Interpretation of a Bible passage

[Masquerouge]

Sh!T.Damn,i feel stoopid.I forgot that the mighty hands of God came from the heavens with a giant pen and wrote it in a giant text-book for the little people to see and marvel at its glorious making.

Actually I was not even saying that I was just imagining how the guy who wrote these specific verses for the first time must have felt...

 

[Swedishguy]

Actually I was not even saying that I was just imagining how the guy who wrote these specific verses for the first time must have felt...

May I guess? Thanks.

He had, after drinking a lot, an 'experience' of Almighty proportions. The only explanation that ocurred to him was that God were trying to communicate. Hastily, he wrote down everything God appeared to say and published it. After editing it a bit.

 

[CartesianFart]

Actually I was not even saying that I was just imagining how the guy who wrote these specific verses for the first time must have felt...

I know that you are not devoid of reason as some of the fellow posters in Civ OT .

I just stated that for the reason to be sardonic.I am an opportunist whenever someone gives me a reason to be sardonic.

 

[Masquerouge]

To get back on topic, it's obvious that the "physical" interpretation was preferred during quite long periods, as all the God paintings and portraits will attest.

Why is this not the case any longer, and what caused the change in the interpretation?

 

[Irish Caesar]

I take it to mean that people were created with souls, that the spiritual aspect of humanity is in God's image.

However, depicting God as a man seems fair to me; I haven't noticed any change in artistic interpretation...how is God depicted now?

 

[puglover]

So you think the biblical text is implying that when we're speaking of God's image, it actually means what separate God and humans from animals, and that is love and reason.
But if we're created in His image, why aren't we also all-knowing and such?

Created in his image doesn't mean creating a duplicate. But we are modeled after our Creator.

 

[Masquerouge]

I take it to mean that people were created with souls, that the spiritual aspect of humanity is in God's image.

However, depicting God as a man seems fair to me; I haven't noticed any change in artistic interpretation...how is God depicted now?

He used to have a face, now He doesn't. Granted, that's not a huge deal... Also, it seems that actual, anthropomorphical portraits of God are no longer the norm: you will most often see SYMBOLS of God, not an actual guy.

 

[Masquerouge]

I take it to mean that people were created with souls, that the spiritual aspect of humanity is in God's image.

Excluding sin, as the text makes clear that it didn't exist prior to the Fall, humans have the capacity to love one another, and they have reason to interpret their world with, both being qualities we share with God.

Come to think of it, when God created Man, Man had not eaten from the tree of knowledge and was thus not able to distinguish Right from Wrong.
Does it mean that God is not able to do it also, or that God decided to leave a few things of Him out of Man?

 

[CartesianFart]

...how is God depicted now?

That is a good question.

I have to say in that as being a citizen in an advance Democratic country in the 21st century,i say God is depicted as whatever you like it to be.Thank God for the "seperation of Church and State."

Of course if you are a member of an church organization of whatever sort,then the meaning of God is fixed and must be in the terms on how you can express of what God is and its nature.

 

[Sidhe]

To get back on topic, it's obvious that the "physical" interpretation was preferred during quite long periods, as all the God paintings and portraits will attest.

Why is this not the case any longer, and what caused the change in the interpretation?

Evolution might of played a part? But really I have no idea. God is not depicted now AFAIK, I've certainly only seen modern depictions of Jesus, but I could be wrong.

God has no corporeal form as far as I am aware since he is the holy ghost. A spirit, I supose he's what ever form he choses. Since God cannot intercede directly with man, by his own edict,I guess the depiction of him is purely academic.

 

[puglover]

Does it mean that God is not able to do it also, or that God decided to leave a few things of Him out of Man?

Some knowledge is best never uncovered.

Genesis 3

22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."

How many Gods are there?

These verses are one of the greatest evidences for the doctrine of the Trinity.

 

[Masquerouge]

Some knowledge is best never uncovered.

Genesis 3

Ah! So basically God left out of Man the knowledge of good and evil that He Himself possesses.

Do you know if we have a way to know exactly what God's "image" contained, or is it something up to speculation and theological debates?

 

[Irish Caesar]

He used to have a face, now He doesn't. Granted, that's not a huge deal... Also, it seems that actual, anthropomorphical portraits of God are no longer the norm: you will most often see SYMBOLS of God, not an actual guy.

...God is not depicted now AFAIK, I've certainly only seen modern depictions of Jesus, but I could be wrong.

God has no corporeal form as far as I am aware since he is the holy ghost. A spirit, I supose he's what ever form he choses. Since God cannot intercede directly with man, by his own edict,I guess the depiction of him is purely academic.

I suppose taking only the first half of architectural history and discussing it with Cleopatra, who has only taken the first half of art history, I'm not really aware of depictions of God after, say, the Renaissance.

Now that I think of it, thinking of stained glass windows at church and stuff, we see pictures of Jesus, and sometimes the Holy Spirit is represented as a dove, but rarely is there any depiction of the Creator.

I suppose I've never really thought about how God looks, but it seems to make sense that as Jesus' dad, he's depicted as an older man...

 

[puglover]

I suppose taking only the first half of architectural history and discussing it with Cleopatra, who has only taken the first half of art history, I'm not really aware of depictions of God after, say, the Renaissance.

Now that I think of it, thinking of stained glass windows at church and stuff, we see pictures of Jesus, and sometimes the Holy Spirit is represented as a dove, but rarely is there any depiction of the Creator.

I suppose I've never really thought about how God looks, but it seems to make sense that as Jesus' dad, he's depicted as an older man...

Seriously, I've never worried about representations and images of God, provided people are worshipping God and not the image itself. (cough, Virgin Mary sandwhich, cough)

I don't make any image of the Father, since he is never described in the Bible, but I don't have any strong convictions about it.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Come to think of it, when God created Man, Man had not eaten from the tree of knowledge and was thus not able to distinguish Right from Wrong.
Does it mean that God is not able to do it also, or that God decided to leave a few things of Him out of Man?

Didn't see this one...

I would think that God wouldn't have given Man everything about him.

Man is created is God's image, not to be a replica or anything. A photograph is in my image, but it can't do anything, it just resembles me in some way.

 

[Sidhe]

There was no right and wrong in Eden IIRC, sin only came about after the eating of the Quince or whatever the hell it was.

 

[Phlegmak]

What sets humans apart from animals?

Excluding sin, as the text makes clear that it didn't exist prior to the Fall, humans have the capacity to love one another, and they have reason to interpret their world with, both being qualities we share with God.

How do you know that god has those qualities? How can you attribute any emotional qualities to god, other than jealousy?

How do you know animals don't love other animals?

 

[punkbass2000]

Come to think of it, when God created Man, Man had not eaten from the tree of knowledge and was thus not able to distinguish Right from Wrong.

Eating from the Tree of Knowledge is a metaphor for the creation of humanity.

Does it mean that God is not able to do it also, or that God decided to leave a few things of Him out of Man?

God knows that there is no right and wrong.

 

[Sidhe]

How do you know that god has those qualities? How can you attribute any emotional qualities to god, other than jealousy?

How do you know animals don't love other animals?

God isn't Jealous. When it says: the lord our God is a Jealous God, it means only that he will brook no false worship, not that he is capable of being envious in the strict sense, how could he be jealous he is all powerfull, anything he wants is so? It's a matter of interpritation as always.

 

[puglover]

Ah! So basically God left out of Man the knowledge of good and evil that He Himself possesses.

It's dangerous knowledge. Look what it did to our world.

Do you know if we have a way to know exactly what God's "image" contained, or is it something up to speculation and theological debates?

It's mostly theological interpretation. God didn't exactly say what it meant. But we can see a picture of it in the commands he gives us. (and the greatest of these is love, love the Lord your God, love your enemies, etc.)

How do you know that god has those qualities? How can you attribute any emotional qualities to god, other than jealousy?

How do you know animals don't love other animals?

Have you read the Bible? It's pretty obvious he's an emotional, personal God.

As for the second question, I don't know if animals can love other animals, but this is speculation after all. God didn't give commands for his animals to love one another better.