not created in God's physical image, although the Christians that fear they evolved from monkies are always trying to misinterpret the Bible that way!
2007-11-13 13:26:29 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Gender Studies
That's one of the countless things I find in religious teachings that doesn't make sense when you think seriously about it. Christianity says that humans are made in God's image. But why would God look physically like a human? Every part of a human's body serves a physical purpose: Eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to pick things up, feet to walk on, a mouth to eat with....and so on. God surely doesn't need eyes to see or ears to hear or a mouth to eat through or hands to move things. That all completely goes against the general concept of God. So humans can't possibly be made in God's image physically.
This makes people fall back on the idea that humans are made in God's image mentally. But that also does not make sense because humans are notoriously greedy, selfish, lustful, angry, racist, sexist, ignorant about so many things, murderous, deceitful...the list goes on and on. I mean, sure there is also a bunch of positive traits in humans. But there's such a vast amount of negative. God, according to Judeo-Christian belief, is supposed to be all-loving and wise. The phrase "God is love" gets used all the time. Meanwhile humans murder and steal from and wage wars against each other endlessly. So humans can't possibly be made in God's image mentally either.
So what else is there?
Spiritually? What does that even mean? The spirit is supposed to be a person's mind, more or less. So how is human's spiritual image a different thing than the mental image?
The notion that humans are made in God's image is nonsense.
2007-11-13 15:13:58 · answer #1 · answered by egn18s 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Biblically, humans were created in God's image, spiritually. (the spirit is most certainly not the mind)
I may be mistaken, and I've really only been a Christian (a believer and follower of Christ's teachings) for a couple of my 50 years, but I am not aware of any Christian that thinks we were created in the physical image of God, or that God has a physical image. He is a spiritual being.
As far as evolution, the bible and evolution are not mutually exclusive. Evolution is a very real part of the law of nature, I see it all around me in plants, animals and humans.
However, scientifically, there is no direct genetic connection to several dead end humanoid species that existed, prehistorically and modern man. A discovery of a 10,000 year old ape jawbone, just released yesterday, still has no direct genetic connection. So if you believe in what is typically called evolution, as a means of modern man's appearance on earth, it is a very open ended question that has no real answer. (BTW, Darwin was profoundly Christain)
The bible does not state that it tells of every event in the history of earth or it inhabitants, lol, and couldn't possible mention dinosaurs since that word wasn't coined until the late 18th century.
You are behind on modern scientific knowledge, from within and without the church.
Even the penticostal church has a practicing scientific arm that embraces the theories presented by the church of englands own quantum physisist, lol.
time to catch up
2007-11-13 15:46:05 · answer #2 · answered by paigespirate 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Different people will interpret this in different ways. When I think of it, I like to believe that we are created in his spiritual image- that we are born with a connection to him and a capacity for spiritual experiences, knowledge, and growth. Mankind is capable of great acts of honorable, positive, and constructive intent. Take for instance the tragedy at Virginia Tech. A teacher blocked his classroom door while the gunman shot at it (and eventually through it)- allowing time for some of his students to escape out the classroom window to safety. This teacher died. He took bullets to save others' lives. Yes, in my opinion, we are created in God's spiritual image. The proof is all around us if we open our eyes and choose to see it. How else do you explain these kinds of altruistic acts? It's really too bad that people have trained themselves to only see that which is negative or evil in this world. Humans are capable of and do commit acts of love, generosity and kindness every day. I'd like to see more of that on the evening news.
2007-11-13 15:33:56 · answer #3 · answered by It's Ms. Fusion if you're Nasty! 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Concerning the issue of image,
is this a question of:
1. Are men apes?
2. Are women gods?
Short answer to both: NO!!
Shingoshi Dao
2007.Nov.13 Tue, 22:19 --800 (PST)
2007-11-13 17:21:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Bible = Fairy Stories.
An excerpted and compressed narrative history,
from Guns, Germs, and Steel. The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond:
"Our closest living relatives are three surviving species of great ape: the gorilla, the common chimpanzee, and pygmy chimpanzee (also known as bonobo). "
see http://www.ucalgary.ca/~eslinger/genrels/HumanEvol.html for a chart.
2007-11-13 13:48:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋