What it means to be created in the image of God

Originally posted by asinapi1
Blah, blah. Anyone that tries to explain what god's intentions are or claims to know what god is? Is missing the point. Who are we to know god's voice?

A part of god on it's way to come home to be one with all the other parts again and play around in the light feeling loved and loving god back in symbiosis?

Originally posted by LittleByLittle

Originally posted by asinapi1
Blah, blah. Anyone that tries to explain what god's intentions are or claims to know what god is? Is missing the point. Who are we to know god's voice?

A part of god on it's way to come home to be one with all the other parts again and play around in the light feeling loved and loving god back in symbiosis?

This is the lords presence - there is nothing apart from presence - all is happening presently.
Thoughts arise presently, noise arises presently, all movement happens presently.
This is being done. There is nothing but this . This appears as words - that tell a story of more.

Originally posted by ButterCookie
Gen 1:26..."Let US make mankind in OUR image, according to OUR likeness...."

Obviously a GROUP of beings at work here.

According to the Ancient Alien theory ( Sumerian and other ancient biblical texts), an advanced civilization of extraterrestrials came to Earth with the objective of creating a worker for needed labor. Ancient civilizations called these advanced beings Gods.

They took their own DNA and the DNA of the primate that was here and genetically engineered a hybrid worker; the human.

So the line "made in God's image" describes the DNA footprint binded into us through genetic engineering.

edit on 24-4-2013 by ButterCookie because: (no reason given)

God is many things, King, Destroyer, the Forever Forgiving etc, I think therefore He adresses Himself sometimes as We, for a human being can worship Him in many forms.

Originally posted by Cor Leonis

Did not say we are not responsible for our own action. We have choices in life to make. Choose life or choose death!

Thanks for reminding me about that truth. It would be wise to choose life rather than mock and scoff at it!

Thanks for the reply.

The part I am having a problem with accepting is that "you" say we are responsible for our own actions/choices.

But then say this

The blood of the man, Jesus Christ (Jehovah, God's only begotten Son) was pure blood, born of a woman but conceived by the holy ghost (spirit) and it was by his blood sacrifice as payment for the sins of the world. Because Jesus was not conceived with the seed of man, his blood was pure. He redeemed man back to a right relationship with God because his blood was pure. Jesus Christ did not sin therefore by his obedience even unto death and the shedding of his blood, the payment for our sins was considered by God to be payed in full!

If we take responsibility for our own actions, why would we choose to make Jesus responsible for our individual and collective sins? How is that owning up to and taking responsibility for our choices/sins?

IMO it would seem "that" is the opposite of taking responsibility, "that" would be making someone else suffer for your own individual choices in this life.

Perhaps I am overlooking something, and do not mean this to be an attack on your beliefs at all.

Originally posted by Meaningless
This is just sad. Threads like these are the reasons we have wars, greed, etc..... makes me sick. People are so ignorant it's not even funny! God is just a clever ploy to stop us from thinking further, it stops us from realizing what's happening to us and planet. How can you sit there, with the bible being as flawed as it is and claim THAT one particular god to be the one "true god" ????? All those stories were taken from other mythologies to design the perfect religion for enticing humans and what's messed is they have you believe the devil is in the shadows trying to make you doubt the existence of that god.

Can none of you see how this is a trick? You realize once you're dead, YOU'RE DEAD. You won't even know because THAT PART OF THE BRAIN WILL BE GONE. It's just a trick guys, they're leading you to your death all while you worship lies and follow laws that only demean us. We are a species, not some gifted race created in the image of some god. We are no more important than a MOSQUITO, this is why we have wars and disease BECAUSE THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT. All you guys ever care about is some NONEXISTENT PARADISE!!!! and as a result millions suffer EVERY SINGLE DAY....

Actually, I'd say the reason to wars and violence is because people respond to others the way you just responded to me.

First off) Personally, I am not Christian. But I do believe in the teachings of Christ and work daily on becoming 'Christ Like.'

I have no hatred for anyone. Not gays, not Muslims or Buddhists or Atheists or anyone else who differs from my thinking.
Believing in God has pushed me to think even more. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone of what I believe to be real and possible.
I do not believe that 'my' God is better or even different than any other 'God' that any other religion tries to claim. All religions point to the same energy, creator: God. They all describe what they know about God and the human relationship with God and they all come at it from their specific culture and available knowledge. I know.

I was Agnostic, borderline Atheist, for many years until I had a life changing experience. It was a personal experience, an epiphany, if you will. It changed my life for the better. Much better. And not only that, but my relationship with God has grown infinitely...and is still growing.

God is not some 'thing' watching over all of us. God does not have human qualities. God is definitely not human. Yes, most people who claim to believe in 'God' do not think and they just listen to the bible or whatever book it may be. I have pulled knowledge from many books from many cultures - Chinese, Buddhist, Christian, Egyptian, Tibetan, New Age, Native American and Mayan, to name a few. That information coupled with my personal experiences have culminated into my current understanding of faith.

God communes with me daily. It is not always a 'voice' that I hear, as it may be a sign, a song, a thought, or something told to me by a friend or stranger. Sometimes, though, it is like a voice that does not originate within my thoughts. It is a profound feeling when it happens. Usually it's in a direct response to a question I am meditating on.

I do not believe in the traditional 'Satan.' I don't think someone is running around with a pitchfork waiting to collect souls to throw in to a fire. 'Satan' is merely the 'bad' thoughts and urges that we have. The dirty habits that we want to stop but can't. The bad temper that we know we need to improve. The negative thoughts we keep about ourselves. Our judgements of others. Our depression and our hatred. These are 'Satan.' It just means that you are disconnected from your true Higher Self and your connection with God. It's the Yin and the Yang. The Light and the Dark. Classic duality.

You, however, are ironically exemplifying the exact same qualities within yourself that you seem to despise in so many others. You are angry, you are judgmental, you are close minded, you are cocky, you are arrogant, you are negative and you are assuming many things about something (and someone - me) that you don't even know. (I still carry those qualities sometimes too, but I'm pointing yours out to you.) Those sound like the same qualities that you are so against found within Christians and other believers. You, however, have a blind belief to something other than God - to the absence of God.

That's okay. I've been there. It certainly doesn't mean you're a bad person. I'm sure you're great and I'm sure you have a huge heart and I'm sure you want to help people and make the world better. Right? Well, speaking from experience, you will not, can not, know your true power until you find the gift that has been given to you from God.

I recommend two books if you are open minded at all enough to care to learn.
"Only Love is Real' by Brian Weiss
and "Conversation with God' by Neale Donald Walsch.

Cheers.

reply to post by eleven44

Personally, I am not Christian. But I do believe in the teachings of Christ and work daily on becoming 'Christ Like.'

Originally posted by bloodreviara
The irony in this statement is that one must first decide which god
we have been created in the image of, i love how christians have
this huge ego and think just because their religious book says
so that they are the chosen ones, guess what? most other religions
tell their followers that too! and science isn't trying to overthrow or
replace god at all, it is simply fixing all the problem that religion
promises to yet cannot deliver on the promises it has made.

You must remember that crhistians told us faith healing was
real, so they tested it, not real, they told us god would guide
and improve the world yet until science came along and finally
got the recognition it deserved and was allowed to develop
free from the clutches of the church nothing really did change......

I just love how religion can flat out ignore its lies and false promises
yet science which actually fixes and proves that what it claims
is actually true gets called the evil liar..... WHAT HAPPENED TO
HONESTY? i thought there was some command about not
lying?? oh that one only applies if the truth does not prove that
the claims of religion are lies.......

You also must realize that not all people who are Believers are strict 'Christians' or any other specific Traditional Religion. Personally, I claim no religion. I choose to learn about God through personal experiences that are guided by His hand.
Religions are corruptible because People are corruptible. God, however, is not. If you're looking to someone else to define your relationship with God...well, good luck. But I recommend going within to find your true God self.

Also, I have absolutely no problem with science. It's great. I love understanding HOW God's creation works. It's so intricate, so precise. Nothing is meaningless in the grand scheme. However, 'religion' or 'spirituality' work towards explaining WHY we are here, not strictly HOW it all works. Two different things, and they work great together. (As well as with Art.)

The ironic thing is...has science ALWAYS been right? No. Why? Because humans are fallible. How many people had their health effected by the 'science' that claimed cigarettes were fine for pregnant women? How many people have died in the name of modern medicine and trial and error? Is the world flat? Are white people genetically better? Is it physically impossible to run a mile in under four minutes? NO to all of the above. BUT, at one point in time, someone has used 'science' to claim all of those things.
Still today scientists are constantly having to rethink their approach due to old theories proven inaccurate or false by new studies.

Could millions of people have died in the name of God if it weren't for all the great scientific advancements in weaponry? Nope.

So why do you see God and Science as two separate and competing things? It IS possible to believe in science AND God, you know.



Cheers.

EDIT:
By the way, in all fairness...you seem to have just as big of an ego as all those Christians you despise. (Yes, i'm also aware of the fact that it is my ego which wants to point this out to you.) But really....you do.

reply to post by LittleByLittle

Raise awareness in all people of what they are.

Me to prostitute: Hey lady, do you realize you're a whore?
Lady: OMG! I'll going to change right now!

LOL That's not gonna happen.

Originally posted by jiggerj
reply to post by LittleByLittle

 

Raise awareness in all people of what they are.

Me to prostitute: Hey lady, do you realize you're a whore?
Lady: OMG! I'll going to change right now!

LOL That's not gonna happen.

I doubt if I were to respond with 'Wow, and you're a jack@$$' that it would help you very much either, eh?

But if we remind that woman that she is NOT just a prostitute, and instead she is a daughter, a friend, a lover and a beautiful soul...if we were to sit her down and talk to her like she were a person and not a 'whore'...if you took the time to understand who she was, why she chose to do what she does and what it is that motivates her...if you're able to extend a hand of true love to the person and allow them to see that there is another way of life...

Then that might help jog her memory of who she really is.
She is not a 'whore.'
That is just your limited judgement speaking.

Edit:
What if she was beaten her whole life? What if she lost her husband and didn't know what else to do to supply her children with food? What if she was sexually molested as a little child and doesn't understand the complexities of social sexuality? What if it was your daughter whom was kidnapped from you and placed in prostitution?
You know NOTHING about these people, and yet you demean them as if they were trash. As if they were only what you say they are.
Shame on you.

reply to post by supergravity

Men are under a strong delusion that they can take over god using science ,What they dont realize is all matter in the universe is blinking on and off so fast they cant measure it,in other words we are in a large quantum computer created by yeshua and he is laughing at there attempts to rule over his creation.

That was an almost flawless contradiction of terms right there. "God" does not belong in the same sentence as "quantum mechanics" unless you are implying that particles are not only sentient, but smarter than us. In which case...

Sources, please.

reply to post by the_philth

God sure showed us his love when he decided to try and drown us all back in the day --- or like that one time when he sent us a nice bouquet of love in the form of fire and brimstone rained down from the heavens!

We were created in his image meaning, we must look just like the Gods did back when they created us... that is... half monkey and half God!

As far as being Godlike ourselves... Ha!
I still can't figure out how to walk on water yet!
I still can't figure out how to bend spoons with my mind or instantly turn water into wine.
I've yet to figure out how to blow up a mugger with my mind as he's running away with an old lady's purse.

As soon as some of these things start happening, that's when I start believing that we were created in *their* image!

Until then... we're still puny humans with far too much ego for our own good!

It is my firm belief that we have spent far too much time believing that gods are great for what they can do with their power, instead of what they have done in spite of it. True power is learning to live without it. The moment you become dependent on your power is the moment you are weakest, because then you're a one-shot kill. Take out the engine and you're fried.

A true god takes strength from its character and not its superpowers. It's easy to win when you have the victory button in your hand. But it's a true triumph when you pull through by only the skin of your hide. Do the powers make the god, or does the god make the powers?

Think about it.

Originally posted by AfterInfinity
reply to post by the_philth

 

Deleted long annoying quote of mine (ol' philthy one)...

It is my firm belief that we have spent far too much time believing that gods are great for what they can do with their power, instead of what they have done in spite of it. True power is learning to live without it. The moment you become dependent on your power is the moment you are weakest, because then you're a one-shot kill. Take out the engine and you're fried.

A true god takes strength from its character and not its superpowers. It's easy to win when you have the victory button in your hand. But it's a true triumph when you pull through by only the skin of your hide. Do the powers make the god, or does the god make the powers?

Think about it.

edit on 25-4-2013 by AfterInfinity because: (no reason given)

Well said Jor-El

But that made my head hurt! That was far too deep for my shallow mind!

But I thank you nonetheless!

reply to post by LittleByLittle

You are supposed to blame your flaws in your ego since that is the part of you that is symbolically a part of the "devil".

I could accept myself for who I am (in totality) without the need to cast blame on any part of "me". Accept my "shadows" as being part of me too, that way I don't cast them onto others.

reply to post by the_philth

Well said Jor-El

But that made my head hurt! That was far too deep for my shallow mind!

But I thank you nonetheless!

I hope that wasn't sarcasm. I would hate to think you compare me to Jor-El in jest, considering my deep appreciation for the Smallville television series. And my post was most sincere. Power is best demonstrated by making do without it, for it shows character and discipline to choose what's right over what's easy. That's why they say absolute power corrupts absolutely: if you desire absolute power, it's probably not for the right reasons.

Originally posted by Funafuti
reply to post by eleven44

 

This is how I feel it to be:

Before time, there was a oneness. The oneness "said": "I am one, let me be many" and the oneness created the Universe. A prerequisite for the Universe to exist is duality. Without duality (yin & yang), there couldn't be any relations between anything - the oneness couldn't be many.

The oneness is pure consciousness. We are human. Humans are conscious. We created ourselves to witness ourself. We ARE God.

I have thought this way since as far back as i can remember! I still to this day think this way!! star for you!

Originally posted by asinapi1
reply to post by vethumanbeing

 

Huh?

Point? I liked Ian Rand when I was 12. Perfectly clear testamonial, you could have picked it apart as an Objectivist Realist (at least).

Originally posted by troubleshooter
reply to post by eleven44

 

While most understand 'image of God' to mean in form or relationship...
...I think that the 'image of God' resides in our function...
...this function being primarily our task of ruling over earth...
...a role we do not currently fulfil very well.

As another poster said it, I will reiterate it. We describe God to itself; just as our own children explain us. Problem, again where are my parents, and it is only ONE not the Male/female dynamic I should expect. WHERE IS MY MOTHER? Image of God, GKOD, GKOD, grokted you say is we are the custodial caretaker/docents of EARTH (our environs) we fail. Image of God, it is the other way around. It relies upon us to define ITSELF (that is the whole point in our creation).

Originally posted by LittleByLittle

Originally posted by asinapi1
Blah, blah. Anyone that tries to explain what god's intentions are or claims to know what god is? Is missing the point. Who are we to know god's voice?

A part of god on it's way to come home to be one with all the other parts again and play around in the light feeling loved and loving god back in symbiosis?

It will only appear when and if the Human recognises ITSELF as its audience (the main attraction is you). It tries through humor, irony, sardonism, many clues; tragedy, comedy what else is required? OH A PERSONAL APPEARANCE, autograph signing on the red carpet.

reply to post by eleven44

That is just your limited judgement speaking. Edit: What if she was beaten her whole life? What if she lost her husband and didn't know what else to do to supply her children with food? What if she was sexually molested as a little child and doesn't understand the complexities of social sexuality? What if it was your daughter whom was kidnapped from you and placed in prostitution? You know NOTHING about these people, and yet you demean them as if they were trash. As if they were only what you say they are. Shame on you.

The member LittlebyLittle and I were discussing his statement of

The good news is... We can also create the solutions. We can create peace. We can create community. We can create any world that we can imagine.

My responses were to show how we humans are too imperfect to be able to create a perfect world. You take my comment out of context.

Seeing threads like these pop up all over ATS just makes my day! Are we doing this awakening thing, or what guys? Amazing, just think how far we have come. Did you in your wildest fantasy anticipate this when pondering about 2012 and beyond? I for one did not.

Light, love, respect and honor to everyone, thanks for being here & now!