God and God-Like

An old friend, Mrs. V and I had lunch together recently and we've decided to keep in contact more regularly. We discussed the 'every-man-is-God' heresy that seems to tempt so many Christians today. The error has many variations.

1. A person believes he can make his own ethical and moral rules by which to live--according to his own viewpoint and needs
   
2. A person does not commit grave (mortal) sins and thus does not need Christ's redemption
   
3. The Divine nature of Jesus Christ is confused with God's power keeping human beings in existence
   
4. The nature of Godhood (e.g., omniscient, timeless, unchanging) is distorted
5. A person believing he is God has a difficult time practicing humility
   
6. A person denies he is sinful and makes excuses for sins

The natural outcome of "every-man-is God" tends to cultism, such as the Mormon belief in 'As man is, God once was; as God is, man may be.' [The Mormon God can change because he exists within time--thus He cannot be God who created time.]

A good alternative to "every-man-is-God" is to unite our will completely with God's will. As Jesus recommended, strive to be perfect like His heavenly Father (Matt. 5:48). The Imitation of Christ is a traditional Catholic work advising a Christian how to pursue holiness and communion with God.