The question of what it means to be human is one that has been and I'm sure will continue to be asked over and over again. Opinions stem from many different sources and belief systems.
One major aspect of being human is the fact that we are relational beings. From a Christian point of view we are made in he 'imago dei' (image of God) and God consists of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is the inter-relation of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that all amount to one almighty God. This would therefore imply that to be made in God's image we must be inter-relational beings ourselves. The human relationship with God is demonstrated in the Nicene Creed which supports a strong relationship with each aspect of the Trinity and with what seems to be a very impersonal and transcendent God. As well as having the ability to posses strong relationships with God we are also able to create strong relationships with one another. This abides by the Golden Rule: 'Love they neighbor as yourself' - Mark 12:31.
It can be argues that our ability to reason is what makes us human as we seem to be the only animals on earth who are able to. Plato and Aristotle are two philosophers who explore this. Plato creates the image of the human soul being a chariot. The chariot is led by a driver with two horses. The driver represents reasonn one horse represents appetite and the other is emotion. According to Plato reason must keeps the two horses under control and stop the soul from being unbalanced. From a Christian point of view reason is also a vital part of humanity. Thomas Aquinas creates the cosmological argument for the existence of God based on reason, this suggests that reason allows us to be closer to God. C.S. Lewis also shows how humans experience the word through reason in his poem 'On Being Human'.
Many religious believers also believe that we were created entirely by God and this is a fundamental part of what makes us human. For Christians in Genesis 2:7 it says God 'formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life'. Humans were also created last in the Genesis creation story and given 'stewardship' over the rest of creation. This massively sets humanity apart from the other animals as they are in a position of power over creation. This power was given by God and shows how we are something more than the rest of creation. This shows how, for Christians, our existence completely relies on God and our significant place in creation is down to the fact that we were created by him.
Bearing in mind that I'm treating this now as an AQA A01 question, several points need to be addressed:
ReplyDelete1. The introduction isn't great - don't include it if it isn't doing anything for you. (Key tip: introductions are a good place to place questions in context and define key terms in the question.)
2. God doesn't 'consist' of the Trinity, he is the Trinity! (According to Christian belief.)
3. You mention the Nicene Creed, but you don't include specific quotations from it; same again with the C. S. Lewis in the next paragraph.
4. Plato and Aristotle are not relevant here, because the question asks about 'religious teachings' on what it means to be human. Plato and Aristotle are philosophers, not theologians. You would have done better to explain the C. S. Lewis in more detail, as this is explicitly religious.
Your structure is great, you are including important points and relevant teachings/scholars. However, you must explain your evidence in more detail, including specific quotations.
Hope this helps - please feel free to come to A Level workshop on Wednesdays if you want to go over it in more detail.