Comments on: god didn’t make it, so it’s okay

By: Twitter Trackbacks for god didn’t make it, so it’s okay « different and better [differentandbetter.com] on Topsy.com

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:40:46 +0000

[...] god didn’t make it, so it’s okay « different and better differentandbetter.com/2009/10/16/god-didnt-make-it-so-its-okay – view page – cached Posted by chriswilliamsde in current issues, hot topics, post, theological — From the page [...]

By: Frank Honess

Frank Honess — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:36:00 +0000

I’ll be honest with you, your post really challenges my thinking. Especially when I think of those who hate our freedom & would just as well destroy you & I. But for me its Jesus’ words that come to mind that it is not eye for eye & tooth for tooth, but that when we are hated we are to love in return. This is the way of Jesus & this is the way of freedom & victory. So I appreciate you helping me to wrap my mind around this truth, that every person has worth & value — even our enemies.

By: chriswilliamsde

chriswilliamsde — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:05:32 +0000

@Donn Coon I’ll be the first to admit I have a high view of humanity…not because we are great, but because we are created in the image of God. I’ll also be the first to admit that humanity doesn’t reflect the divine like we should. But this does not mean that we are not created in the image of God. A dirty mirror does not reflect clearly. If it is dirty enough, it won’t reflect at all. This doesn’t mean that it is incapable of reflecting or that it ceases to be a mirror. Every analogy breaks down, and I am sure this one is no exception, but it helps us understand that humanity is created in the image of God and when humanity, with the help of Christ and the Spirit of God, rises to its best, to the original intention of God, humanity reflects the divine because that’s the image we were modeled after.

The poet in Psalm 8 makes this connection. He reflects on the greatness of God and then he makes a connection with the amazing reality that God has wrapped up his greatness in humanity. He says, “You have crowned them with glory and honor.” He is amazed that God would do this. Quite frankly, so am I. But our amazement at this fact doesn’t change its truth.

I simply want us to take a high view of humanity…that God knew what he was doing when he created humanity…that he did not make junk…that what he saw after he created humanity he judged it to be very good. This allows us to hope for humanity to reach its potential, even if right now so much of that potential is covered with dirt.

What do you think?

By: Donn Coon

Donn Coon — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:18:37 +0000

Your three-year-old didn’t particularly do wrong. From his innocence, and through your perspective, a wonderful teaching tool has taken form for our supposedly more mature minds. In this sense, Elliot functioned within the creative Mind of God.

I halt with your juxtaposition of the ideas that God “creates humanity in his image” and that humanity, therefore, “reflect[s] the divine.” Granting that this is the most commonly taught and accepted of understanding of scriptural texts, there’s reason to consider it’s a rather ‘puffy’ rating of humanity.

“Image” can be thought of with several contentious connotations: idea, mind, magic. Earliest use of the term, however, has never been shown to mean ‘reflection’ or ‘likeness’.