-----Original Message-----
From: John W. Burgeson
To: asa@calvin.edu
Sent: 2/11/00 8:29 AM
Subject: the "image of God"
Thinking about what constitutes "humanity."
[stuff deleted to shorten post]
Humans admire beauty.
So do some animals sometimes (some birds).
Humans worship.
So do some animals sometimes (for instance, some dogs).
Humans sometimes exhibit altruism.
So do some animals sometimes (see the book).
Humans build houses.
So do some animals sometimes.
But blushing may be one unique attribute.
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This is a fascinating discussion to me, because it is a large part of a
question I am working on - the nature of human nature.
I think the problem with defining humanity with behavioral and physical
attributes is that we can always find people who lack them (e.g. mental
retardation, autism, coma, schizophrenia, final stages of Alzhiemers). Then
it raises the question of whether these people are less than human and
whether we can assign only partial privileges and rights to them. Certainly
this approach has been the understanding of many major theologians through
the centuries.
However, the theologian Berkouwer explained that there are at least two
other ways of understanding the iamgo dei: as an
office/responsibility/function, and as a relationship in conformity to God.
The former emphasizes that verses following the description of man and woman
being made in His image and likeness; humans were given dominion over
creation. This approach, however, also suffers from the same problem - have
the people who don't live up to their responsibility of stewardship lost the
image? Are they then less than human? The latter approach, for lack of a
more gender-neutral word, can be called sonship. the imago dei defines the
relationship between God the Father and humans as children. In God's eyes,
we are in His image, just as a son or daughter is the image of his/her
parent. This relationship cannot be reduced even if we were to lose all
those physical and behavioral attributes because the one constant in the
relationship is God, and He defines the relationship. As Paul wrote, not
even death can separate us from the love of God.
Adrian.
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