i think according to the bible it was meaning in the sense that God gave us free will and intelligence. it wasn't referring to a physical image but more our mental likeness...i think this is important because we are human, we are God's favorite and most precious creation [this applies to all three abrahamic religions ie. islam judaism and christianity] He chose us to be unique because we are His delight and He loves us more than any other creation.

So that when a person sees another person, he or she would always try to be compassionate.

there are really no importance of mans image to god, i do believe the whole human experiece important to man. and only man. just a little what if, do you think that the bald eagle and animal do you think that maybe he thinks he is not the dominant species of the part of the world that he owns. he is protected and his only worry is if he'll be able to get air bourne after a hearty salmon course. but this is only an opinion, but when it comes to us, man has evolved in such a way that his ostentatious vanity has made mans ego as big as catherdrals and his values as buoyant as the titanic. if god wanted man's image, i do believe we would look very similar to the funniest of clowns.

The entire Bible reveals that God has a good pleasure hidden in Him from eternity past. Out from His good pleasure He purposed in Himself to have a plan, an economy or administration to fulfill His purpose (Ephesians ch 1). God's economy is that God became man (through incarnation, human living, crucifixion and resurrection) and man may become God in His life and nature but not in His Godhead (by way of regeneration, renewing, sanctification, transformation, conformation and glorification), that God may gain a corporate expression for Himself, which is typified by the consummation in the book of Revelation, ie the New Jerusalem. God's economy is to gain the mingling of divinity with humanity, that the divine attributes may be expressed through the human virtues. For this He created man in His image, according to His likeness so that man, according to the book of Roman, can be a corporate vessels to contain God. God is love, light, holiness and righteousness, and to certain extent we possess those attributes because we were made in His image. But what we have are but just the shadow. God desires to dispense Himself into us to be the reality of the divine attributes that we may express Him. That's why God never created any other animals in His image because God's desire is to dispense Himself into the centre of His creation, which is man. Man having His image has the ability to receive God into his spirit for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose.

IMAGE is not just physical. HE gave us the ability to LOVE, Think, be compassionate, forgive, laugh, cry, etc. like HIM...............no other creature was made like MAN.

God is still creating man into His image. It's a life long process and it will continue after the resurection. Oh and man does not have a FREE WILL. God is in control of EVERYTHING that happens in this universe.

No reason is given in the Bible. Vanity, perhaps? He said to SOMEONE, "Let US make Man in OUR image." He'd have had to, since "Elohim" is plural.

To rule with God! God instituted man to be His highest form of creation. Uniqueness comes from Him and His Own nature.