1.4: The Nature of Humanity Flashcards
In what ways are Catholics created in ‘Imago Dei’ (the image of God)?
- Human beings are rational.
- Human beings have free-will and conscience. can relate to God.
- Human beings can relate to God
- Human beings can give and recieve love.
- Human beings are answerable to God.
How are human beings rational?
They have been given intelligence so they can find their way to God.
How do human beings have a free-will and conscience?
Humans have the ability to choose between what is right and wrong, true or false. In this way, they immitate God.
How can human beings relate to God?
- Humans have the potential to enter a relationship with God.
- In the abscene of God, humans experience a deep sense of longong or yearning (really for God).
- Human beings can misunderstand this point as a longing for things within the world.
- Because humans are made by God, for God alone, nothing and nobody else can satisfy, no matter how wonderful.
- Just as the reality of hunger points ti the reality of food, Catholics believe that the hunger for God points to the reality of God in heaven.
How do human beings can give and recieve love?
- God is a community of persons (the trinity) , who gives and recieve love to one anither and to creation.
- They can never fully be whom they intended to be - whom they are created by God to be, until they enter into the divine life of giving and recieving love.
How are human beings answerable to God?
- The image of God can be a reminder of the authority of God, over human beings, as their creation. Just like ancient authorities used to do.
- SOWA - Genesis 2:17: God warns Adam that he will be punished if he eats the apple from the forbidden tree.
- To be created in the image of God could eb interpreted as humans being accountable and answerable to God. Those who bear God’s image must use their lives to serve him.
What does CCC 1704 say about humans understanding God’s creation?
“By his reason (the human person) is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator”
What does CCC 377 also say about humans understanding of creation?
“The mastery over the world that God offered man from the beginning was realised above all within man himself : mastery of self”
(a) Outline three ways Catholics believe humans are made in the image of God.
Answers include:
* Human beings are rational.
* Human beings have free-will and conscience. can relate to God.
* Human beings can relate to God
* Human beings can give and recieve love.
* Human beings are answerable to God.
Explain what Genesis teaches Catholics and what does the teaching remind Catholics?
Genesis teaches that God created human beings in his image.
The teaching reminds Catholics that:
* They are special, unique and sacred in God’s sight.
* Humans are more than animals, and are not to be used as objects.
* Humans have fundamental human rights like freedom of conscience and expression, and the right to food, shelter and healthcare.
What does stewadrship mean Catholics have the responsibility to do?
- Look after God’s creation and pass it on to future generations in a better state than they recieved it.
- Make sure creation is not exploited, resulting in things like pollution.
- Ensure the world’s resources are shared fairly.
- Ensure that God’s creation is treated fairly and harmoniously.
What are some different understanding about the nature of humanity?
- Humanists are non-religious, and believe in science and reason, and that moral principles can be worked out in terms of what will make life better in the future.
- Atheists are also non-religious and have two views. Some believe that people should be working towards preserving the environment for the future, and other believe that the world should be enjoyed by everyone, however they like.
What does the CCC 1704 say about creation and the nature of humanity?
“By his reason (the human person) is capable of understanding the order of things established by the Creator”
What does CCC 377 say about creation and the nature of humanity?
“The mastery over the world, that God offered man, from the beginning, was realised above all within man himself: a mastery of self.”
What is an encyclical?
A letter from the Pope addressed to all hsi bishops
