Seeest thou that ye are created after my own image?

Ye even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.

Ether chapter 3 verse 15.

Hey listeners, this is Nick from Book of Mormon Central,

and today's podcast addresses the question.

Why were man and woman created in the image of God?

In the cosmic creation account in Genesis chapter 1, the culmination of God's creation is man and woman,

who are created in God's image and likeness. For centuries, the Judeo-Christian tradition

had wrestled with the theological implications of this statement, since mainstream theology

in both Jewish and Christian traditions portrays God as without body, parts, or passions,

an unresponsive being who cannot be influenced or acted upon.

For instance, one Jewish scholar reasoned that being in the image of God

only entails a variety of abstract, non-physical qualities.

All those faculties and gifts of character that distinguish man from the beast,

such as intellect, free will, self-awareness,

consciousness of the existence of others, conscience, responsibility, and self-control.

Similarly, a Christian scholar concluded that it implies that it is those human characteristics

that enable him to fulfill his duty of ruling the earth. Neither scholar mentions or implies

physical, bodily form as being part of God's image. Without denying that there are other

factors at play, Restoration Scripture makes clear that humanity's status as the image of God

includes a physical resemblance to deity. In Ether chapter 3, the brother of Jared saw

the finger of the Lord, and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood. Because

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