I wrote this a number of years ago on this subject
Michelangelo and William Blake were right about God.
From a Biblical perspective the nature of God is seen as reflected in aspects of the created order. Yes, God to a certain degree does have the nature of space, wind, emptiness, mist, air, sky, force, energy, light, darkness so congenial to Buddhist/Hindu/New Age types. However humans as being made in the image of God, are the best representation of what God is like – especially a human at their highest development, a mature, wise, good, vital 50+ man or woman. I knew a dynamic, spiritual woman in her late sixties, another one in her eighties. They both reminded me of a female God the Father carrying personal authority.
To me saying God is NOT like a man – Our Father in Heaven - is dumbing God down, making God less than what he is, flattening the divine out, a less than human gas. In a true sense since humans are made in the divine image, humaness is intrinsic to God, God is even MORE human than we are, as our humanity is but an image of that which is being imaged. though divine humanity is an infinite multidimensional cube compared to our simple flat squares. God is even more perfectly human than us who are echoes, a flatter image of him.
There is much wisdom and truth in Michelangelo’s and William Blake’s depictions of God as a dynamic, active, wise older man. Far from being simplifications of God they point to his personal depth, his danger, his joy and love and perfect humanness and the familiarity and commonality we encounter when we meet him for he is like us for we are patterned after him.
I hope you do more of this. I've been trying to winnow out the changes made to the translations of the Bible and find the original but I'm no scholar. And I live very remote with bad internet lol
Keep on exploring the truth of God Naomi, I hope you discover and come to know the God who truly loves you and wants an intimate relationship with you.
Thank you for your constant search for truth on many issues, don't let the detractors discourage you.
Naomi, thank you so much for your openness, honesty, love for truth and your fight for women. Regarding the Bible and the manifestation of YHVH, I think Dr Michael Heiser’s book “The Unseen Realm” could be helpful as you read the Torah.
Love this explication of ancient Bible/Jewish texts, Naomi, & have thought about this myself for years.
My dives into cultural, historical God/mythology has made it clear that all of religion is adapted & modified over time by those who followed or who conquered previous civilizations & re-wrote beliefs.
As Naomi knows, the Bible was a form of religious plagiarism w/out attribution/citations that is clear for all to see once you research it fully. There is literally nothing new under the sun regarding human spirituality world-wide; only various early cultural beliefs/myths overlooked/forgotten or stolen/re-invented. Joseph Campbell, right? "People forget facts, but they remember stories." - Joseph Campbell
We should all be cognizant of the historical fact that early written religious texts came from cultural myth-making of meaning that was invented by storytellers who were attempting to impose spiritual meaning & structures on people's beliefs, communities & interactions w/each other. Stories & myths.
There are so many academics & scholars who have gone back even farther than biblical texts, though, to share how the early Bible/Jewish texts that were published were preceded by similar cultural stories & myths & so were adapted from those earlier cultures & were then re-written to gain acceptance for a new group/culture/political system's beliefs. Just savvy psych/sociological "marketing"& re-visioning.
(Lots of other interviews & discussions on this topic w/Richard & others too that are truly fascinating.)
Richard Carrier PhD (academic scholar, author/speaker, philosopher, ancient history/textural analysis) About Richard Carrier https://www.richardcarrier.info/about
Summary: Today, we are talking about how the dying and rising Gods were syncretized with Judaism with Richard Carrier. Dying and Rising Gods were a popular trend in the first century and the years leading up to it. The Jews then syncretized their faith with the dying and rising God mytheme and created Jesus. A lot of historicists like to push back on the notion that Jesus was the result of syncretizing Judaism with other dying and rising God religions. We address those claims and concerns in this section of a larger interview. Full Interview: https://youtu.be/7Rd6riAtl0U
So - written religious beliefs can be shown to be adapted from previous peoples' storytelling, myths & cultural tales (also shared in prehistoric stone hieroglyphs or on cultural ruins) & told to each other in order to make sense of our world. It's important to go back even further than Jewish Torah versions & later Bible edits to those much earlier, ancient cultural myths/texts to compare similarities/differences.
Again, as Naomi explains here, throughout this process, these Bible stories are sometimes adapted or modified or even sometimes totally changed/re-written (re-invented) in order to promote certain rulers or leaders' decisions/perspectives/viewpoints for community/spiritual control purposes, as well as for explicit malicious reasons for power over peoples' families, lives & resources.
So it's not surprising that the supposed earliest versions of God's written word (in reality folk tales & cultural explanations by early sects or tribes of people) as regarding meaning in the world & God's rules for them were manipulated or changed over time by those in power (conquerors) with much to gain from this deliberate re-interpretation or re-invention. No benefit of the doubt in my perspective.
The more I read your heart as you finely script your thoughts, the more I love what God is doing in you and through you. You are an instrument in His hand to sculpt beauty and He is doing such a fine work.
Moses pleaded with The Father for mercy. The relationship is between God, the Father, and us, the Children. If you've ever had a strong-willed child, you'd know the anger, frustration, and heart pain of discipline and consequences for actions that God took that day. Moses, as a child of God, begged for mercy, but his defense - what will people think, was immature and exceedingly human.
We all have always had a relationship with The Father. The question, we must ask ourselves, is whether it's a two way relationship. Know that He is always there, but we are the ones who step away. My heart breaks that we fall, we are weak, and cause ourselves such pain because we break the two-way relationship with God. The good news is that He will never leave us, and it's repentance that joins us together..
P.S. I have only seen one substantial video teaching on iniquity in the Christian church in 40 years. That is why God views it as the apostate church. One has to experience God directly, void of any medium in order to have their hearts cleansed of iniquity. I can find and post that video if your tribe is interested.
Good morning Naomi.... thank you for giving voice to, and providing a platform for open discussion regarding this most important topic. As soon as I read "distortions of the text" I knew full well where you were going with this. The word 'distortions' means twisted, warped, bent, unrighteous, wicked or one word that covers all - the biblical word 'Iniquity'. Please do a word study on this one word as it is no doubt the core, root issue in today's society. Your tribe deserves to have understanding and wisdom regarding this - 'Iniquity' of heart means corruption of heart - we all have it - however, there is only One remedy for it - I have dedicated my newest Substack to the last part of your talk at Hillsdale College. You have made a bold move here - well done Naomi! Don't forget to read this yourself- the analogy might just blow you away! https://graemehopkins.substack.com/p/meet-the-god-you-may-not-know-experientially
Dear Dr. Wolf... You are doing such a service with this analysis, to bring people a stronger awareness of their intrinsic intimacy with God, as you said here:
"Perhaps we get these needs, drives and qualities not as human flaws or as failings or irrelevant urges, but rather as parts of a proud inheritance, from a God who is literally a parent who is like us, who made us — perhaps emotionally, creatively, expressively, relatedly, as well as physically — to resemble (domeh) Him."
I have a personal belief that "No one can be closer to us than God." Primarily because if God is omnipresent, then it also means that God is *indwelling*. I think it's also valuable to consider the idea that God could NOT create things like family relationships and love unless those attributes were part of God; the way a painter cannot paint something that he or she knows nothing about.
I agree with your view of the intimate God wholeheartedly! Thank you for this essay.
I wrote this a number of years ago on this subject
Michelangelo and William Blake were right about God.
From a Biblical perspective the nature of God is seen as reflected in aspects of the created order. Yes, God to a certain degree does have the nature of space, wind, emptiness, mist, air, sky, force, energy, light, darkness so congenial to Buddhist/Hindu/New Age types. However humans as being made in the image of God, are the best representation of what God is like – especially a human at their highest development, a mature, wise, good, vital 50+ man or woman. I knew a dynamic, spiritual woman in her late sixties, another one in her eighties. They both reminded me of a female God the Father carrying personal authority.
To me saying God is NOT like a man – Our Father in Heaven - is dumbing God down, making God less than what he is, flattening the divine out, a less than human gas. In a true sense since humans are made in the divine image, humaness is intrinsic to God, God is even MORE human than we are, as our humanity is but an image of that which is being imaged. though divine humanity is an infinite multidimensional cube compared to our simple flat squares. God is even more perfectly human than us who are echoes, a flatter image of him.
There is much wisdom and truth in Michelangelo’s and William Blake’s depictions of God as a dynamic, active, wise older man. Far from being simplifications of God they point to his personal depth, his danger, his joy and love and perfect humanness and the familiarity and commonality we encounter when we meet him for he is like us for we are patterned after him.
Yes, since we are the image and likeness of God, that means God is even MORE human than we are, as He is the original. What fun!
I hope you do more of this. I've been trying to winnow out the changes made to the translations of the Bible and find the original but I'm no scholar. And I live very remote with bad internet lol
Yes we do! Wonderful essay. I dont know how you write so many detailed research essays. I must be running at half speed.... https://godtype.substack.com/p/the-godtype-index
Do you believe that the DOD funded and created the SARS-Cov2 bioweapon(s)?
Do you believe that the DOD has been forthcoming as to how Covid came to be a thing?
How do you think we got lockdowns and "Build Back Better" and Hospital Death Protocols in the UNITED STATES?
Are you familiar with the DOD contracts with Pfizer and Moderna and the controls and indemnity which were enforced?
Keep on exploring the truth of God Naomi, I hope you discover and come to know the God who truly loves you and wants an intimate relationship with you.
Thank you for your constant search for truth on many issues, don't let the detractors discourage you.
I'm praying for you.
Naomi, thank you so much for your openness, honesty, love for truth and your fight for women. Regarding the Bible and the manifestation of YHVH, I think Dr Michael Heiser’s book “The Unseen Realm” could be helpful as you read the Torah.
Love this explication of ancient Bible/Jewish texts, Naomi, & have thought about this myself for years.
My dives into cultural, historical God/mythology has made it clear that all of religion is adapted & modified over time by those who followed or who conquered previous civilizations & re-wrote beliefs.
As Naomi knows, the Bible was a form of religious plagiarism w/out attribution/citations that is clear for all to see once you research it fully. There is literally nothing new under the sun regarding human spirituality world-wide; only various early cultural beliefs/myths overlooked/forgotten or stolen/re-invented. Joseph Campbell, right? "People forget facts, but they remember stories." - Joseph Campbell
We should all be cognizant of the historical fact that early written religious texts came from cultural myth-making of meaning that was invented by storytellers who were attempting to impose spiritual meaning & structures on people's beliefs, communities & interactions w/each other. Stories & myths.
There are so many academics & scholars who have gone back even farther than biblical texts, though, to share how the early Bible/Jewish texts that were published were preceded by similar cultural stories & myths & so were adapted from those earlier cultures & were then re-written to gain acceptance for a new group/culture/political system's beliefs. Just savvy psych/sociological "marketing"& re-visioning.
Cultural mythology > How Dying & Rising Gods Were Syncretized With Judaism w/Richard Carrier PhD - Watch https://www.bitchute.com/video/21jhDJoEPKI/
(Lots of other interviews & discussions on this topic w/Richard & others too that are truly fascinating.)
Richard Carrier PhD (academic scholar, author/speaker, philosopher, ancient history/textural analysis) About Richard Carrier https://www.richardcarrier.info/about
Summary: Today, we are talking about how the dying and rising Gods were syncretized with Judaism with Richard Carrier. Dying and Rising Gods were a popular trend in the first century and the years leading up to it. The Jews then syncretized their faith with the dying and rising God mytheme and created Jesus. A lot of historicists like to push back on the notion that Jesus was the result of syncretizing Judaism with other dying and rising God religions. We address those claims and concerns in this section of a larger interview. Full Interview: https://youtu.be/7Rd6riAtl0U
So - written religious beliefs can be shown to be adapted from previous peoples' storytelling, myths & cultural tales (also shared in prehistoric stone hieroglyphs or on cultural ruins) & told to each other in order to make sense of our world. It's important to go back even further than Jewish Torah versions & later Bible edits to those much earlier, ancient cultural myths/texts to compare similarities/differences.
Again, as Naomi explains here, throughout this process, these Bible stories are sometimes adapted or modified or even sometimes totally changed/re-written (re-invented) in order to promote certain rulers or leaders' decisions/perspectives/viewpoints for community/spiritual control purposes, as well as for explicit malicious reasons for power over peoples' families, lives & resources.
So it's not surprising that the supposed earliest versions of God's written word (in reality folk tales & cultural explanations by early sects or tribes of people) as regarding meaning in the world & God's rules for them were manipulated or changed over time by those in power (conquerors) with much to gain from this deliberate re-interpretation or re-invention. No benefit of the doubt in my perspective.
The more I read your heart as you finely script your thoughts, the more I love what God is doing in you and through you. You are an instrument in His hand to sculpt beauty and He is doing such a fine work.
http://www.tonyevansmp3.com/tuaMP3sCatalog/MP3PLJJ7.mp3
About Abraham and Isaac.
Moses pleaded with The Father for mercy. The relationship is between God, the Father, and us, the Children. If you've ever had a strong-willed child, you'd know the anger, frustration, and heart pain of discipline and consequences for actions that God took that day. Moses, as a child of God, begged for mercy, but his defense - what will people think, was immature and exceedingly human.
We all have always had a relationship with The Father. The question, we must ask ourselves, is whether it's a two way relationship. Know that He is always there, but we are the ones who step away. My heart breaks that we fall, we are weak, and cause ourselves such pain because we break the two-way relationship with God. The good news is that He will never leave us, and it's repentance that joins us together..
Thank you for another study into God's Word. You bring clarity into the attributes of a loving Father.
P.S. I have only seen one substantial video teaching on iniquity in the Christian church in 40 years. That is why God views it as the apostate church. One has to experience God directly, void of any medium in order to have their hearts cleansed of iniquity. I can find and post that video if your tribe is interested.
Good morning Naomi.... thank you for giving voice to, and providing a platform for open discussion regarding this most important topic. As soon as I read "distortions of the text" I knew full well where you were going with this. The word 'distortions' means twisted, warped, bent, unrighteous, wicked or one word that covers all - the biblical word 'Iniquity'. Please do a word study on this one word as it is no doubt the core, root issue in today's society. Your tribe deserves to have understanding and wisdom regarding this - 'Iniquity' of heart means corruption of heart - we all have it - however, there is only One remedy for it - I have dedicated my newest Substack to the last part of your talk at Hillsdale College. You have made a bold move here - well done Naomi! Don't forget to read this yourself- the analogy might just blow you away! https://graemehopkins.substack.com/p/meet-the-god-you-may-not-know-experientially
Dear Dr. Wolf... You are doing such a service with this analysis, to bring people a stronger awareness of their intrinsic intimacy with God, as you said here:
"Perhaps we get these needs, drives and qualities not as human flaws or as failings or irrelevant urges, but rather as parts of a proud inheritance, from a God who is literally a parent who is like us, who made us — perhaps emotionally, creatively, expressively, relatedly, as well as physically — to resemble (domeh) Him."
I have a personal belief that "No one can be closer to us than God." Primarily because if God is omnipresent, then it also means that God is *indwelling*. I think it's also valuable to consider the idea that God could NOT create things like family relationships and love unless those attributes were part of God; the way a painter cannot paint something that he or she knows nothing about.
I agree with your view of the intimate God wholeheartedly! Thank you for this essay.