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Man created god in his own image

INTP

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Not the other way around :yes:

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Edit. Blah i thought i invented a witty new saying that reflects the truth, but apparently some guy invented that already in 1841 :(
 

Xyk

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Not the other way around :yes:

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Edit. Blah i thought i invented a witty new saying that reflects the truth, but apparently some guy invented that already in 1841 :(

With something as simple as that, it's safe to assume someone has said it before.

But yeah, I agree. Humans create many things in their own image. Look at nearly any sci-fi with aliens in it and they'll be humanoid aliens. Norse mythology is full of humanoid creatures (frost giants, dwarves, elves, dark elves I think, etc.). Other mythologies have plenty of human-shaped things too. Even Hinduism, with it's zany pantheon (meant with no disrespect), has human-shaped animals like Ganesha, the four armed anthropomorphic elephant god of beginnings and knowledge (among other things). I don't think humans creating one more deity (assuming you mean the judeo-christian one) in their own image is a stretch at all.

The default shape for a sentient being, in the minds of humans, is that of a human.
 

Lark

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Not the other way around :yes:

Discuss

Edit. Blah i thought i invented a witty new saying that reflects the truth, but apparently some guy invented that already in 1841 :(

What guy?

Have you just discovered Feuerbach? There's a book by this title which is in my to be read pile which I'm planning to read next, I bought it for the chapter on Erich Fromm but its also got chapters on Freud too.

In some ways it is true, this is how people mistakenly perceive God, then having only ever known that mistaken perception its easy to abandon that and in the process feel the new found atheism is so much more enlightened and clever.
 

INTP

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What guy?

Have you just discovered Feuerbach? There's a book by this title which is in my to be read pile which I'm planning to read next, I bought it for the chapter on Erich Fromm but its also got chapters on Freud too.

In some ways it is true, this is how people mistakenly perceive God, then having only ever known that mistaken perception its easy to abandon that and in the process feel the new found atheism is so much more enlightened and clever.

That feuerbach guy. I decided to google "man created god in his own image" after creating this topic and found out about the guy and his book. First time i even heard his name.
Anyways i think if you are atheist, its important to find alternative ways to become conscious of your unconscious or to have some link with your unconsciousness. If you are too ego centered and cant do that, its better to just believe in god, that is if your religious beliefs arent effecting other people.
 

Lark

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That feuerbach guy. I decided to google "man created god in his own image" after creating this topic and found out about the guy and his book. First time i even heard his name.
Anyways i think if you are atheist, its important to find alternative ways to become conscious of your unconscious or to have some link with your unconsciousness. If you are too ego centered and cant do that, its better to just believe in god, that is if your religious beliefs arent effecting other people.

:laugh: I knew it was Feuerbach! :laugh:

I would highly recommend his Essence of Christianity BTW, I love that book, I dont believe his atheist beliefs but his account is praisworthy of what ought to be the heart of Christianity (it is love).

Anyway, I think anyone, religious or not, should be aware of the role of the unconscious and seek to exercise self-analysis, its one of four or five things which Erich Fromm identified as keys to dealing with the average character neurosis (you've got to understand with Fromm he thought everyone was more or less neurotic, more or less disordered because of the psychological compromises they would be compelled to make to live in the families and societies which shaped them).
 
A

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It sounds like something an atheist might say. :)

The Bible says man was created in God's image.
 

Mole

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:Anyway, I think anyone, religious or not, should be aware of the role of the unconscious and seek to exercise self-analysis, its one of four or five things which Erich Fromm identified as keys to dealing with the average character neurosis (you've got to understand with Fromm he thought everyone was more or less neurotic, more or less disordered because of the psychological compromises they would be compelled to make to live in the families and societies which shaped them).

Quite right.
 

Antimony

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Not the other way around :yes:

Discuss

Edit. Blah i thought i invented a witty new saying that reflects the truth, but apparently some guy invented that already in 1841 :(

Actually, this is quite right.

Anyway, shouldn't people strive to be what god is supposed to be? Not what idiot fundamental Christians make him out to be.

I swear, sometimes, I wonder why people would want to worship an irrational, flaky god. What happened to love and forgiveness?
 

Coriolis

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Man created God in his own image.

Not the other way around :yes:

Discuss
Assume, for the sake of argument, there is a God. Assume, also, that he is as omniponent and wonderful and transcendent and infinite as most believers claim him to be. How are we simple, limited mortals to comprehend this magnificence? We can't, of course, at least not in our earthly lives. In our attempt to understand something, to relate to something, to describe something in our human languages and symbols, we resort to what we know best: ourselves. We necessarily anthropomorphize deity, thus creating God in our own image. Male and female we create them, just as the God of the Bible created us.
 

LucidLegend1984

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If there is a God I know exactly how he/she/whatever tracks everything.

I got the idea from video games (shocker). Video game creators use movements of real people (with little balls around them), rack them and record them. Well my theory is god does the same but with atoms! (Stand back! I'm prepared to do science!!!)

You ever hear of God's plan being the equivalent of a person telling an ant their plan. Well in a sense that's what this is. -*This next part requires everyone’s imagination hat*-

God tracks every atom on the planet as if it were a vector/data point or little ball. God then tracks and does very little interfering, just like a computer program. Hence god creation of free will to man.

Alright that's enough of crazy 'ol Lucid! It's like the matrix but more organic, which ironically non-organic materials share a lot of the same components as organic materials.

These statements are very broad and lack in any logic, it was merely a thought I had that might actually go somewhere. Any thoughts from you guys would be awesome.
 

skylights

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Assume, for the sake of argument, there is a God. Assume, also, that he is as omniponent and wonderful and transcendent and infinite as most believers claim him to be. How are we simple, limited mortals to comprehend this magnificence? We can't, of course, at least not in our earthly lives. In our attempt to understand something, to relate to something, to describe something in our human languages and symbols, we resort to what we know best: ourselves. We necessarily anthropomorphize deity, thus creating God in our own image. Male and female we create them, just as the God of the Bible created us.

:yes:

i find it somewhat bizarre that people seriously attempt to conceptualize what may come after death or what may be larger than us, much less the largest thing in the universe. even if there is a magnificent divine being, what makes us think we have proper facilities to really even begin to understand it? i think it's reasonable to try to understand via concepts we know but we ought to be aware it's not the same.
 

Coriolis

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i find it somewhat bizarre that people seriously attempt to conceptualize what may come after death or what may be larger than us, much less the largest thing in the universe. even if there is a magnificent divine being, what makes us think we have proper facilities to really even begin to understand it? i think it's reasonable to try to understand via concepts we know but we ought to be aware it's not the same.
This part is critical. Once we think our image of God really is God in his entirety, it makes it easy if not essential to discount other perspectives. Each believer has some idea of what God is like, but this idea is not God, and probably has much less fidelity than Magritte's painting.

magritte.jpg
 

Snoopy22

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It sounds like something an atheist might say. :)

The Bible says man was created in God's image.

Spiritually in his image, and we have no ideal what his image is or looks like.
(an add on, not a disagreement) and directed to the Christian God.

As far as other gods are viewed (form present and past faiths), some would appear in the image of man and some partially or not in his image.
 

INTP

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Assume, for the sake of argument, there is a God. Assume, also, that he is as omniponent and wonderful and transcendent and infinite as most believers claim him to be. How are we simple, limited mortals to comprehend this magnificence? We can't, of course, at least not in our earthly lives. In our attempt to understand something, to relate to something, to describe something in our human languages and symbols, we resort to what we know best: ourselves. We necessarily anthropomorphize deity, thus creating God in our own image. Male and female we create them, just as the God of the Bible created us.

Of course, but this just shows how unlikely the all knowing bearded guy over the clouds is
 

Poki

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It sounds like something an atheist might say. :)

The Bible says man was created in God's image.

Its actually something "man" does. Man tends to give God all these "manly" qualities unknowingly by judging other people. Easy example..."dont question god"...why not? If he is all knowing he has all the answers...he doesnt fear being "questioned" like a normal man may. Basically, "man" takes there own insecurities and place them on the image of god. God also has all the time in the world. Not saying all people do this, but its done, and eseentially man is creating "God" in his own image...but the question becomes...is it mans place to create God? Pretty simple question to answer ;)

I am sure this is not abstract enough, as its grounded in what people actually do and how it relates ;)
 

King sns

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We could never understand an all encompassing God without having some kind of an Earthly reference... Putting a God in our image happens to be the most convenient one of these references. Trying to quantify everything in the universe using mathematics is not totally different from that. We want to understand and unify everything and we need to use some kind of a human accessible form to do that.
 

Poki

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Assume, for the sake of argument, there is a God. Assume, also, that he is as omniponent and wonderful and transcendent and infinite as most believers claim him to be. How are we simple, limited mortals to comprehend this magnificence? We can't, of course, at least not in our earthly lives. In our attempt to understand something, to relate to something, to describe something in our human languages and symbols, we resort to what we know best: ourselves. We necessarily anthropomorphize deity, thus creating God in our own image. Male and female we create them, just as the God of the Bible created us.

Easily, we understand ourselves and our shortcomings as God would have those ;) But we must first understand ourselves to understand God...kinda back asswards...but forward thinking apparently doesnt work ;)
 

Rasofy

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Thatz zo wrong dood, God is the one haz superpowahz.

New proposition:
It takes one man's rib to make a woman.
Humans have 24 ribs.
Is one man worth 24 women?
 
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