head. who was that aimed at?

 

[pgp_protector]

that totally just went over my head. who was that aimed at?

I.E.
Both of us would love to know the back story about the other thread on this subject manner that caused so much trouble

(Or at least that's what I'm guessing)

 

[gaara4158]

I.E.
Both of us would love to know the back story about the other thread on this subject manner that caused so much trouble

(Or at least that's what I'm guessing)

ah ok. well, looks like i'm going to be getting that story soon enough...

 

[adimus]

On the topic, or rather deviating from it, if strong AI comes online and it is a perfect replication of human consciousness (theoretically), will AI then possibly totally replace biological human life and carry on our human lineage in a non biological fashion?

Because if AI is "human," there is really no reason that biological humanity needs to continue on even for Bible prophecy to happen, right?

 

[MoonLancer]

oh yeah, sorry about that. my inbox is filled with warnings and deletion notifications. lol. you can go ahead and send that PM now.

lol that looks like my mail box too! sent you pm.

 

[juvenissun]

Follow my lead and do not derail. Your post would be safe.

Image is the expression of an idea. Image is not the real thing. this is why we have something called the resolution of an image.
Can you imagine the form of an alien? If you can, that is an image.
So what an image represents is both physical and spiritual in nature (just like your imagination of the alien). But it is only an image, not the real thing. It is close, but not close enough.

 

[gaara4158]

Follow my lead and do not derail. Your post would be safe.

Image is the expression of an idea. Image is not the real thing. this is why we have something called the resolution of an image.
Can you imagine the form of an alien? If you can, that is an image.
So what an image represents is both physical and spiritual in nature (just like your imagination of the alien). But it is only an image, not the real thing. It is close, but not close enough.

 

[juvenissun]

Be careful. Don't forget the creature reflects its creator. That is what the "God's image" means.

So, what can you say about the creator based on the image of this alien? Could it be an overweighted person?

 

[gaara4158]

Be careful. Don't forget the creature reflects its creator. That is what the "God's image" means.

So, what can you say about the creator based on the image of this alien? Could it be an overweighted person?

Nah. He was probably on psychedelic drugs.