Another week of reading Les Mis has passed and as it passed it left me with more questions and more thoughts on things I did not dwell on before. Another quote has struck me and made me think, “… he is dealing with such wary animals as a wolf or a convict”. What causes the speaker to view this certain individual unworthy of being called a human being? When are people compared to animals and why this often can be offensive? And when we are compared to animals, why does this hurt our feelings? And since it does, what is the difference between us and animals?
Well first of all, the convict mentioned in this quote is Jean Valjean and he was imprisoned for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread and a couple of escape attempts. This is what he had done to lose the “privilege” of being referred to as human. But did these actions actually diminish his humanness? No. He is still a man created in the image of God. He is still, no matter what loved by God and nothing can change this. Yes, he did steal and stealing is a sin, but he is still a child of God. This is one of the reasons the Theory of Evolution is twice as bad, as it seems at first glance. The first claim evolution makes is that there is no God and that all of creation was a mere accident. But it also claims that we, humans, are accidents and have evolved from apes. A belief like this takes away from a man’s uniqueness and diminished the full meaning and worth of a man, in the image of God.
Men are usually compared to animals or called animals when displaying behavior others deem unworthy of a human or because they once behaved that way and now that cannot be forgotten. This comparison is offensive, because everyone deep down inside knows that there is something important and crucial that separates us from animals. This crucial difference is that we were created in the image of God. We are created in God’s image and we can have a relationship with our Creator. This is the reason we take offense in being compared to an animal of any kind and even those who might not believe that we were created in God’s image, feel the truth of this statement echo in all their being once they have been called a “dog” or a “donkey”.
I understood how humans deserve to be treated as humans no matter what they do because they are still children of Christ. I liked the example of evolution and how people treat those who display morally wrong behaviors. People's harsh treating of others is surely offensive and hurtful, and I do agree that no matter who or what they are, humans must be treated as humans. However, what does the Bible say about the ones to be blamed? Does Jean Valjean's good actions after being released from the jail make him different as being an animal/ a human?
ReplyDeleteWhoa-! Very interesting! What I understand you to be saying is that comparing human beings to animals is offensive because we are unique beings created in the image of God, and that because of that, even those who are not Christians can find this comparison very offensive. I really liked how you gave an example of Evolution and extended your thesis to various ideas :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I understand you to be saying is that we deserve to be identified as humans and respected as humans if only because we are God's creation. Animals are on a different level than humans. I like how you made the distinction between a human's behavior and his being. As you said, his behavior may resemble that of an animals, but we are all still human. My question is, do you ever think a person can justify calling another an animal? Under what circumstances?
ReplyDeleteI really like this post because it views the human as more than just something that acts by instinct. I personally don't believe in evolution, but if I did and I was reading this I would have some questions for you. First of all, don't we as humans act like animals when we sin? I could argue that we deserve Hell, and that we are sinful "creatures" that act from our sin nature. So in a sense we do act like animals when we stray from our Creator. However, when comparing a human and an animal we humans might be worse off than an animal. We sin, and we betray the God who made us; the animal does not. He simply follows what he knows, and he trusts in the One who made Him. So there could be good things and bad things about the comparison between man and creature. But otherwise, well done! Keep thinking like this and you will definitely go far!
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting insight and it made me think about this topic even more. I think when you compare a person to an animal on the basis that men sin, you are forgetting the main thing. Man is always and under all circumstance different from an animal, because of something that is way inside us and way out of our reach. That is the image of God that we have in us, it is always with us, always present. Sinning in no way diminishes the image of God in us, so it cannot be said that by sinning we step a little closer to being animals. I also think that the behavior of a person can sometimes be compared to that of an animal, but it is absolutely wrong to compare a person, as a whole to an animal or call him one. Another aspect of this to think about is, can animals actually sin? Can they in reality break the laws or Ten Commandments? No, so even when we sin, we still are different from animals. The thing is, we have a will and a right of choice. Animals do not have the same luxury, but they follow their instincts that are passed down to them and have no choice in their actions or cravings. We use this right of choice, when we chose to sin or even betray God, so in this too, we are also more like God, than the animals he created. Another important part of this discussion is our conscience and awareness of God. It is, as well as all that has been mentioned before, a distinctive factor between animal and human. Animals do not possess an awareness of God, so therefore they cannot "trust the One who made them", because they are not and cannot be aware of his existence. These are the reasons I think calling man an animal or animal names is wrong and I think this is the reason behind our offended feelings in the situation when someone calls us an animal name.
ReplyDelete