On Fri, 29 Sep 1995 21:50:03 -0500 you wrote:
DF>Hi, my name is Dennis and I've been a lurker off and on since
>December. Inspired, in part, by this group, I recently decided to
>return to school and am taking a course called "Human Evolution" at U
>of Alabama, Birmingham. It's a 200 level anthropology course. For a
>term paper, I wanted to study the evolution of consciousness,
>language, and other mental faculties which are found in humans to a
>much greater degree than in other animals. The questions I want to
>consider are how do humans differ from other species and how did they
>get that way.
DF>I'm hoping that some of you will be kind enough to offer
>suggestions about sources of information since I am a novice in this
>area (my background is computer science.) Also, since I am taking
>metaphysics, NT Greek, and apologetics, too, I need to make the best
>use of my time. So any kind of help would be appreciated.
Your course of study sounds interesting! :-)
Biblically the major difference between humans and animals are that
humans alone are made in the image of God (Gn 1:26-27; 5:1; 9:6).
Otherwise, man was created on the sixth day along with other land
animals (Gn 1:23-27), and both man and animals are made from the
ground (Gn 1:24-25; 2:7; 3:19) and both have the breath of life (Gn
2:7; 6:17 7:15,22). The words "living soul" (Heb. chayyim nephesh)
applied to man in Gn 2:7, are also applied to the animals "living
creatures" (Gn 1:21,24).
Scientifically, man is a primate, having closest physical affinity
with the chimpanzee and the gorilla. He is the only animal that walks
habitually upright. He is clearly far superior to every other animal
in intellect and has the highest brain/body ratio of any other animal.
Only man has the ability to use complex, gramatical language. If you
haven't already done so, I suggest you read Moreland J.P. ed., "The
Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for an Intelligent
Designer", InterVarsity Press: Illinois, 1994, especially the
cahpater by Oller J.W. & Omdahl J.L., "Origin of the Human Language
Capacity: In Whose Image?", pp235ff). They pose the question:
"In this chapter we ask if it is true that the human language
capacity, as it is understood by contemporary linguistic sciences, is
an elaborated system of animal cries and calls. Is it merely a short
step beyond the communication systems of a chimp or a gorilla, or is
it something more and (more importantly) of an entirely different
nature? Are human beings just beasts with more flexible and
better-developed vocal systems, or are we utterly unique creatures who
approximate the divine traits of an invisible, omniscient
(all-knowing), omnipresent (always present) and omnipotent
(all-powerful) Creator who, according to the Bible, stands both within
and outside the space-time continuum?" (Oller & Omdahl, p236)
God bless.
Stephen
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