Human Dignity and Worth

Listen: “Royals” by Lorde

Human beings are capable of so much good and so much evil. (See Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky.) It seems like we humans are masters at dehumanizing other human beings. Some of the more visible forms of dehumanization are racism, classism, xenophobia, ageism, sexism, and elitism, to name a few. We also dehumanize by treating other human beings as objects to be controlled and manipulated for our own ends or purposes. Political, religious, and family systems play this game, abusing and exploiting other human beings. There are more subtle forms of dehumanization like simply not listening to another person’s story, not valuing their dreams or desires or pain. The truth: we are all imperfect people. Our imperfections can connect us through grace and vulnerability, but so can our inherent worth and dignity.

The inestimable worth of a human soul. It’s an idea that runs deep in every faith tradition. I was raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and this idea was planted deeply in my view of the world. In my tradition, it starts in the first chapter of sacred literature: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27; NLT).

This is an amazing statement coming from the context of the Ancient Near East (ANE). In the ANE, only sovereign kings who ruled over empires were viewed as the “divine image” of the patron god over a particular city-state. The “image of god” was an elitist term reserved for kings. Equality for all people was a foreign concept. 

When I was working on a PhD in the Hebrew Bible, I wrote a deep exegetical paper on this famous text in Genesis. If you explore the use of the “image of God” in the first six chapters of Genesis, you find some interesting ideas about the dignity and worth of human beings, regardless of their race, gender, nationality, economic status, beliefs, or lifestyle.

First of all, every person is equally created in the “image of God.” This is perhaps the first time in ancient literature that the concept of the “image of God” was democratized. This radical concept, while embraced by democracies around the world, has yet to be realized. While giving mental ascent to this concept, we largely segment or discriminate according to our own personal value systems based on any number of factors like beauty, fitness, socio-economic status, color, accent, beliefs, politics, musical tastes, ethics, and the list could go on ad infinitum. We do this, whether we like to admit it or not. Awareness is an important first step to change. 

Secondly, the “image of God” involves responsibility. According to Genesis 1:28, we are created to “multiply” and “rule.” Ironically, this command to rule has been misconstrued as a reason to oppress and abuse people and creation. The opposite was intended. In the ANE and in Genesis, the world was viewed as containing a “primordial chaos.” In Genesis 1:2, this primordial chaos is described as “formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters” (tohu va bohu in the Hebrew). Human beings are called to steward the earth, co-create human dignity, and restore justice to the forces of chaos. We are to rule as gracious kings and queens with a heart of love towards all creation (servant leadership).

Thirdly, all of humanity is envisioned as priests and priestesses. In Genesis chapter two the author doubles back on the creation story (a Hebrew grammar style called resumptive repetition) and places humanity in a garden—it’s a temple garden. Humanity is called upon to “tend and watch” the garden. Throughout the rest of the Hebrew Bible, the combination of these two verbs is descriptive of the function of priests in the temple. All of humanity is to serve a priestly function, that is, caring for and guarding the dignity and worth of all creation. In effect, loving all of creation, stewarding all of creation, nurturing all of creation, mending all of creation, and treating every human being with dignity and worth. We are to have God’s heart for all of creation.

Fourthly, the “image of God” involves sonship and daughter-ship (Genesis 5:3). We are sons and daughters of the most high God. We are royal at birth. (Read Psalms 8.) I am reminded of the song “Royals” by Lorde. Her lyrics speak of how common people can be enamored with royalty (thus the media focus on the British royal family), but this ancient sacred text sees every human heart beating with royal blood. Imagine that. (“Imagine all the people…” a nod to John Lennon.)

It’s interesting how quickly in the Hebrew text humanity failed to fulfill her divine calling. By the third chapter of Genesis, humanity is falling away from the original design. Humanity quickly falls into patterns of judgment and abuse and violence—dehumanizing behavior. Primordial chaos is infiltrating the human race and shattering her into a fragmentation of families and tribes and nations. Despite the chaos, the “image of God” is never lost or eliminated—marred perhaps—but never obliterated (Genesis 5:1-2; Psalm 8).

So my heart in sharing all this is to challenge myself and those who might read this blog to rise up and love and forgive and heal this broken world, this fragmented world. We have far more in common than you could ever imagine. We need “grace-filled eyes” to see each person as God intended. When you sit with people and listen to their stories—hear their experiences of shame and abuse, hear their dreams of hope and love—we are not that different. If we love God and love our neighbor, we can be the change that the world needs.

After all, we are royal sons and daughters, called to be a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6), to care and watch over this world with love and generosity and creativity and gratitude. Let’s not forsake our calling. The world needs it; your family needs it; your next door neighbor needs it; the person who is different from you needs it. We all need it. Let’s be it. What we truly are.

Shalom

©realfredherron, 2021