The Slippage From the Self as Divinely Inspired to the Self as God

How do we maintain the distinction between the self as created in the divine image and the self as simply divine? And given that history has kind of gone towards secular modernity, isn't there a slippery slope argument to be made from like the neo reactionary or almost paleo reactionary point of view. So I guess I'm wary that there was ever a time where we got it right, so to speak.