Humans, Rights, and the Image of God

And that is the problem.

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That theology is not biology is a problem?

Good job @Patrick. This is one of the key pillars of the Genealogical Adam.

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Being human affords one universal human rights. But today I don’t see that in Christianity as it seems that American Christians are note universal in regard to human rights.

So disappointing @patrick! Pseudohistory again? And pseudotheology too! God’s image is not what confers human rights in the view of many (most?) theologians.

Yes it is—when someone assumes that a theological argument is a scientific argument. Likewise, when some Intelligent Design advocates confuse their philosophical position with a scientific one, that is also a problem. A philosophical intelligent design position is not necessarily the same thing as a scientific intelligent design position.

I believe God designed everything in the universe and did so intelligently. Yet that doesn’t make me an “ID theory” proponent. ID theory claims that one can use scientific methodologies (as in the Scientific Method) to identify and measure that which is intelligently designed. I have yet to read any “ID theory” publications which convince me that they have been successful in that regard. Valid science produces testable hypotheses and makes predictions. Science makes discoveries which pass the rigorous scrutiny of science academy peer-review.

I don’t assert that ID theory will never ever produce compelling scientific claims. I do assert that I have yet to see any convincing examples of such.

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Image of God has been used by Christians to discriminate, enslave, forcibly convert and to do horrible things to the disabled, mentally ill. Image of God and demonic possession go hand in hand.

I encourage you to catch up on history here. It was Christian theology that held a anti-racist line against polygenesis when it was affirmed by mainstream science.

Where there racist theologians? Yes. However, they were always heterdox. Orthodox theology has always rejected racism.

ok. But who bestows those rights? You appear to believe it is other humans who bestow human rights.

Human rights do not come from man, they come from God. So Christians do not give or take human rights. So you are right, but for the wrong reasons. :slight_smile:

One of my best exchanges ever with @Patrick: Atheist Defends Human Rights…

To which @anon46279830 responds:

Oh I miss @anon46279830, where is he?

Anytime theologians try to draw a line and say this side of the line is image of God and this side there isn’t, there are inherent problems. Defining what is human and what isn’t is behavioral, cultural, morality, and ethical issues all wrapped up together.

That is not true. It is obviously not true. Do you really need me to spell it out?

I love for there to be a broader discuss on who should define what are human rights. Who gets to define what is moral and what isn’t. Who defines ethics around such things as can you die on your own terms?

I think that Christians hide behind the “image of God” label and forget that morality, ethics and values move with culture, technology, individuality and society. Let’s discuss.

Human rights are defined by society. It is a purely cultural invention and it changes with time.

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That would be a good discussion. I am a bit disposed. Let’s come back to it soon. Though I should point out that I do not “hide” behind anything. I would say that all around there is poor thinking everywhere on human rights, even though we all (largely) agree that everyone has human rights (thankfully). It seems there are a wide range of reasons for affirming human rights, and it is not coherent or correct to criticize others for rejecting human rights just because they affirm it for different reasons than us.

Aliens visiting earth may disagree. :slight_smile:

So your against the Miss Universe pageant? And the World Series? But I actually agree with you, as human rights are culturally dependent. I would not say that human rights have to be the same everywhere on the planet with no differences. But in a country like the US, I think we can define a minimum set of universal human rights.

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2 posts were split to a new topic: Which Theologians Does Greg Like?