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Nature and the Human Condition
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Nature and the Human Condition
The Bible
- Limited idea of what it meant to be human
- Genesis 1:26-8
- Imagio Dei - Made in image of God
- Different theology interpretations
- Personhood - moral and spiritual beings
- Singer - challenges this - a person is a sentient being who interacts with others and has preferences about continued life
- John Harris - A person is a being capable of valuing thier own life
- Both imply an advanced brain - what about foetuses, babies, infants,dementia,psychaitricc illness
- Dolphins and Chimps? Maybe seen as persons
- Singer argues the case of speciesim
- Moral decision acn not be made on the bais of human nature or personhood
- Both imply an advanced brain - what about foetuses, babies, infants,dementia,psychaitricc illness
- Singer - challenges this - a person is a sentient being who interacts with others and has preferences about continued life
- Personhood - moral and spiritual beings
- Traditionally it means the ability to REASON - this is what set us apart from other 'animals'
- IRENAEUS of LYONS - defined destinction between image and likeness of God (both in Genesis 1) Jesus restore the image after the fall
- Post reformation - Martin Luther and KARL BARTH - saw it in terms of human relationship with GOD
- Freiderich Schleiermacher - understood it as the human capacity for self consciousness
- when God breathed life into us - we became dependant on God's continued activity for our existance
- Augistine of Hippo - developed ideas of Plato
- emphasising the rationality and eternity of the soul
- Thomas Aquinas
- Aristotle
- Put Humans on the same level as rest of nature
- Consciousness - feeling/thought/sentience exists without the body because we are in the image of God
- Aristotle
- Different theology interpretations
- Imagio Dei - Made in image of God
- Genesis 1:26-8
- Limited idea of what it meant to be human
CHristians see human nature = being in the image of God becuase it has free will and reason
- Galatians 5:1 - For Freedom, Christ has set us free
- Redemption from sin is freedom from bondage of sin
- Human nature is sinful and we need to be freed
- Adam and Eve
- sinful state of existance
- only in accepting God's grace and love can we be saved
- Augustine of Hippo - Doctrine of Original sin - we are not born into a sinful state but had free will to choose.
- Augustine + Genesis 1 - Adam was perfect and his fall was his own fault
- Yet it condemned us all
- result - we are imperfect - slaves to pleasure and nolonger avoid sin without God's help.
- Genesis 2 + 3 - is not bothered with life before th fall but in explaining the human condition - ie why we suffer/pain etc
- result - we are imperfect - slaves to pleasure and nolonger avoid sin without God's help.
- Yet it condemned us all
- Augustine + Genesis 1 - Adam was perfect and his fall was his own fault
- Augustine of Hippo - Doctrine of Original sin - we are not born into a sinful state but had free will to choose.
- only in accepting God's grace and love can we be saved
- sinful state of existance
- Adam and Eve
- Human nature is sinful and we need to be freed
- Redemption from sin is freedom from bondage of sin
- Galatians 5:1 - For Freedom, Christ has set us free
FREE WILL AND FATALISM
- Unless people are truly free we cannot be held responsible for our actions.
- The issue that God made us and wants us to be moral makes free will vitaly important.
- Augustine : God is omnipotent and omniscient - therefore he has foreknowledge of our motives
- Aquinas develops this : Humans are free to choose but God knows all thier future actions
- Why? becuase does not exist in time and therefore knows all
- The man on the mountain top : Man sits on mountain top and sees in one glance all climbing the mountain - this is God with time.
- Why? becuase does not exist in time and therefore knows all
- Aquinas develops this : Humans are free to choose but God knows all thier future actions
- Augustine : God is omnipotent and omniscient - therefore he has foreknowledge of our motives
- The issue that God made us and wants us to be moral makes free will vitaly important.
- Unless people are truly free we cannot be held responsible for our actions.
Equlity and Difference
- All created in the image of God - IMAGIO DEI
- God made male /female different but was man made first and are they truly equal?
- Bible inconsistant on racism and equality
- God loves us all but he favours men and Jews over others.
- Even racism can be justified - the Dutch Reform Church in S Africa used Genesis 9:18-27 to justify apartheid - prior it justified slavery
- 1985 - Kairos document in S Africa - renounced the D R C which publically repented of its teaching.
- Even racism can be justified - the Dutch Reform Church in S Africa used Genesis 9:18-27 to justify apartheid - prior it justified slavery
- God loves us all but he favours men and Jews over others.
- Bible inconsistant on racism and equality
- Historically - women subordinate to men -Eph 5:22 4, 33
- No Church leadership role for women - 1 cor:14:34 , 1 Tim 2:11-13
- This is still case for some protestant churches , Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
- Church of England accepts women priests on the grounds of us all being made in God's image.
- No Church leadership role for women - 1 cor:14:34 , 1 Tim 2:11-13
- Disabled
- OT and NT see disablity as punishment
- Jesus met and ate with marginalised in society - touched the inflicted and cured the sick - direct contrast to the previous view
- Christianity has been slow to defend disabled
- Cross bearing approach
- Objects of pity
- Theology of suffering
- 1Corinthians 12:21-27 and book of Job - bad things happen to good people.
- Cross bearing approach
- God made male /female different but was man made first and are they truly equal?
- Rise in Liberal, Femenist and Black Theology
- Paul and Galataians 3:27- 8 - niether jew nor greek ....
- All created in the image of God - IMAGIO DEI
Karl Barth thought only Christianity holds the full truth of God's plan - Revelation is truth and christianity embodies revelation - the word became flesh (John 1:14)
- Barth did admit God might have revealed himself outside of Christianity - a point which Karl Rahner takes up- people of good will, who have lived moral lives but adhere to other faiths and religions - 'anonymous Christians' - Catholic Church accepts this that people of other religions can be saved too.
The Value of Human Life
- Imagio dei
- War is good example
- Pacifist
- Jesus called followers to be non violent - Peter in Gethsemany
- Blessed are the peace makers (Matt5:9)
- Jesus died without commiting violence
- Quakers / Amish/ Bruderhof Bretheren
- Violence begets violence
- Turn the other cheek
- Martin Luther King
- Lech Walesa
- Ghandi
- Catholic Monk Thomas Merton
- Turn the other cheek
- Violence begets violence
- Quakers / Amish/ Bruderhof Bretheren
- Jesus died without commiting violence
- Blessed are the peace makers (Matt5:9)
- Jesus called followers to be non violent - Peter in Gethsemany
- Just war
- Paul accepted the state could impose violence as part of its duties
- Romans 13:14
- A christian empire needed to defend itself
- Ambrose/Augustine/Aquinas
- us ad Bellum just reasons for going to war
- Just cause
- Just authority
- Right intentions
- Last resort
- Proportionality
- Probability of success
- Jus ad bello - just conduct in war
- Proportionaity (again)
- Discrimination
- us ad Bellum just reasons for going to war
- Ambrose/Augustine/Aquinas
- Paul accepted the state could impose violence as part of its duties
- Pacifist
- War is good example
- Imagio dei
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- Mind Map on Nature and the Human Condition, created by Mike Hunka on 22/04/2016.
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- Mike Hunka
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