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Image of God
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Friday, 12.11.2010, 10:27 | Message # 1 |
 Dean
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| An image of God is an important concept for believers. I have always thought that Christianity, like many other religions, is quite materialistic and is represented through various things, tokens, artifacts, images, paintings, sculptures, writings, dances and rituals... I am now thinking of why people need these materialistic artifacts to practise their immaterial, spiritual concepts.
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| lovefootball) | Date: Friday, 12.11.2010, 19:19 | Message # 2 |
 Dean
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| I think the determinant is tradition. Most of us don't leap with joy when we're forced to change something. And we're speaking about such a fundamental concept as faith. I admit that a lot of people are just unaware of the origin of all these rituals but still they take them for granted.
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| Nekavaen | Date: Sunday, 14.11.2010, 00:47 | Message # 3 |
 Head teacher
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| I agree with Lovefootball that people are likely to follow old traditions and take various rules and ideas for granted.
The image of God is a vivid example of this tendency. When speaking about Him most of us draw a picture in their minds based on icons, films, stories. Yes, he is a tall man... Stop, but why a MAN? Yes, it's a rule to refer to God as "Father"... But do we really know for sure that God is a male? I think, no. My ideas are not new but still they may seem offensive and unacceptable to many Christians. I don't want to hurt anybody's religious feelings, I'm just trying to explain how I feel about this problem. A human was "created in the image of God", maybe. God is a holy symbol and inexhaustible source of light, virtue, love and wisdom - yes. God takes care of everything and everybody on the Earth, OK. God is perfect, God is everywhere - I do believe it this!
But I am not sure we can define the sex of this phenomenon. I do believe that God is androgenous and he/she put one part of his/her body and soul in a man and another one - in a woman.
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
Message edited by Nekavaen - Sunday, 14.11.2010, 00:48 |
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| lovefootball) | Date: Sunday, 14.11.2010, 13:42 | Message # 4 |
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Dean
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| Maybe men and women just percieve God in different ways. Of course, He is one for everybody but still there are some individual aspects of this question. I think this is also true about other important notions. It's just the turn of things.
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| beymlina_julia | Date: Tuesday, 23.11.2010, 12:54 | Message # 5 |
 Student
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| Aha, I believe the tangible objects so characteristic of World religions including Christianity are
of crucial importance. In fact, religion (at least Christianity) was conceived as an address to the poor,
to those in need of consolation. Naturally, the streak of people initially taking in Christianity was mostly
illiterate. To make it easier for people to believe in God, to bring the idea closer, icons, rituals, etc. were created.
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| Fr_Arsenios | Date: Saturday, 11.12.2010, 11:48 | Message # 6 |
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Student
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| Ok. I am a Christian. And I know many Christians who are rich, successful, knowledgeable, influential etc. They know a lot about God. But this knowledge has another assence. First of all, we can know God not by our mind, but our heart. No science can help us to know and understand God. God is Almighty and He was before everything. He is beyond science, beyond rational reasoning, beyond our mind. Knowledge about God is represented in Church and available for everybody. If a person doesn't know about God, like us, it means that his soul is lazy and his mind doesn't want to work. Many Christians, many priests, archbishops were and are excellent scientists. They are very litterate and, wonder, they are Christians.
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| Megastarosta | Date: Wednesday, 05.01.2011, 22:33 | Message # 7 |
 Union organizer
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| I have never imagined what God looks like, i always think that God is near and protects me. A month ago I read an article about it and one expert said that God could look like a woman...so...
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Thursday, 06.01.2011, 14:53 | Message # 8 |
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Dean
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| I have been rather suprised by the fact that there are so many students who are ready to join any discussion and express their attitudes and opinions though without being knowledgeble enough or showing any inclination to learning more. Megastarosta, please give a few citations from the article or a link to it. What facts does the author give? What are his suppositions based on?
beymlina_julia, Please, tell me why you judge about a religion by stereotypical thinking and popular judgements? Have you ever read materials from the related sites on Christian Icons? I know that Icons is a topic for dicsussion in the 5th year syllabus. What did you discuss?
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| MissJane | Date: Thursday, 09.06.2011, 23:11 | Message # 9 |
 Union organizer
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| An image of God is a secret for those who do not believe. Even for those who adhere to Christianity it remains a never-ceasing source for thoughts and emotions. People depict this image in icons observing special cannons. Any image of God, or Jesus Christ, or a saint is a world in itself. Have you ever thought why Orthodox icon-painters do not picture Christ smiling? Why is His face always evasively transparent? Do they ignore the fact that Jesus was a human and had emotions?
The answer is simple. If His face bore a hint of any real emotion, then believers would feel exactly the same emotional waves that the icon transmits. We need to have an image that allows us to merge into the depth of faith, to feel what is inside us and not what is depicted. If God were smiling, we would be smiling too; if He were crying, we would be crying too. There would be no communication with God in this case.
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| Vasilisa | Date: Tuesday, 10.04.2012, 03:53 | Message # 10 |
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| All artifacts, images, paintings, sculptures, writings, dances and rituals can be regarded as tantamount to paganism. There is something common in it. Personally i think that God is in our hearts. To tell the truth, I don't like to go to the church. An enormous crush, angry people, annoyed sights. All this don't let pray and besides it gets on nerves. Old women sing too loud and knock their heads against the floor too active. It looks insincere.
These words dont mean that i am unbelieving or a satanist. Of course not. But i think it's useless to visit churches very often. I don't deny the power of faith. On the contrary, i'm sure it's the most important in our life. We are what we have in our hearts and in our soul. It's not important what God is. All the same, each person has his own image of God.
Message edited by Vasilisa - Tuesday, 10.04.2012, 03:53 |
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| Amaranta | Date: Sunday, 20.05.2012, 20:16 | Message # 11 |
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| To my mind, the image of God is different for everybody. Some people need artifacts, images, paintings, sculptures, dances and rituals others dont. Some people consider visiting church every Sunday is a must. For others praing at home is quite enough. As for me, I don`t like going to church very much because people around distract me. I prefer thinking about God at home.
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| Rosebud | Date: Wednesday, 26.09.2012, 11:56 | Message # 12 |
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Monitor
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| Liza, I also prefer to pray at home being alone in the room and that nobody distracts me. But it's very important to go to church not only to pray but to receive the Sacrament and confess your sins. It's a real feast for a person believing in God! It's the feeling of gladness, happiness, purity and liberation from the sins. Church is the holy place where you can put youself to icons, converse with a priest. And the main thing when you are in the church you can't think of people around you, just think of God.
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| :) | Date: Saturday, 29.09.2012, 09:33 | Message # 13 |
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Union organizer
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| I belive in God.I always go to church with my grandmother. I like it because I feel very good there.Gog is near us and protects us.
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| Aries | Date: Saturday, 29.12.2012, 14:55 | Message # 14 |
 Union organizer
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| (Rosebud) I also prefer to pray at home being alone in the room and that nobody distracts me
Why do you do so?
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| FoxyT | Date: Sunday, 06.01.2013, 16:01 | Message # 15 |
 Union committee president
Group: Moders
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| I believe in God, but not in the church. Many clergymen are now corrupt, not close to God. Also in churches and cathedrals is no God. Faith is in man, in the heart, faith is in faith. It does not need any special attributes to exist.
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