What "image " is GOD..?
The Bible, (according to the book of Genesis) says that God made us in his own image.
Ok, fair enough.....
But, what "image" is this exactly?
Is it the Homo Sapiens?
But..... the Homo Sapiens has been in existence for approximately five hundred thousand (500, 000) years.
Mean-while, the Earth has been in existence for a little over four and a half (4.55) BILLION years (give or take 1%...).
And the Human Race has no known affiliated residence of abode be-sides Earth.
So, what image was this "man" that GOD created billions of years ago and what "image" is GOD then if Humans are fashioned after him be-fore they (humans) came in-to existence?
Ok, let us give room for skepticism and presume man did not originate from a single organism....
Good? Ok.
Some automatons will say that is not a physical image, but a SPIRITUAL one.
Ok. Let us look at this closely....
Let us start from the the Hominoidae; also known as the Great Apes(chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans ) which man actually evolved from some fifteen million years (15,000,000) years ago. Seven million(7,000,000)years be-fore the Homininae (Basic Humans and devolving apes etc) evolved in-to existence.
MAN (the Homo Sapiens any-way), did not come in-to existence until five hundred thousand (500,000) years ago. So, what-ever "spirituality" man might possess is all but half a million years old.
Moving along....
Theologians say the Earth from creation till date is thirteen thousand and twenty-three years old.
The utter ridiculousness of the above statement is truly in-comprehensible.
Be-low is a quote from a theologian after conducting a "thorough research" in-to the Earth and her origins. His "research" comprised the calculating of the ages of the characters in the bible and setting a timeline through that. He says:
The UTTER RIDICULOUSNESS and TOTAL IRRESPONSIBILITY of the above statement is TRULY in-comprehensible.
How can the Earth be THIRTEEN THOUSAND YEARS OLD plus (give or take a few)??
When Carbon Dating and Fossil Finds have been able to trace the Origin of Man from the Homo-Sapiens genre back-ward through Homo-Heidelbergensis (600,000 years ago) who is a common ancestor of both the Homo-Neanderthalensis and the Homo-Sapiens through to the Homo-Antecessor (1.2 million - 800,000 years ago) who is a common genetic ancestor of the Homo-Sapiens and the Neanderthal with whom man (Homo-Sapiens) shares 99% of our present DNA with. Then the Homo Erectus (1.8 million years ago), then the Homo Habilis (2.5 million years ago). I am not even going to talk about the Rhodesian man (Homo Rhodesiensis), or the "Working man" (Homo Ergaster).
Let us work with facts and cast aside sentiments and religious psycho-babble.
There is also the RIDICULOUS argument that if Man evolved to this present Homo-Sapiens, why has he not evolved to another genre of Homo?
Well, my dear HOMO-MYOPIUS, this is be-cause this is as erect as the Homo genre can ever be. Un-less, our spines start bending over back-wards till we end up walking on all fours, only in re-verse. The driving force of all man is to survive hence the evolving to our current Erect Spine Homo which makes us stand taller and gives us the capability to reach higher better. You may say we have evolved to our full physical potential and any-thing else will be a clear cut case of DEVOLUTION as we can only bend back-wards. Or hunch for-ward, which would be Regression of in-imitable proportions as we would only be heading back the way we came and un-doing the pain-staking process of Evolution. An impossibility..... OBVIOUSLY.
There is really no-thing more to add to this.
If you feel there is, then good-luck as I'm going to have to decline due to Mental Fatigue that will result as I can-not manage that level of Moronity and Blatant Self-delusion.
When archaeologists find scrolls and other evidence to authenticate biblical stories, it's all well and good. But, when these same archaeologists un-cover proofs buttressing the Theory of Evolution, they be-come ignorant buffoons speaking from their nostrils.
There has been beyond numerous archaeological confirmations in regards to the biblical Theory of Evolution to the point that so that many historians now consider the Old Testament, at least that part after about the eleventh chapter of Genesis, to be historically correct. It does how-ever seem strange even bordering on the bizzare that "Men of God" often still teach the old “doubtful criticism” theories, even though the basis on which they were started has now been thoroughly dis-credited.
The thing is that there is no real technical basis for not believing the Bible as it was written.
Also, there is no real factual basis for not believing the scientific Theory of Evolution either.
No-where does the Biblical text mention anything that implies evolution, nor is there any Biblical incident that’s been proven definitely wrong. Most theologians do not really understand the Principles of Evolution... they do not realize that you can-not just shove God into the secular theory. So, where does this leave us then...?
Hence, the Great divide between Science and Religion.
Not getting in-to that never-ending war right now (perhaps, some other time....), I'm just going to deal strictly with this topic.
What "image" is GOD considering we are his prototype or is it his archetype?
We are tailored after him, is it not? So surely, there must be a some sort of for-mat to determine his... make-up..?
Moving along....
Now, is this said "image" a MORAL one?
When man "fell from grace", did that not sort of flush the "Moral" prototype down the tubes? And when GOD had to destroy the Earth with the great flood (according to biblical mythology) due to the disappointment at the rot and decay of man's moral state; and when he barbequed the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah etc....
All due their Moral Decadence....
Why would he destroy his prototype (or is it archetype) several times over?
Any-way, you get my point.
Moving along.....
This write-up is birthed out of GENUINE curiousity. And kindly do not try to shove imbecilic and mediocre state-ments like "GOD defies logic" or "the ways of GOD are truly mysterious" down my throat.
GOD made us in his own image.
But, still I ask....
What "image" is this...??
Is it the Homo Sapiens?
But..... the Homo Sapiens has been in existence for approximately five hundred thousand (500, 000) years.
Mean-while, the Earth has been in existence for a little over four and a half (4.55) BILLION years (give or take 1%...).
And the Human Race has no known affiliated residence of abode be-sides Earth.
So, what image was this "man" that GOD created billions of years ago and what "image" is GOD then if Humans are fashioned after him be-fore they (humans) came in-to existence?
Ok, let us give room for skepticism and presume man did not originate from a single organism....
Good? Ok.
Some automatons will say that is not a physical image, but a SPIRITUAL one.
Ok. Let us look at this closely....
Let us start from the the Hominoidae; also known as the Great Apes(chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans ) which man actually evolved from some fifteen million years (15,000,000) years ago. Seven million(7,000,000)years be-fore the Homininae (Basic Humans and devolving apes etc) evolved in-to existence.
MAN (the Homo Sapiens any-way), did not come in-to existence until five hundred thousand (500,000) years ago. So, what-ever "spirituality" man might possess is all but half a million years old.
Moving along....
Theologians say the Earth from creation till date is thirteen thousand and twenty-three years old.
The utter ridiculousness of the above statement is truly in-comprehensible.
Be-low is a quote from a theologian after conducting a "thorough research" in-to the Earth and her origins. His "research" comprised the calculating of the ages of the characters in the bible and setting a timeline through that. He says:
"How old is the earth? The total age of the world, from the creation of Adam to the year 1996, is 13,008 years. Evolutionists, Scientists, Paleontologists, Archaeologists, and Atheists can all say whatever the want. God's Word is as far above man's as the stars are from the earth. For there is one thing that they all never seem to quite understand. And that is that God's Word is authoritative and inerrant and things that "appear" are not always as they seem. It is Biblical study that reveals what is "really" truth, not secular, scientific or historical studies."
The UTTER RIDICULOUSNESS and TOTAL IRRESPONSIBILITY of the above statement is TRULY in-comprehensible.
How can the Earth be THIRTEEN THOUSAND YEARS OLD plus (give or take a few)??
Let us work with facts and cast aside sentiments and religious psycho-babble.
There is also the RIDICULOUS argument that if Man evolved to this present Homo-Sapiens, why has he not evolved to another genre of Homo?
Well, my dear HOMO-MYOPIUS, this is be-cause this is as erect as the Homo genre can ever be. Un-less, our spines start bending over back-wards till we end up walking on all fours, only in re-verse. The driving force of all man is to survive hence the evolving to our current Erect Spine Homo which makes us stand taller and gives us the capability to reach higher better. You may say we have evolved to our full physical potential and any-thing else will be a clear cut case of DEVOLUTION as we can only bend back-wards. Or hunch for-ward, which would be Regression of in-imitable proportions as we would only be heading back the way we came and un-doing the pain-staking process of Evolution. An impossibility..... OBVIOUSLY.If you feel there is, then good-luck as I'm going to have to decline due to Mental Fatigue that will result as I can-not manage that level of Moronity and Blatant Self-delusion.
There has been beyond numerous archaeological confirmations in regards to the biblical Theory of Evolution to the point that so that many historians now consider the Old Testament, at least that part after about the eleventh chapter of Genesis, to be historically correct. It does how-ever seem strange even bordering on the bizzare that "Men of God" often still teach the old “doubtful criticism” theories, even though the basis on which they were started has now been thoroughly dis-credited.
The thing is that there is no real technical basis for not believing the Bible as it was written.
Also, there is no real factual basis for not believing the scientific Theory of Evolution either.
No-where does the Biblical text mention anything that implies evolution, nor is there any Biblical incident that’s been proven definitely wrong. Most theologians do not really understand the Principles of Evolution... they do not realize that you can-not just shove God into the secular theory. So, where does this leave us then...?
Hence, the Great divide between Science and Religion.
What "image" is GOD considering we are his prototype or is it his archetype?
We are tailored after him, is it not? So surely, there must be a some sort of for-mat to determine his... make-up..?
Moving along....
Now, is this said "image" a MORAL one?
When man "fell from grace", did that not sort of flush the "Moral" prototype down the tubes? And when GOD had to destroy the Earth with the great flood (according to biblical mythology) due to the disappointment at the rot and decay of man's moral state; and when he barbequed the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah etc....All due their Moral Decadence....
Why would he destroy his prototype (or is it archetype) several times over?
Any-way, you get my point.
Moving along.....
This write-up is birthed out of GENUINE curiousity. And kindly do not try to shove imbecilic and mediocre state-ments like "GOD defies logic" or "the ways of GOD are truly mysterious" down my throat.
GOD made us in his own image.
But, still I ask....
What "image" is this...??
Very nice piece that shows that god has no image except the essence of life that animates the universe the humanbeing will never be able to explain whether with the bible or any other religious books. Nice !!!!!
ReplyDeleteJesus is said to be the Image of God. So, if the Bible says man is made in God's image and likeness; then the likeness is the fact that God has a head, 2 arms, 2 legs, he laughs, gets angry etc. We are 'like' God. In terms of image, we were made to be a part of Jesus; to be joined to him. He is the head, we are the body. So when God looks at us, he sees one person, indistinguishable from Jesus. The only reason God created marriage is because in future Jesus was going to have a bride - the church, so marriage represents that - a head and a body. When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, we are representing Jesus who walks according to the spirit not the flesh; the one who is a quickening spirit.
ReplyDeleteThe age of mankind may be 6,000 yrs old but the earth is not. There have been other civilizations, nations and species. (I believe that for every successive species, there was an improvement or evolution and that even within species, there are adaptations to environments) Remember the part of the bible that says 'Lucifer didst weaken the nations'? It means there were nations here on earth even before lucifer was cast down. And the earth existed or where was he cast down to? The bible says in Genesis: the earth was (became) without form and void, so something happened to it. It wasn't originally like that, perhaps, the ice age struck? Remember God had to 'separate' the water from the earth which means the water and earth were already there. Also remember calendar days didn't begin until the sun was created. So from the first day up till the time the sun was created, there was no annual calendar. Who knows how many billions of years elapsed or even thousands of years,if we are to go by the premise that a day is as a thousand yrs with God...
Anyway...just a few of my ramblings.
Wish I have all the time to write now...but this is nicely though-out out save that I kind of disagree in the seeming divide between science and God...rather, it was science and the curiosity about the creation 'homo sapiens' that made me encounter God is a much-more friendly way.
ReplyDeleteSeveral principles in the Bible had helped me understand science....especially the bedrock of belief in God is called FAITH...and it's a variant of this that science is also built on....'FAITH being an evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things we are longing for..." and if I don't see the breeze that cools my body, I would be a fool to disregard the reality of the existence of air because I cant see it, and even when I trap it inside a can or balloon...
The IMAGO DEO...the Image of God is beyond the spiritual or moral dimensions of divinity in humanity...
Science-Religion chasm has long been bridged by those who are open enough to reckon that not everything we see as evidence is the only evidence there is to be known...some sort of evidence can never be seen, quantified or touched tangibly as a scientist might expect.
I was fascinated by the study of the most complex tissue/organ/system there is....the human brain, but in my quest way back, I had to tell myself the truth...there's a lot neuroscience and imaging science can/will never be able to tell me about the image of God....man!
Awesome! But leaves me with so many questions still unanswered.
ReplyDeletesince most of the answers are referring to the Bible, my question is , who wrote the Bible, how was it put together ?
ReplyDeleteImage and likeness mean two different things. Image refers to how a thing looks while likeness refers to how a thing functions.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, man being created in God's image and likeness means man was created to look like God and to function like Him.
Hebrews 1:3 says Jesus is the express image of the invisible God. Meaning, as Jesus said, if you've seen Him, you've seen the Father.
@Fred - I will agree with you saying GOD is the illuminating for the universe, but, I will dis-agree with you saying that GOD is a diffusion of variant energies, as I believe he has a single focal point of energy that is accessible to all man.
ReplyDelete@Subomi- I apppreciate your comment even though you are speaking from a purely religious perspective which is completely devoid and divorced from logic. You say "then the likeness is the fact that God has a head, 2 arms, 2 legs, he laughs, gets angry etc." Now, considering that we know "Image and Likeness" do not exactly mean one and the same, where does this then leave "Image", since "Likeness" is what you elaborated on. According to you "We are 'like' God. In terms of image, we were made to be a part of Jesus; to be joined to him. He is the head, we are the body. So when God looks at us, he sees one person, indistinguishable from Jesus." So, the implication of your statement is that we are Jesus. How is this even feasible considering that Jesus the Christ was a man who walked the Earth thousands of years ago and was deified due to his matyrical status. We have no AUTHENTIC proof to butress his god-head, and we also can-not dis-prove it. According to you, "The age of mankind may be 6,000 yrs old but the earth is not. There have been other civilizations, nations and species. (I believe that for every successive species, there was an improvement or evolution and that even within species, there are adaptations to environments)" I find this statement to be utterly bogus and border-line laughable be-cause you contradicted your-self to a laudable degree. I will break down this part onen at a time:
ReplyDelete(1)"The age of mankind may be 6,000 yrs old but the earth is not." This stating the obvious.
(2)I will break down your next statement from with-in the structure of your statement: "There have been other civilizations, nations and species. (I believe that for every successive (SUCCESSIVE) species, there was an improvement or evolution (EVOLUTION) and that even within species, there are adaptations (ADAPTATIONS) to environments)". Now, I think you can see that Successive, Evolution and Adaptation mean one and the same thing - basically a Linear Development of progress and change.
(3)"Remember the part of the bible that says 'Lucifer didst weaken the nations'? It means there were nations here on earth even before lucifer was cast down. And the earth existed or where was he cast down to? The bible says in Genesis: the earth was (became) without form and void, so something happened to it." Ok, let me walk hand in hand with you on your biblical theory. According to the bible, Lucifer was cast down to Earth pre-creation, so, how then were there "nations" existing on a void and form-less Earth?
(4)"It wasn't originally like that, perhaps, the ice age struck?" Now, considering that the bible has no written fact to buttress this(since you're speaking from a religious angle), than that means that this is all scientific speculations which is at the end spectrum of religion.
(5)"Remember God had to 'separate' the water from the earth which means the water and earth were already there." Still followingn you on theh religious high-way. Every planet in our solar already has foundation characteristics.
(6)"Also remember calendar days didn't begin until the sun was created. So from the first day up till the time the sun was created, there was no annual(ANNUAL) calendar. Who knows how many billions of years elapsed or even thousands of years,if we are to go by the premise that a day is as a thousand yrs with God..." How is a day 100 years with GOD? What is the measuring used to judge this? What time are we using? The time pre-our calendar or theh time post calendar? There was no annual calendar until the Roman era, same with calendar days.
@Felix - Well written! The concept of Faith being a unifying thread over chasm between Religion and Science is a rather fascunating cooncept and plausible at that too. Be-cause basically, from my under-standing of what you're saying, Science is Faith with Tangible evidence while its counter-part Religion is faith with-out tangibility. Fascinating, I have to process this more....
ReplyDeleteAccording to you: "The IMAGO DEO...the Image of God is beyond the spiritual or moral dimensions of divinity in humanity..." I accept there is divinity in all things, but I dis-agree with theh fact that is beyond these dimensions. Now, there three stratas the under-standing these dimensionsn of Humanity through Imago Dei: SUBSTANTIVE and RELATIONAL and FUNCTIONAL. Through there three, the Imago Dei is not such a mythical, but it still does not answer to its direct Latin - English translation.
According to you: "I was fascinated by the study of the most complex tissue/organ/system there is....the human brain, but in my quest way back, I had to tell myself the truth...there's a lot neuroscience and imaging science can/will never be able to tell me about the image of God....man!" I can totally concur, Man is an entity that may never be under-stood in totality by fellow man in this World and probably the New one.....
@Dan - What are these questions you have? It just might prove to be a learning experience for all of us.
ReplyDelete@Fred - The bible was a book written by men over time documenting(chronichling) the Jewish religious journey, and then put together after some by Emperor Constantine to suit the socio-political climate of the time. Then it was once again translated to the English language by King James, hence the old-speak "thou, thee, cometh etc" which is still being used in churches to-day by religious automatons even though that form of verse is now obsolete.
ReplyDelete@Don - I find the "Image and Likeness" definition rather fascinating, I must admit.
ReplyDeleteAccording to you: "Therefore, man being created in God's image and likeness means man was created to look like God and to function like Him." Are you talking about the currently evolved 500,000 year old Homo Sapiens..?
@ Iman, at the end of the day, the mankind started to look into the sky to find explanations about their existence. Then they believed in different Gods they created, then became Jesus, Mahomet etc... They rallied a lot of people behind them and apparently created an impact on the society, they were maybe the children of God, we don't know, this is a matter of Faith... anyway this is not the question here. After their deaths, books(bible, Coran,etc...) were written by followers. Those books became the references and used by the different political powers in place at the time. The catolics, i take this example cos this is my 'Religion', killed million of people, stole billion of USD to mark their power and territory, those guys became kings with castles while JEsus, let's not forget/ was a poor guy (Same in Africa with pastors and their private jets and Rolls Roys). My point is simply that the image/word of God will always be used by the mankind for his own advantage and service and is totally diverted from its origin. Nobody has ever explained the secret of life, i believe this is the image/essence of God.
ReplyDeleteI have responded to your post offline. I am concerned at its tone.
ReplyDelete