Human Beings as Imago Dei and Homo Sapiens: Assessing the Substantive Interpretation of Imago Dei

Traditionally, in Christian theology, human beings have been regarded to be images of God (imago Dei). Often, the divine image has been understood to be located in a supernatural soul separate from the body. In this paper, I examine the credibility of this so-called substantive view of Imago Dei in the light of contemporary science.

Zwischen logos und icon

In his contribution "Zwischen logos und icon. Gegenwartskunst als Anders-Ort der Theologie" (Between logos and icon. Contemporary art as other-place of theology) Ulrich Engel OP examines, starting from the iconic turn, the question what theology (which is primarily committed to the biblical WORD) can learn from IMAGES. Following Foucault's theory of heterotopias (other-places), the study focuses on works of contemporary visual art, which as other-places can expose and make visible hidden, overlooked, misunderstood mechanisms of exclusion. Four artistic positions (Pavel Büchler, Boris Mikhailov, Chris Martin, and Paloma Varga Weisz) are used to show how they cite Christian iconographic traditions and revisit them in a contemporary way. In the omissions and gaps that become apparent in these and structurally similar adaptations, de-emphasizations, and continuations, something appears that is already theologically inherent in the biblical prohibition of images. The Jewish prohibition of images is not an absolute one. For it reminds us that all positively painted images of God always need the theological negative sign, the aesthetic "empty space" in the image itself.

Finding the Image of God: Searching the ‘Sublime’ through works of Rene Descartes and H.P Lovecraft

This study explores the “Sublime” and aims at clarifying the very ‘understood’ as well as ‘misunderstood’ figure or image of God(s) and showing how the established and vivid definitions of the Almighty can be discarded with the help of certain ‘Infinist’ concepts and the ‘De-Humanization’ of God. It also aims at presenting a new perspective towards the understanding of the ‘humanization’ that happened and shows the loop-holes in its definition i.e. given to date all around the world. This paper focuses upon searching the acceptability and validity of Rene Descartes’ Ontological Argument, through which I examine the image of God as I find the image of God being repeated and, therefore, I would also raise the understandings from the Ontological Argument which is later debated through the concept of “theodicy” by Leibniz and which is altered and given an altered definition by H.P Lovecraft in the era of modernization. There has been a repeatation in the understanding of God and it’s Image. Infinism supports my statement, as it speaks of this Literature loop which is present and misunderstood very commonly as something new. A comparative methodology has been used in order to study the various theories upon God or Sublime from different ages, in order to study the changing images of God and the reasons behind it. The article presents my unique understanding of God that is different from the romantic understanding and the concept propogated in Monotheism.

Újragondolt istenkép

"God’s Image Revisited. God said to Moses, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3,14). Although Christian churches seek to present the New Testaments’ image of God, the loving, caring, and merciful God, yet the idea of a punitive, strict, and fearsome God lives stronger in many. Our image of God not only determines the nature of our relationship with God, but it also influences our personality, actions, self-concept, mindset, and social relations. It acts within and through us. Although everyone has an image of God – regardless of whether one is a believer or not –, how we experience God’s relation to us is manifold. But why do we experience God’s relationship with us in so many ways? What circumstances shape and influence our image of God? It is not unusual that even believers of the same congregation give accounts of diverse images of God. Why? These questions are answered by calling upon psychological insights. Keywords: image of God, images of mother and father, attachment, mental health "

God

Interpreters sometimes read Niebuhr as an ethicist whose writings are shaped by an anthropology rather than by theology or a doctrine of God, but this is too simple. Niebuhr’s understanding of God is marked by his turn toward myth and a relational core theology keyed to biblical images of God as Creator, Judge, and Redeemer. Though neither systematic nor as extensively developed as his anthropology, theology remains integral to his thinking. A doctrine of God is present implicitly in Niebuhr’s work even where not articulated explicitly, and it makes a creative contribution to Christian theology. Indeed, it ought to be developed further, especially with respect to aspects of religious experience and a sense of hope.

The Effects of Self-Esteem, God Image, and Gender on Coping Methods

Factors such as self-esteem, God image, and gender can affect the way an individual copes with everyday stressors. Past research has shown high self-esteem to have a significant relationship with problem-focused coping, whereas low self-esteem produced mixed results between avoidance and emotion-focused coping (Chapman & Mullis, 1999). Regarding God image, a sense of God’s presence contributed to a healthy, positive coping strategy for individuals facing difficulties (Aten et al., 2008). Studies examining the influence of gender on coping methods have generated mixed results (Cecen, 2008). The present study examined the impact of gender, self-esteem, and God image on coping methods. Participants (N = 368) completed a survey online. Results showed that gender, self-esteem, and perceiving God as Present, Benevolent, Provident, and Challenging were significant predictors of utilizing problem-focused coping, F(8, 344) = 8.27, p < .001. Gender and viewing God as Benevolent and Accepting had significant effects on emotion-focused coping, F(8, 344) = 3.44, p = .001. Lastly, perceiving God as less Accepting was a significant predictor of using avoidance to cope, F(8, 344) = 6.44, p < .001. In conclusion, given the potential impact of God image on coping, clinicians working with individuals who espouse a faith could incorporate the clients’ images of God into treatment and examine how these factors impact their ability to cope with life stressors.

Að breyta Guði. Endursköpun guðsmyndar í ljósi reynslu kvenna af ofbeldi og kúgun

Í þessari grein er rýnt í texta eftir fjóra kvennaguðfræðinga sem allar hafa lagt fyrir sig nýsmíði guðsmynda í ljósi gagnrýni á vald Guðs. Fyrsti textinn um það efni kemur frá Mary Daly en hún er ein af mikilvægustu formæðrum kvennaguðfræðinnar og hóf guðsmynda-gagnrýni sína skömmu fyrir 1970. Daly sem aðhylltist róttækan femínisma beindi skrifum sínum að kaþólsku kirkjunni og kenningum hennar. Hún komst fljótlega að þeirri niður-stöðu að henni væri ekki vært innan kirkjunnar, kirkjan væri handan endurskoðunar og endurnýjunar. Þrátt fyrir það eru áhrif hennar á síðari tíma kvennaguðfræðinga óumdeild. Það sýna textar eftir Sallie McFague, Ivone Gebara og Wendy Farley, sem allar hafa ástundað guðsmyndargagnrýni og guðsmyndarnýsköpun og lagt sérstaka áherslu á vald Guðs í þeim efnum. McFague leggur áherslu á að allt tal um Guð sé líkingamál og réttir fram guðslíkingar eins og t.d. Guð sem vinkonuna, elskandann og móðurina en þannig vildi hún leggja áherslu á vægi hins líkamlega og nálæga Guðs. Svipað má segja um texta Ivone Gebara en reynsla og líf hinna fátæku er forsenda guðslíkinga hennar. Aðalatriði hjá henni er að allt líf sé samtengt og hvað öðru háð. Guð finnum við í tengslum og skyldleika alls sem lifir. Framlag Wendy Farley til endursköpunar guðsmynda felst í endurtúlkun á hugtakinu vald. Hún vill halda áfram að tala um vald Guðs en endurtúlkar hugtakið. Valdi Guðs verður, að hennar mati, best lýst sem líknsemi en það er eiginleiki sem aðeins Guð býr yfir. Líknsemi Guðs megnar að leysa manneskjunnar úr greipum ofbeldis og illsku. Vald Guðs umbreytir og frelsar á hátt sem enginn mannlegur máttur getur gert. Changing God. Reconstructing the image of God in the light of women’s experiences of violence and oppression This article examines texts by four women theologians who have all set out to reconstruct images of God in the face of criticism of God’s power. The first text comes from Mary Daly, one of the most important forerunners of women’s theology. She began her criticism of theology shortly before 1970. Daly, who embraced radical feminism, first focused her critique on the Catholic Church and its doctrines. However, she soon concluded that she was not valued within the Church, and indeed, that the Church was beyond re-evaluation and restoration. Nevertheless, her influence on later women theologians is undisputed. This is evidenced in texts by Sallie McFague, Ivone Gebara, and Wendy Farley, who have all engaged in critical and groundbreaking work regarding images of God, with particular emphasis on the meaning of the power of God. McFague highlights that all talk about God is metaphorical, presenting parables that depict God as friend, lover, and mother, which is how she emphasizes the importance of the physicality and immanence of God. Similar themes can be found within Ivone Gebara’s text, but the experiences of the poor are a prerequisite for her writings of God images. She writes that all life is interconnected and interdependent. According to her, we find God in the relatedness and kinship of all living creatures. Wendy Farley’s contribution to the critical discussion on the images of God is a reinterpretation of the concept of power. She wishes to keep talking about God’s power but reinterprets the concept. In her view, the power of God is best described as compassion, a quality, however, that only God can have. God’s compassion liberates human beings from violence and evil. God’s power transforms and liberates in a way that no human power ever can.