- Topic
Let’s examine wmscog’s Truth of Life about the Gen. 1:26-27 in which they claim God made female in His own image too. (http://english.watv.org/truth/truth_life/content_mother.asp) .
” And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…..So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Gen. 1:26,27)
In the first line of this verse God says ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’. Note here the noun “Man”. God wanted to create “man” (male) in His own image and likeness as I see it.
In the second line, God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, note “man” and “him” which ,I think, clearly indicate towards Male gender. If God meant male and female both by using “man” in the sentence, He could write something like this –
“So God created male and female in his own image, in the image of God created he them.”
In the last line of the verse I am discussing, the scripture says, “male and female created he them.” Here it is evident that God created male and female But (a big But here) its not evident that God created male and female both in His image. The writer of the scripture stressed on the creation of “Man” in God’s image as is evident by the his repeated sentence. Just take a second to think that why the scripture writer stressed on ‘man’ in God’s image so much but when he mentions ‘male and female’ he says nothing about God’s image. He just says “male and female created he them”. He could add a few more words to make it clear. For example: (Added words in bold)
“male and female created he them in His own image“
To me, these verses mean that “God created male and female in which the male (man) was created in God’s image.”
It is further evident by the sequence of the creation of man and woman (Adam & Eve) and the technique used by God to create them. God created Adam first. So when He expressed His desire to make man in His own image He created Adam (male). Note here God didn’t created Adam and Eve simultaneously. This makes it clear that there is no female in the Heavenly Family. As for Eve, she was created out of necessity not out of God’s desire to create her in His own image. Lets look at the scriptures-
“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help mate for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam…….but for Adam there was not found an help mate for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman”
(Gen. 2:18-22)
Note in these verses that God shows concern about the loneliness of Adam and further in the verse God says He will make a “Help Mate” for Adam. God wants to make a help mate for Adam for his loneliness here not for His own desire to create Woman in His own image. Even at this point God doesn’t create Eve, instead He formed ‘every beast of the field’ out of the ground and brought them to Adam but still none fitted to Adam’s need. Only then God made woman out of Adam.
Technique :
The technique God used to create Adam and Eve is different. God created Adam out of the ground. Then in order to make a help mate for Adam, God created beasts, also out of the ground. Later, when God didn’t find any of the beasts similar to Adam, He created Eve NOT out of the ground but out of the Adam. Here arise 3 questions for wmscog –
1) Why didn’t God created Adam and Eve simultaneously if a woman existed in heavenly family?
2) Why did God created beasts first to be Adam’s help mate or why didn’t God create Eve as soon as He realized the need of a help mate for Adam?
3) Why did God created Eve out of Adam instead of creating her out of the ground like He created Adam?
You (reader) can find the answers to the first two questions in the article above. The answer to the third questions is as follows –
Ans : God first created beasts out of the ground to be the help mate of Adam. As we can see today in the zoo in our cities that none of the beasts look similar to human or say Adam. Later, when God found none similar to the Adam He created Eve but not out of the ground. Why ? Because if He had created anything in the similarity of Adam, who was in the similarity of God, He would have ended up creating a brother for Adam (another male). God is male and so He created a male (Adam) in His own image. If God had created another male to be help mate for Adam, then they could not live together in peace because both are dominating by nature as God is dominating over the universe. We can find this example in the bible- Cane and Able, Esau and Jacob could not live together. There can’t be two kings in a country.
Therefore, God created Eve out of Adam, as a part of Adam, weaker than him but loved by him as his own body part. Similar in his image yet different. To share his works in the world. To give him comfort and bear his children. If God had not created women then men had to give birth to children (male only). Imagine, how could a pregnant man work in the field or go to battle to fight the enemy?
I’ve thought about this too, oliverlog–the order of creation and the roles of men and women in the Bible.
The WMSCOG says that everything is “copy and shadow” so that would lead me to think they believe there is an hierarchy among their two gods.
To follow the Bible as “copy and shadow” as they claim they would have to believe something like this:
*The female god was created by the male god, see Gen. 2 (problem: that makes the female god a creation, not exactly a god)
*the female god is subject to the male god, see Eph. 5:22-24 (problem: the male god is in charge, and the female god follows his lead, therefore less powerful)
*the female god is not allowed to speak in authority over the church, see 1 Cor. 14:34-35 (problem: the female god is not the same level of authority as the male god, and the female god-in-the-flesh is not allowed to speak publicly at church)
This is a topic I’m mulling over for my blog. Any more thoughts or input would be great.
wow now this topic is hot! this is something i was thinking of too. Adam & Eve were not created equally and there are two different stories to their creation.
that's why Adam said "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman for she was taken out of man. GENE 2:23 and Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. GENE3:20
BUT we also have to consider that when we say mankind, we mean all humans, male & female so it's back to square one, when we look at it this way.
Yeah, I have to agree with Loopoc. Probably not much in the way of women's rights in the Old Testament. At least as far as how we interpret them today.
If I hadn't left church of God your agruments would have made me fall deeper into them.
oliverlog wrote:
Let's examine wmscog's Truth of Life about the Gen. 1:26-27 in which they claim God made female in His own image too. (http://english.watv.org/truth/truth_life/content_mother.asp) .
" And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…..So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Gen. 1:26,27)
In the first line of this verse God says 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'. Note here the noun "Man". God wanted to create "man" (male) in His own image and likeness as I see it.
In the second line, God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, note "man" and "him" which ,I think, clearly indicate towards Male gender. If God meant male and female both by using "man" in the sentence,
2) Why did God created beasts first to be Adam's help mate or why didn't God create Eve as soon as He realized the need of a help mate for Adam?
Imagine, how could a pregnant man work in the field or go to battle to fight the enemy?
Genesis 5:1-2 When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them. And when they were created, he called them “man."
shimon wrote:
If I hadn't left church of God your agruments would have made me fall deeper into them.
LOL
Not yours loocpoc.
Just some thoughts…
bossman pointed out Genesis 5:1-2 which is consistent with Adam being created first in God's image/likeness. Eve was created later from Adam's rib. So it seems to me that the story would follow like this…Adam was made in God's image and Eve was made from Adam, so Eve was made in God's image and likeness as well… sort of indirectly. If the wms was right and both male and female were created in God's image, then wouldn't they have been created at the same time? Besides, the animals that were created before Adam were already created male and female, but they weren't created in God's image/likeness. So I don't get why the wms point to this and insists that God's image/likeness refers to gender. It seems a bit oversimplified to me.
no both male and female are made in god’s image according to scripture
sex just has nothing to do with Gods image
even ahnsahnghong when he spoke of God producing children did not speak of sex
You mean gender?
No I meant sex as in the verb.
without the, verb male and female serve no purpose so if God doesn’t ya know he really cannot be male or female
shimon wrote:
No I meant sex as in the verb.
without the, verb male and female serve no purpose so if God doesn't ya know he really cannot be male or female
So do you think that it would make sense for God to come to earth and have sex and produce children?…with one of his own children?
I’m not sure if this fits in this topic but I keep reading that in Ahn’s Bible he wrote, “I follow mother.” Looking at the family history his biological mother was the first family member to give up Buddhism and go into the SDA cult. Ahn simply followed his mother into this and the idea that him writing,”I follow mother” is anymore than the acknowledgement of that is not in line with what Ahn taught when he was alive.
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