If God created us in His image, why should we not seek to create the universe for ourselves?

Question

There was a question a few minutes ago regarding "playing God." A good question. However, it is often said that humans are made in God's image. Does this mean solely in the visual sense? If not, and you believe that God did indeed create us in His image then why should we too not seek to create life? Perhaps we will fail. Perhaps not. Regardless, is this not what is meant by "in His image?"

Please don't mistake my question with my belief. I am asking a question of those that *do* believe the above.

Answer 1

We aren't the visual image of God. Our ability to think and love and have free will make us in God's image. If we could create anything in this universe, the source for that creation would be God's original creation. Sure, we can mess with DNA and stuff, but its still God's creation that holds that DNA. We cannot create anything God did not design as createable.

Answer 2

Yes, being created in God's image involves much more than looks. We humans are creative, just like he is.

What it means to "create the universe for ourselves" will be different for different people. A novelist or playwright will create stories. A homemaker will create the homiest home possible. An entrepreneur will create a business. Someone who loves the Internet will create a great website. And so on. And of course, we procreate and make babies.

However, unlike God, we don't have sole ownership of our universe, unless we keep it within our own minds. A homemaker will most likely have spouse and children who have to like the house, too. A novelist needs a publisher and readers. A playwright needs a director and actors and an audience. An entrepreneur needs employees and customers or clients. Even a webmaster or webmistress will want visitors to come and enjoy his or her website. And parents must do right by their children.

Therefore, we humans have to make sure that our selfish desires don't go stepping all over other people's rights. Fortunately, God is so pure that his motives and actions can always be trusted, or so I'm told.

Answer 3

Einstein, actually, was an atheist. When he talked about god, he was just talking about the unknown wonders of the universe. I saw a show on the discovery channel inaccurately depict the man as highly religious prior to his death, but when you read a few books you find this just wrong. He uses the mind of god as a metaphor for the answers that humans just could not ever know. You will find few or no men in the physics field to be religious, namely because physics explains most if not all of the questions for what life is, what are we all doing here, what is matter, and where we are all headed. The more I read physicist Stephen Hawking and many other great minds like Richard Dawkins, and Carl Sagen I realize there is less and less room for the necessity of "god" in the universe. Not to attack your views but look into more than what society forces you to believe based on vague assumptions and long dead witnesses.

Answer 4

You will get lots of fun answers to this question.

Someone will go back to the original language which was translated into the word "image" and try to explain what the word must have meant several thousand years ago (a logical impossibility since no one can know with absolute certainty what words meant to people long dead in a non-scientific society).

Someone else will explain that "image" means having godly traits like thought, will, freedom of choice. But of course, no on eknows if god has those traits or not.

But given the popular cult conception of god as omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, it is hard to see how that description of god and man have anything in common.

Answer 5

Sadly, this is a phrase that is often distorted or misunderstood.
We are NOT visual reproductions of God. God is a giant purple chicken for all we know. To be created in God's image means that we are LIKE God in that we are capable of emotion, creativity, and free will.

As to creating life, allow me to present this situation for your consideration:

God creates dirt.
God creates life from dirt.
Man says to God, "I will create life from dirt."
Man picks up handful of dirt and is about to creat life when God says, "Hey! Get your own dirt!"

What it all realy comes down to is the fact that man can only IMITATE life, not create it from nothing.

Answer 6

In His image means that He created us male and female. When a male and female are unified in an act of love they give that love a name in nine months, thus creating a family. The essence of God is a union or a family. It has nothing to do with physical appearance. God made us co-creators with Him.

Answer 7

In my religion, we believe what if we enter the Celestial Kingdom we have the opportunity to progress and learn and become like God and repeat the creation, atonement, etc...

So basically we do seek to create life one day...

It's hard to sum up a deep doctrine belief in a paragraph, but if you're confused just email me.

Answer 8

We are not the "Creator." Thus, we must not experience "big, egotistic thoughts" that we are anywhere near His strength. What shall we then say to these things? If GOD be for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31. The LORD daily loadeth us with BENEFITS, even the GOD of our salvation. Selah. - Psalm 68:19. Peace, Love and God Bless.

Answer 9

And you believe You will not make the same Mistake,because you are "Holier"?
Even God didn't do you really honest to his Image!
You wont cheat also?

Answer 10

Your right " In the visual sense" only!! So the rest of the question is useless. There is no "If not,and you believe".