Originally Posted by Argan Johnson:
Good question, we are in the image of God in many ways (and by God I mean the Biblical one):

1. God is triune (aka the Trinity) which is to say God is simultaneously specifics (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and unified (only one God). Humans are simultaneously specifics and unified; e.g. a person has a mind, body and soul.  It should be noted that this was the great conundrum for Plato (universalist/unified) and Aristotle (atomist/specifics).

2. God is the great I AM, YHWY, the Alpha and the Omega... i.e. God has free will and self control. Each person, no matter how hard they try has free will (and this point destroys atheism).

3. Each person is made in God's image so this implies that each person has inherit dignity. Ergo we cannot do to people things that detract from their dignity.

4. Based on NT revelation humans were made in the image of the Christ (aka Jesus, the Firstborn Son of God), and God the Father loved the Son. And not love in some stupid all emotion pop song way, but agape servanthood love. Ergo God loves all people because God the Father sees Christ in all of us (this is not to say all people are saved).

5. Humans are eternal beings, and not just after death but right now in the present.

Anyway, that is all I can come up with off the cuff.

Originally Posted by Dennis Young:

Originally Posted by Argan Johnson:
Good question, we are in the image of God in many ways (and by God I mean the Biblical one):

1. God is triune (aka the Trinity) which is to say God is simultaneously specifics (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and unified (only one God). Humans are simultaneously specifics and unified; e.g. a person has a mind, body and soul.  It should be noted that this was the great conundrum for Plato (universalist/unified) and Aristotle (atomist/specifics).

2. God is the great I AM, YHWY, the Alpha and the Omega... i.e. God has free will and self control. Each person, no matter how hard they try has free will (and this point destroys atheism).

3. Each person is made in God's image so this implies that each person has inherit dignity. Ergo we cannot do to people things that detract from their dignity.

4. Based on NT revelation humans were made in the image of the Christ (aka Jesus, the Firstborn Son of God), and God the Father loved the Son. And not love in some stupid all emotion pop song way, but agape servanthood love. Ergo God loves all people because God the Father sees Christ in all of us (this is not to say all people are saved).

5. Humans are eternal beings, and not just after death but right now in the present.

Anyway, that is all I can come up with off the cuff.

Wow!  Thats actually very good!  

Nice job man!

Originally Posted by David Macleod:
(1)You can't really confine what or who God is to the Biblical sense. One must consider all religions opinions and theories of God to gain a proper base from which to start.

(1)As far as God being the trinity we should remember that the Bible was written using metaphors so the people at the time could understand what they were being told. (2)It's also important to remember that there is no single unified interpretation of the Bible or the Koran so that makes the task of deciphering God all the more difficult.

(3)IMO God is whatever we as individuals choose to make God. Or in the case of atheists and agnostics what we don't make God.

Originally Posted by David Macleod:

(1)It is well thought out and intelligently written. However the God of which you speak is a purely Christian God and manages to avoid the rather inconvenient truth (joke intended) that (2) Christ was simply one of God's messengers, and not the first.  (3)Therefore he was not the first born son of God.

(4)Not to get too off topic here but according to the religion I was raised with (I no longer follow any religion) just as Christ foretold the coming of the next prophet (he came in the 1800s in Iran) the next one isn't due for another thousand years at least.

*Moving back towards the topic* (5) God sends a messenger knowing full well that he will have those who choose to follow his teachings (free will asserting itself) but more will fear him and will kill him in a rather unpleasant manner.

To me this speaks volumes about  hope, forgiveness, fear and belief - all things which are innately human traits, but at the same time God must possess before these messengers keep getting sent to teach/help/save us.

(6)I think in order to understand God we must first not only understand people but be able to forgive everyone everything and we as humans are a long way from that.

Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:
who was this 19th century iranian prophet?

Originally Posted by Dennis Young:

Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:
who was this 19th century iranian prophet?

I'm guessing Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází.  (The Báb).  

Bahá'ís claim that the Báb was also the spiritual return of Elijah and John the Baptist, that he was the "Ushídar-Máh" referred to in the Zoroastrian scriptures, and that he was the forerunner of their own religion. Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, was a follower of the Báb and claimed to be the fulfillment of his promise that God would send another messenger.

Originally Posted by Argan Johnson:

Originally Posted by David Macleod:
(1)You can't really confine what or who God is to the Biblical sense. One must consider all religions opinions and theories of God to gain a proper base from which to start.

(1)As far as God being the trinity we should remember that the Bible was written using metaphors so the people at the time could understand what they were being told. (2)It's also important to remember that there is no single unified interpretation of the Bible or the Koran so that makes the task of deciphering God all the more difficult.

(3)IMO God is whatever we as individuals choose to make God. Or in the case of atheists and agnostics what we don't make God.

1. Why? Why must one consider all religions? Why are all religions equal?

2. Wait, so the clear intention of the author(s) is irrelevant, but a "unified" interpretation is what is relevant? Unity by the readers is what determines authority? I hate to break your heart but if I write: 2+2 = 4 I do not get unanamous agreement, so why should I expect something so much more complex--like the Bible--to have a unified agreement?

3. Three problems with this: First, how do you know reality really exists? If each person makes their own ultimate creator (aka god) then how do we know reality even exists? This is called the ontological problem. Second, if each person makes their own ultimate creator do we have an ability to know that we know? How can we trust our thoughts and memories? This is called the epistimological problem. Third and final, all you are saying is that defining any characteristics of God is circular logic (i.e. people define their god then their god defines them).

Your argument is Neitzchiean, it is assuming human willpower determines the world because each person makes their god. I.e. there is no powerful supernatural force acting in the world.

Originally Posted by Dennis Young:

Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:
who was this 19th century iranian prophet?

I'm guessing Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází.  (The Báb).  

Bahá'ís claim that the Báb was also the spiritual return of Elijah and John the Baptist, that he was the "Ushídar-Máh" referred to in the Zoroastrian scriptures, and that he was the forerunner of their own religion. Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, was a follower of the Báb and claimed to be the fulfillment of his promise that God would send another messenger.

Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:

Originally Posted by Dennis Young:

Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:
who was this 19th century iranian prophet?

I'm guessing Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází.  (The Báb).  

Bahá'ís claim that the Báb was also the spiritual return of Elijah and John the Baptist, that he was the "Ushídar-Máh" referred to in the Zoroastrian scriptures, and that he was the forerunner of their own religion. Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, was a follower of the Báb and claimed to be the fulfillment of his promise that God would send another messenger.

well surely if he was, more people would know about him.

Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:
as someone who feels that we can't even fully comprehend the exact nature of god, i don't think he/she/it is an old man with a beard chilling out in the clouds. the bible however, says that we are created in his image. this seemingly leads to a paradox. but what if the manner in which we are fashioned after god, is our free will? basically, our ability to choose. it is our sentience which separates us from all the other beasts of this world.

what do you think?

Originally Posted by David Macleod:

Originally Posted by Dødherre Mørktre:

Also I made a mistake when I said Dennis was spot on. The Bab foretold of Baha'u'llah but Baha'u'llah wasn't a follower of The Bab.

It was a good guess though wasn't it?  

Actually I know almost nothing about the faith.  Just little tidbits here and there.  But as far as I'm concerned, as long as a religion or faith doesn't include strapping on bombs and killing innocent people...then I say live and let live.