The God Image

[Smith]

I was just talking to someone about this and after further consideration, I thought it would make a good topic.

Freud was a lot of things but he also had some good ideas. Erik Erikson (my personal hero) worked many of Freud's theories in a social context; both of these men developed an unproven hypothesis about how we veiw God and that being how we view our fathers.


So, my first thought is I want you to think in the privacy of your own mind about how you view your father and see how close you relate your thoughts of who and what God is in your personal life.

I'll go first:

My dad and mom split when I was 12 and I saw my dad a few times for a year or so. After that time, he moved to Southern Ohio and I rarely saw him until recently. However, during my adolescent years when I needed him the most, he was abscent. As far as understanding and being a "man" was all about, I had to figure it out myself....from facial hair to sex, it was all up to me. How did this affect my understanding of God? Easy, He was there but not here, with me. In other words, He is an abscentee Father. Because of this, I've spent much time in cognitive dissonance (sp) because I know according to Scripture He isn't, but my years of growing up says, like my fleshl father, He is.

What do you think?

[Darrell]

I think there's a lot of truth to that.

I love my dad a lot and I admire him but I can definitely see where his personality (both good and bad) has shaped my view of who God is as my Heavenly Father.

[Katerpillar]

I absolutely believe this. I mean, that's why it's our job as parents to be mindful of that when raising our kids.

Let's see, as a result of my relationship with my dad, I've always struggled with viewing God as the kind of Father who only wants something to do with me if I'm doing what pleases Him. If I stop doing the things He would want me to do (like reading my Bible, praying faithfully, etc.), then He would probably give me the silent treatment or something.

My dad forces my sister to cut off contact with me over the stupidest drama. Basically, if I don't do things my dad's way, I'm not his daughter anymore. This was especially difficult when my mom had cancer and was dying. There was a lot of drama at that time, and I was scared to death that he wouldn't let me talk to my mom as she was on her deathbed, so I had to be very careful in not upsetting him at that time.

[Smith]

(01-16-2011 08:54 PM)Katerpillar Wrote:  I absolutely believe this. I mean, that's why it's our job as parents to be mindful of that when raising our kids.

Let's see, as a result of my relationship with my dad, I've always struggled with viewing God as the kind of Father who only wants something to do with me if I'm doing what pleases Him. If I stop doing the things He would want me to do (like reading my Bible, praying faithfully, etc.), then He would probably give me the silent treatment or something.

My dad forces my sister to cut off contact with me over the stupidest drama. Basically, if I don't do things my dad's way, I'm not his daughter anymore. This was especially difficult when my mom had cancer and was dying. There was a lot of drama at that time, and I was scared to death that he wouldn't let me talk to my mom as she was on her deathbed, so I had to be very careful in not upsetting him at that time.

Kate,
First, I'm sorry for your loss and let me say, I can understand your fear and apprehension. That said, what Fundamentalism fails to understand is that just because you say "the prayer", weep a bit and get baptized, you are essentially the same person with the same baggage as you had an hour or so before you entered the church building. So, no one gives you an instruction booklet on how to deal with the things that just didn't magically heal once you became a New Creature in Christ. As I said, Freud had many, many issues (his primary reason for developing Psycotherapy was to become wealthy) and he could have very well been labled a perv...however, the man had insight and the God Imaqe hypothesis was right one the mark.

Our parents are the ONLY visable examples we have into the unknown as we progress through the developing stages. Then, when we are old enough to start developing our own opinion, depending on our environment (lets say its a Fundy environment) we get swept up into walking the aisle one Sunday night and then our authority figure is effectively transfered from our dad to this know-it-all who bosses your mom and dad around! So, your God-Image bearer has just become the man who alledges that he knows God personally and all of the sudden, he hold your happiness, success, failure...nay....ETERNITY in the palm of his hands! Think about the pervs Bass writes about on her blog, do you think that the victims have a healthy God Image now? All they know is that they've been molested and God didn't do a thing about it. So, I said all that to say that the God Image we present to children in general and more specifically our children is perhaps the most important aspect in their lives if they are to be healthy and successful and if the Christian church is to survive.

[Don]

I've never sat down and analyzed those relations side by side. I have written about losing my dad (I'll link to it here so I don't take up so much room.)

When I lost my dad, for all practical purposes I lost my mom as well. For five years or so I lost her to heavy grieving over my dad. She was 40 years old when dad died and she never remarried. Dad was 44 when he died. At the age of 13 I was left without a father figure. So in my mind I concocted the following logical fallacy: Grand dad died at 54, Dad died at 44... therfore logically I would die at 34. I believed it and lived by it... I was surprized to turn 35, even more suprized to see 45 and though I am headed towards the 50's I have it in my mind I'll never see 55.. and I've began a cycle in my life of trying to fulfill that prophesy. (enough of that)

I too, know of the absent dad syndrome. I know of not seeing God as one who is there. He existed as some ethereal ideal that really didn't have anything to do with the here and now. But for the grace of God I should have ended up a Deist. Maybe this is something I need to analyze a little more in depth... If I have enough time left.

[JessB]

(01-16-2011 09:34 PM)Don Wrote:  Dad was 44 when he died. At the age of 13 I was left without a father figure. So in my mind I concocted the following logical fallacy: Grand dad died at 54, Dad died at 44... therfore logically I would die at 34. I believed it and lived by it... I was surprized to turn 35, even more suprized to see 45 and though I am headed towards the 50's I have it in my mind I'll never see 55.. and I've began a cycle in my life of trying to fulfill that prophesy. (enough of that)

Awww. You aren't your parents or grandparents.

We have a family friend from way back whose parents both died of cancer at age 63. He was sure he would too, but he's still going strong at age 72. BTW, he's had 4 different kinds of cancer and has survived them all.

[Faith]

There's a lot of truth to the premise that we see God the way we see our dads. I was afraid of both of them as a kid. Thankfully my understanding of God has grown since I escaped fundyland. Even more wonderfully, my dad has grown to model God's unconditional love and grace for me. I never suspected that the man who was so strict and controlling when I was his son could ever love and accept me as his daughter. So yeah, I think God is a lot like my dad, but these days that's a good thing.