Revision for 'Nature and Value of Human Life' Topic- Human Nature and the Human Condition

Imago Dei

• Only Human beings (Genesis 1: 26-8- "Let us make humans in our image") Moral, spiritual, stewards. 
•  Ability to reason- Ancient and medieval Xian theologians. E.g. Irenaeus of Lyons: Distinction between image and likeness (loss of image in the fall) only through excepting Gods grace and love and the redeeming action of Christ that we can be restored to his image (salvation history) 
• After reformation: Imago Dei = self consciousness (Schleiermacher) and relationship with God (Karl Barth and Martin Luther)
• Modern theologian: Influenced by interpretations above whilst also the added influence of science which clearly stresses human continuity with nature through our evolutionary heritage-Langdon Gilkey and Gregory R. Peterson = all of nature should be understood as in the 'image of God' 

Alternative- 

•  Human beings are sentient beings who interact with others and have preferences concerning continued life. (Peter Singer)
• A human is any being capable of valuing its own life (John Harris)
• These both have ethical implications as a baby, foetus or someone with brain abnormalities would (by these principles) not qualify as human whilst a chimpanzee or dolphin would. 

Dominant idea in Xianity: Our relationship with God defines humanity from the rest of nature: 

• Imago Dei also means we are constantly reminded by each other of God and our relationship with him. 
• Golden rule- Reinforces idea of stewardship 

Link : God is within us? 

• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Your body is Gods temple" 
• 2nd Vatican Council " Conscience is the sanctuary of man, there he is alone with God" (shows relationship with God through this) 

Humans are relational: 

1. Nicene Creed: Interrelationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.("By the power of the Holy Spirit He [being The Father] was made incarnate [being Jesus]")
2. Principle conferred onto humanity through teaching of Imago Dei (Gen 1:26-8)
3. Reinforced by Golden Rule "Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31)

Humans= Posterior

Rather than stating how we are different to things 'below' such as animals, C.S Lewis explores the idea that we are different from the sublime as we have a sensory experiance of the world. Our ability to feel pain and pleasure defines us as 'humans' " The pleasure and the pang --can angels measure it?

An angel has no nose." -On Being Human 

Humans are dependent on God: 
-Exist because of God (Genesis 1-3) (Psalm 139-13)Lord u created all my inner parts...you knit me together" 

Humans are rational: 

• T. Aquinas developed ideas of Aristotle: Humans are on same level as rest of creation but with added rationality. 
• Augustine developed ideas of Plato: Eternity of Human Soul 

Original Sin: 

• Genesis 3:1-20Condition of Humanity. The reason we suffer pain, toil and death. 
• As result of Adam and Eves disobedience to God, Humans are now separated from God (an epistemic distance- distance of understanding). Thus bringing dissatisfaction and guilt into our lives. 
• It is only by accepting Gods grace, love and forgiveness that we will be saved (salv history) 

Doctrine of Original Sin largely originated from Augustine: 

• Born into sinful state (Tendency to sin- Concupiscence) 
• we have Free Will (Humans are free) 
• Because original sin was utterly a free choice it was ever more serious resulting in damnation from all humanity (as now concupiscence is seminally present in all of humanity)

Westermann: These stories are not historical but illustrations of how humans can rebel against God and the outcome of this. He argues that Sinfullness in an aspect of human nature. 

Revision for 'Nature and Value of Human Life' Topic- Value of Human Life

Imago Dei: 

The teaching of humans being in the image of God (seen in Genesis 1:26-8 'then God said "let us make humans in our image") is the basis on Christian thought on the value of human life. This teaching has been vital in christian approaches to issues such as abortion and Euthanasia but also approaches about war and the taking of human life in war. Leading to Pacifism and the Just War theory.

Pacifism:

-This belief is rooted in Western Christianity and particularly in the early church with Xians seeing Jesus to teach that bearing arms is prohibited an example seen by peoples refusal to fight for the Roman Army.

-This belief looks to the gospels which record how Jesus which record how Jesus called his followers not too use violence but to use sacrificial love. ("Blessed are the peacemakers" Matthew 5:9) -These themes are rooted in Jewish Prophetic tradition and followers see his ministry and sacrificial death as continuation of this tradition.

-Pacifism became minority view under Emperor Constantine's rule and christian thought on war was changed.

-HOWEVER: There are still influential peace churches which continue this early tradition. Examples of this are: - Quakers, Mennonites, Bruderhof Brethren and the Amish.  

Quakers: 

• Founded at time of Civil War (1642) 
• Violence= More violence
• Separation between 'church' and 'world' 

Most of these Peace Churches were not against use of military as they believed the state must defend itself and is a necessary vehicle for social order but that they themselves would not join in. They will have followed St. Paul's for Romans 13 "Let everyone be subject to governing authorities...these exist as they have been instituted by God." 

Peace Churches for example Quakers did not believe in 'doing nothing' but importance of taking non violent action. Examples of this is:

• Martin Luther King Jr. who used forceful language, peaceful protests and strikes for racial equality in the USA-  It could be argued he had been heavily influenced by Ghandi who advocated Ahimsa or 'Zest for Truth'

However this apparent minority view also became a part of many christian denominations. Both Catholic and Protestant parties supported this idea and its approach to the subject of war. 

A Catholic example is Thomas Merton (A Catholic monk) who renounced violence as a way to peace. 

"It is my intention to make my entire life a rejection of, a protest against the crimes and injustices of war" 

Becauase of this Catholic pacifism in now more common and supported by the Vatican. 

A mainstream Protestant view on this is shown my Walter Wink. Who criticizes Augustines use of violence to defend the innocent and the whole Just War theory. 

Just War Theory: 

Thought the early church taught that use of violence was wrong it also taught that the state/government was responsible for maintaining order SO when the Roman Empire became Christian the church had to reconcile response to self sacrifice, the value of human life on one hand but also Gods justification of death for protecting innocents. 

Therefore The A Team, Ambrose, Augustine and later Thomas Aquinas put forward principles to why war may be justified in Gods eyes. These were divided into Jus ad Bellum (Principles for going to war) and Jus in Berro (Principles for the conduct of War)  

 

Jus ad Bellum consisted of:

• Just Cause (protection of innocent)
• Just authority ( gov or ruler) 
• Right intention (protection of innocent life)
• Last resort (all else has failed)
• Proportionality (good results beat bad ones)
• Probability of Success

Jus in Berro consisted of: 

• proportionality (good larger than harm) 
• discrimination ( only against those who threaten innocent life) 

• Jus Post Bello was later introduced which was Just Principles for after war. 

Fatalism, Determinism and predestination with examples: For this I am going to use the choice I made to do R.S A level to show the differences: 

A fatalistic approach to me 'choosing' to take R.S A level would be that I had no freedom in doing so, but that every single action I had made before taking it was out of my control. 

A deterministic approach to me taking this A level would be that I would eventually take the A level but that my path to doing so could take many different routes but I would always end up taking the A level, it is based around the idea of a casual nexus (a web of different actions leading to the ultimate action-taking R.S) 

A predestined approach would be that an ultimate being (God) has chosen for me to take R.S A level and therefore I am taking it. 

The good girls and the bad girls of the Bible.

Within the current topic of Religious Studies, we have been studying how women are portrayed within the Bible. It seems that many are either incredibly virtuous and virginal and therefore untouchable (e.g Mary) or are the personification of Evil. For this blog I am looking at some of these women and how they qualify as either 'good' or 'bad'.

The 'Good' Girls: Esther, Ruth and Mary. 

Esther- A Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahaseurus (traditionally known as Xerxes). Within Esther 8:5-6 Esther is shown to tell King Xerxes about Haman's plan to kill all the Jews in the Kings provinces and exclaim "how can I bear to see the destruction of my own family" Through doing this Esther is shown as compassionate as she wants save people from being killed, a hope that only good, moral and kind people would hold. There is also emphasis on the idea that she wants to protect the people who she views as her family linking with the idea of being her being maternal.
It could also be argued that Esther show her character to be loyal to the king. This is also effective in portraying her in a positive way as she is serving not only her own wishes but also assisting another.

Ruth- Ruth is also shown to be a 'good' women within the Bible and an example of this is the loyalty and selflessness she shows after her husbands death by staying with her mother-in-law (Naomi) rather than leaving to get re-married.  This is shown in Ruth 1:16 "...Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God...". This is shows that Ruth has a life beyond serving and loving her husband and that a relationship with another woman had formed which is also very important and lived beyond her husbands death. It could be argued that this shows women's independence within the Bible, a definite idea of what she wanted and unarguable loyalty to Naomi and her husband himself. However verse 16 could also be seen to show a women who is utterly reliant on another person and that because her husband had died she then transitioned this dependence onto her mother-in-law. 
It could also been seen that Ruth is 'good' because she eventually marries Boaz (a relative of her husbands) not only helping herself but also securing Naomi's future through reconnecting them with her dead husbands family. 

Mary- Within Luke 1:26 Mary states "I am the Lord's servant...may it be to me what you have said". This reflects Mary's humble nature, suggesting she is blessed to be noticed by God and is prepared and trusting of Gods plan for her. This idea links with 'The Magnificat' (Luke 1:46-55) which is a song Mary sings as thanks for God's grace. With this however it cannot be ignored that Mary does not even briefly doubt or ponder on the idea that she will be impregnated by the Holy Spirit and birth Jesus. With this comes the idea that a 'good' women is a female who is compliant with other peoples/God's plans. However being obedient to God is an important Jewish belief as a whole and not just specific to Mary and therefore the significance of this act of obedience to God is arguably varied. 

The Bad Girls: Eve and Potiphar's Wife 

Eve- Within the Book of Genesis Eve is seen to be sinful, superficial and weak as shown in Chapter 3:6-7 "...that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate" In this passage Eve is shown to desire things that are appealing in looks, showing her as superficial and also weak as despite being told not to eat the fruit she is incapable of resisting because of its appearance.
 Through eating the forbidden fruit Eve also brings Sin into Gods perfect world and corrupts Adam whilst doing so. Through this it seems that whilst its suggested women are put on earth as helpers to Men they rather hinder them instead and this explores the idea that a women with too much control or perhaps simply equality within their relationships are set to cause destruction and sin. This idea is reinforced in Chapter 3: 17 of Genesis in which God states "..Because you have heeded the voice of your wife..". 

Potiphar's Wife- Within Genesis 39 Potiphar's wife is shown to attempt to seduce her husbands Attendant Joseph and when unsuccessful accuses Joseph of trying to sleep with her, resulting in Josephs arrest. Essentially this lady is at the heart of massive injustice. One aspect of Potiphar's wife which is viewed as 'bad' or 'impure' is her desire for sex; showing signs of low self respect and self worth and this is shown in Genesis 39: 7 when she exclaims to Joseph " Come to bed with me". She is also portrayed to be alike to the serpent in Genesis 3 through her seductive and tempting nature. This is effective in outlining women's want to turn man from God and is once again reinforced by Josephs questioning in verse 9 "...How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

In conclusion, the Bible holds both positive and negative imagery of women. It seems the 'goodies' can hold both desirable and expected qualities of a 'good women' however for me they also seem uncomfortably  passive and compliant. In contrast the 'baddies' are functional in showing some obvious, fair and necessary depictions of what being 'bad' is, however these also seem  degrading, blaming and misleading. 

What does it mean to be Human?

Examine religious teachings about what it means to be human (30 marks)

For Christians an important and defining aspect of what it means to be human is the idea that humans are relational, between one and other and with God. This is shown within the Nicene Creed and the belief in the Holy Trinity, the interrelationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is then conferred onto humanity through the Christian teaching of Imago Dei, Genesis 1:26-27 “God created man in his own image”.  This is further reinforced by the Golden Rule which states “Love you neighbor as yourself”. Therefore a key Christian belief about what it means to be human is that we are able and naturally do create relationships with other beings, both supreme and human.

Another religious teaching about what it means to be human is that we are created by God. Within the book of Genesis 2:7 God creates man. He “forms man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life”. This shows that as humans we exist entirely because of God’s grace and omnipotence and are perhaps dependent on God from birth to death and for eternity. Another key point is that God is shown to create Adam and Eve on the sixth day, the last and perhaps most important creation. However it could be interpreted that with this apparent high status comes ‘stewardship, the idea that humans are expected and entrusted to take care of the whole of God’s creation and that therefore the title of what it means to human comes with the ability to take care; feel love, passion and responsibility for something larger than oneself.

Psalm 139 is another Christian teaching which explores Gods creation of us, within this psalm it describes “For it was you who formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (139:13) This creates an image that humans are not only created by God but that also when creating us God paid attention to all aspects of mankind, not only the outside body and the character but also the insides of each of us. It also suggests that humans are created as complex and perhaps even fragile. This is apparent due to the use of the word ‘knit’ linking to both complexities in its patterns but also to being fragile as knitted materials are not massively strong. This links idea links with the Christian Theologian C.S Lewis’s poem “On being Human” which explores the idea that whilst angels understand the world on a purely intelligence-based level, humans grow and develop with experience and the feelings of both pleasure and pain. This idea that God created us with the ability to feel hurt or broken could also be linked to argument that suffering is character building (St. Iranaeus) and that a key part of being human is the ability to feel pain. 

The Nicene Creed and Psalm 139- The Inescapable God.

What do these two pieces say about God and His relationship with humanity: 

Throughout the Nicene Creed there is reference to The Trinity; the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit. Whilst the Father is described as Almighty and comes across as entirely independent of the other two, the Son and the Holy Spirit proceed only from the Fathers existence. In order of the three seemingly most important parts of God, the Creed describes his attributes. Through the Father, God creates heaven and earth and 'all that is seen and unseen'. He also becomes the human form of Jesus when he realizes that he, God, is needed on earth. God is shown as benevolent when he dies on the cross to salvage human kind. 

The Son 'side of God'  is shown to be dependent on the Father 'side of God' when in the main verse of the Creed it is described that after resurrection Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father.  God is then also seen to be omnipotent as the Creed declares the Son will again come to glory to judge the living and the dead and that his kingdom shall have no end. 

The Holy Spirit 'side of God' is seen to be dependent on both the Son and the Father, a western Catholic belief.

So to me, within the Creed, God is seen as pretty much all the omnis as he is Almighty, and is shown to be Transcendent within the Father, Immanent within the Son and also omniscient, benevolent and omnipotent.

Alike to this, Psalm 139, is a constant reminder of Gods omniscient nature, the author explains that even before a word has left their tongue God knows it completely.

God is also presented as utterly admirable and superior to humanity in verse 6 "such knowledge is too wonderful for me...I cannot attain it" Added to this is verses 7-12 where there is an emphasis on Gods presence in the world, the author perhaps in panic or relief outlining their belief that however far they flee or however dark the darkness is which surrounds them, they could never hide or escape from God (hence the title of the Psalm) 

The two pieces vary from each other in the sense that the Creed is less based around a relationship with God and instead focuses more heavily on the Christian story of God and outlining the different areas of God (expected of the Creed, as it is a sort of declaration of belief- i think) However could be seen as more literary than Psalm 139 as it contains story like features. It is also obvious that the Creed is aimed at a wide party of fellow Christian believers, suggested through the use of 'we believe'. Other than this there is also a loving relationship hinted at during the piece as the Creed refers to Christs sacrifice for humankind. 

In contrast to this Psalm 139 seems far more reflective of one particular persons relationship with God, suggested through references to 'I' and 'You'. Suggesting a very personal and friendly relationship with God, However also holding God up as a wonderful being way beyond human understanding. 

sorry if I rambled. 

My RS A level book has just arrived, nerdy and excited.

Hi, this my first post.