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Wonder no more. Genesis 1:26-27 ESV Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and

Wonder no more. Genesis 1:26-27 ESV Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

lone_haxx0r 7y ago
Now no one knows why god can walk.
- umvi 7y ago
  Well because back when God was a man, he was made in the image of his God, who walked.
- clairity 7y ago
  or why an omnipresent being would need to.
  - ijidak 7y ago
    I don't think the God of the Bible is omnipresent, no? Reference: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/god-omnipresent/ https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/god-omnipres...
    - NateEag 7y ago
      The mainline Christian denominations disagree with the Jehovah's Witnesses on that point (and many others - [preachy] overview: https://biblereasons.com/christianity-vs-jehovah-witness/ https://biblereasons.com/christianity-vs-jehovah-witness/).
- ijidak 7y ago
  In the parent's post, Image does not refer to literal physical shape. I'm not sure if that's what he/she meant or not. That the God of the Bible doesn't look like a man or woman is clear from the below verse: "Therefore, watch yourselves closely—since you did not see any form on the day [God] spoke to you...that you may not act corruptly by making for yourselves any carved image having the form of any symbol, the representation of male or female." - Deuteronomy 4:15-16 So, the injunction against creating an image that looked like a man or woman to represent God, would indicate that he does not physically look like a man or a woman. That's no doubt why it says, "you saw now form"
NateEag 7y ago
I'm a Christian, but I don't think that passage means human biology is based on God's. God the Father is clearly not in a physical form throughout the Bible. I believe that's why "graven images" are forbidden in the Ten Commandments, as they'd mislead people into thinking of him as a physical being. God the Father as depicted in the Bible is closer to an omnipresent, omniscient mind that runs the universe as a simulation inside itself and occasionally talks to entities inside the simulation through avatars, dreams, and visions. Rather, I think "in his own image" there refers to sapience, self-awareness, and creativity - what is called elsewhere in Scripture "the breath of God". Much of what makes the Incarnation of Christ so meaningful is precisely that God is made man, with hands, feet, head, and heart. He is Emannuel, "God with us," come to debug and repair the system we broke from within, knowing our suffering and giving us the knowledge and strength to help repair it ourselves. That all loses a lot of its meaning if God the Father is just a big man on a throne in a cloud somewhere (an image that I have never found anywhere in the text and am puzzled as to where it came from). He was always just one of us if that's the case. So, yeah. Despite apparently sharing your fundamental beliefs about the world, I think you're way off base about why humans walk.
- rriepe 7y ago
  The image of God as a big man in the clouds comes from two sources: Renaissance paintings and The Simpsons. I'm not kidding. I've thought a lot about this. Another "in his image" interpretation I've heard is that it's something of a mistranslation. That it's more like "in his imagination" or "he imagined/conceived us" than "we look like him." That's the one I've always gone by, but I like your take too.
  - orthoxerox 7y ago
    Surprisingly, you are right about the Renaissance paintings. Orthodox Christian icons almost never depict him. The so-alled Pantokrator icons depict regnant Jesus, the Son.
- andredz 7y ago
  I found two verses in which a throne and clouds are related to God: Psalm 97:2 - "Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne." Job 26:9 - "He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it." Of course, I'd think that "throne" is used to evoke the idea of sovereignty rather than a literal throne. There's also the whole of Revelation—I won't try to interpret in a mere comment—but includes plenty of thrones and clouds such as in Revelation 14:14. And you can also find the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9-22 At the beginning of this post (starting from Begin digression), there's an exploration of anthropomorphic metaphors that might interest you: http://www.wall.org/~aron/blog/god-and-time-iv-impassibility-and-the-bible/ http://www.wall.org/~aron/blog/god-and-time-iv-impassibility... Also, have you read The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton? It has some ideas found in your comment regarding the Incarnation and it is overall a fun read.
dwaltrip 7y ago
You should try reading "The Greatest Show on Earth". It lays the overwhelming evidence for evolution out in stunning detail. It's absolutely incredible. Also, Dawkins manages to stick to the facts and evidence and almost entirely avoid the religion bashing in this book, making it much more approachable for religious folks.
ars 7y ago
> So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him That refers to free will (which humans have, but animals do not), not physical shape.

lone_haxx0r 7y ago

Now no one knows why god can walk.

umvi 7y ago
Well because back when God was a man, he was made in the image of his God, who walked.
clairity 7y ago
or why an omnipresent being would need to.
- ijidak 7y ago
  I don't think the God of the Bible is omnipresent, no? Reference: https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/god-omnipresent/ https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/god-omnipres...
  - NateEag 7y ago
    The mainline Christian denominations disagree with the Jehovah's Witnesses on that point (and many others - [preachy] overview: https://biblereasons.com/christianity-vs-jehovah-witness/ https://biblereasons.com/christianity-vs-jehovah-witness/).
ijidak 7y ago
In the parent's post, Image does not refer to literal physical shape. I'm not sure if that's what he/she meant or not. That the God of the Bible doesn't look like a man or woman is clear from the below verse: "Therefore, watch yourselves closely—since you did not see any form on the day [God] spoke to you...that you may not act corruptly by making for yourselves any carved image having the form of any symbol, the representation of male or female." - Deuteronomy 4:15-16 So, the injunction against creating an image that looked like a man or woman to represent God, would indicate that he does not physically look like a man or a woman. That's no doubt why it says, "you saw now form"

NateEag 7y ago

I'm a Christian, but I don't think that passage means human biology is based on God's. God the Father is clearly not in a physical form throughout the Bible. I believe that's why "graven images" are forbidden in the Ten Commandments, as they'd mislead people into thinking of him as a physical being. God the Father as depicted in the Bible is closer to an omnipresent, omniscient mind that runs the universe as a simulation inside itself and occasionally talks to entities inside the simulation through avatars, dreams, and visions. Rather, I think "in his own image" there refers to sapience, self-awareness, and creativity - what is called elsewhere in Scripture "the breath of God". Much of what makes the Incarnation of Christ so meaningful is precisely that God is made man, with hands, feet, head, and heart. He is Emannuel, "God with us," come to debug and repair the system we broke from within, knowing our suffering and giving us the knowledge and strength to help repair it ourselves. That all loses a lot of its meaning if God the Father is just a big man on a throne in a cloud somewhere (an image that I have never found anywhere in the text and am puzzled as to where it came from). He was always just one of us if that's the case. So, yeah. Despite apparently sharing your fundamental beliefs about the world, I think you're way off base about why humans walk.

rriepe 7y ago
The image of God as a big man in the clouds comes from two sources: Renaissance paintings and The Simpsons. I'm not kidding. I've thought a lot about this. Another "in his image" interpretation I've heard is that it's something of a mistranslation. That it's more like "in his imagination" or "he imagined/conceived us" than "we look like him." That's the one I've always gone by, but I like your take too.
- orthoxerox 7y ago
  Surprisingly, you are right about the Renaissance paintings. Orthodox Christian icons almost never depict him. The so-alled Pantokrator icons depict regnant Jesus, the Son.
andredz 7y ago
I found two verses in which a throne and clouds are related to God: Psalm 97:2 - "Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne." Job 26:9 - "He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it." Of course, I'd think that "throne" is used to evoke the idea of sovereignty rather than a literal throne. There's also the whole of Revelation—I won't try to interpret in a mere comment—but includes plenty of thrones and clouds such as in Revelation 14:14. And you can also find the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7:9-22 At the beginning of this post (starting from Begin digression), there's an exploration of anthropomorphic metaphors that might interest you: http://www.wall.org/~aron/blog/god-and-time-iv-impassibility-and-the-bible/ http://www.wall.org/~aron/blog/god-and-time-iv-impassibility... Also, have you read The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton? It has some ideas found in your comment regarding the Incarnation and it is overall a fun read.

dwaltrip 7y ago

You should try reading "The Greatest Show on Earth". It lays the overwhelming evidence for evolution out in stunning detail. It's absolutely incredible. Also, Dawkins manages to stick to the facts and evidence and almost entirely avoid the religion bashing in this book, making it much more approachable for religious folks.

ars 7y ago

> So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him That refers to free will (which humans have, but animals do not), not physical shape.