Truth Month - July 2024
Day 17 - Our worth as human beings is not based on external characteristics, what we can give society, our development level, or any conferred status, but on our intrinsic value as creatures made in God's image.
Why are human beings valuable? Is it based on power, title, or influence? Does my personal self-image determine what I can contribute? Are babies worth more/less than people in their prime?
From the dawn of civilization, it has been recognized that it is wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human being. However, the definition of human being has been more fluid. In some cultures, killing and eating a captured enemy was appropriate. Some have viewed women or minorities as property to be owned or treated as objects. Others have been okay with abandoning or killing the old, the infirm, or inconvenient members of their society. Infanticide of the unwanted and killing of the unborn are allowed by others. In all these cases, the humanity of the subject was viewed as less than others, thereby justifying their treatment.
Should the value of a human being be determined by subjective factors? The Christian worldview holds that all people are made in the Image of God, and hence have fundamental value and dignity. This worth is not dependent upon their station in life, their level of development or dependency on others, what they can contribute to society, or any other mental or physical characteristics (see S.L.E.D.) It is solely based on the fact that we bear the likeness of God, and that is reason enough.
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