Human dignity
Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity."(6)
"The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it ..."(7)
In these sentences the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that there are two concepts which have been of central importance to the development of Christian teaching about human dignity: the concept of 'the image of God' and the concept of 'the person'.
The image of God and human dignity: biblical, patristic and medieval development of the theme(8)
Genesis 1: 26-27 and 5:1 teach that human beings were created in the image (tselem) and after the likeness (demuth) of God. The image is associated with dominion over the brute creation. It is clear that the image endures after original sin because man being in God's image is the reason for the prohibition of murder (Genesis 9: 6)
In the New Testament it is Christ who is spoken of as "the image of the unseen God" (Colossians 1: 15).
Rachael Foster 11v
Altitudes to animals
For most of history Christians largely ignored animal suffering.
Christian thinkers believed that human beings were greatly superior to animals. They taught that human beings could treat animals as badly as they wanted to because people had few (if any) moral obligations towards animals.
Modern Christians generally take a much more pro-animal line. They think that any unnecessary mistreatment of animals is both sinful and morally wrong.
The traditional Christian view
When early theologians looked at "nature red in tooth and claw" they concluded that it was a natural law of the universe that animals should be preyed on and eaten by others. This was reflected in their theology.
Christian thinking downgraded animals for three main reasons:
- God had created animals for the use of human beings and human beings were therefore entitled to use them in any way they want
- Animals were distinctively inferior to human beings and were worth little if any moral consideration, because:
- humans have souls and animals don't
- humans have reason and animals don't
- Christian thought was heavily humano-centric and only considered animals in relation to human beings, and not on their own terms
Rachael Foster 11v