Human
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Humans or human beings are any of the species or races within the genus Homo. The Biblical worldview of humans is governed by the doctrine or belief that humans were created in the image of God and consist of a physical body and an immortal soul. This view is philosophically opposed to evolutionism or traducianism.
The human body is the physical or biological component of the human being. Humans are arguably the most complex organism on Earth. Billions of microscopic parts, each with its own identity, work together in an organized manner for the benefit of the total being.[1] Such is the body that God has created for us. In Psalm 139, David declares his body is wonderful evidence of God's creative love. Its wonderful design serves to provide evidence of God's creative power and the love He has for us.
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14 (NASB)
Worldviews
Biblical
- Main Article: Ontology of Humanity
The Biblical creation worldview is based on the Bible, which states that human beings were created on the 6th day of creation following land animals approximately 6000 years ago. The book of Genesis states that man is distinct from the animals, and was created in the image of God.
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1:26 (NASB)
Furthermore Adam is described in Genesis as being made in the image of God. There are 2 basic definitions of the image of God. The first defines that Adam was created to reflect the spiritual nature of Elohim. This belief, by far the most widespread among theists, holds that Adam was created in God's spiritual image, to reflect his reason and personality and ability to communicate.
Another view holds that Adam was created to reflect the physical appearance of Elohim. It is often said that this view is based in part on corporealism, or the belief that God has a physical body. However, God in His omnipresence is not corporeal, but is Spirit (John 4:24).[2]
Arguments for this view include:
- The same words used for image (tselem), and likeness (d@muwth), are used to describe the sons of the patriarchs. (e.g. "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat [a son] in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth;" (Genesis 5:3 )
- Elohim is plural, as is the phrase, "Let us make Man in our image," implying that the Elohim (plural, to include Jehovah Elohim and the Sons of God) decided to create man in their image;
- Jehovah Elohim (the "Lord of the gods") is described as physically walking through the garden. "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." Genesis 3:8 .
- "Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless;"—Genesis 17:1 ;
- "Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day."—Genesis 18:1 ;
Secular
In contrast, secular paleoanthropologists believe that humans originated from primate-like ancestors in Africa about 200,000 years ago. Furthermore, the theory of evolution presupposes that humans and animals have all descended from a common ancestor. As such, the genus homo is classified under the taxonomic Family Hominidae, which also includes the Great apes, such as the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan.
In order to create an atheistic, naturalistic model of the universe that denies the existence of God, scientists must necessarily rely on an assumption that Man, independent of his Creator, is capable of creating coherent theories about Creation. To this end, atheistic scientists assume that the Laws of Science that God has revealed to Man on Earth are universally applicable even to parts of Creation that no human has ever visited or been able to perform controlled experiments in. Human beings have never left the gravitational pull of Earth and until recently no human contraption has ever left the solar system. Yet proposals and ideas relating to locations that are billions of times further away are made with the assumption that they have the same characteristics as our own rare and finely tuned Earth.
In making this assumption, the atheistic scientist presupposes that the conditions of all of Creation are the same as he sees. Unable to allow for the miraculous or the omnipotency of a God that is fully capable of creating different conditions in different parts of His Creation, he holds fast to this assumption, which drives the fundamental philosophy that underlies atheistic cosmology. This allows the scientist to elevate Creation above the Creator and remove the plain fact of God from consideration, much as was predicted in Psalms 10:4 and Romans 1:19-20 .
Biology
- Main Article: Human Biology
Human biology is the scientific discipline the studies of the physical or biological component of the human being. It is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on anatomy and physiology, medicine, nutrition, genetics, reproduction, and anthropology.
Homo sapiens is the species name given to modern humans, which means wise man. Modern humans generally differs from other members of the taxonomic genus homo in having a lighter skeletal build and larger brains, although these characteristics still overlap with the normal range found in living humans.[3]
Anthropology
- Main Article: Anthropology
Anthropology is derived from the two Greek words (ανθροπος) meaning man and (λογος) meaning word or study. Creation anthropology is an effort to study humans from the perspective that we are the result of divine creation. Like other fields of creation science, anthropology relies upon religious texts for insights into the origin and nature of man. It deals with the study of the revelation of the nature of man both before and after the fall, and both before and after the flood.
Races
- Main Article: Human races
The term human races refers to how humanity comes in a number of varieties, distinguished by features such as skin color, facial appearance, shape of skull, type of hair and height. Races have generally been defined by some easily distinguished external feature. There have been various different accounts of racial origins. Some have led to racist attitudes, by which people attempt to characterise other races than their own as inferior.
Paleoanthropology
- Main Article: Paleoanthropology
Paleoanthropology (study of ancient man) is the study of the origins and the ancestors of human beings by examining fossil remains and other ancient evidence. Mainstream anthropologists and archaeologists believe that humans began domesticating animals and plants in the Middle East about 10-12,000 years ago. The earliest known civilization, the Sumerians, developed in Mesopotamia about 7,000 years ago, after humans had developed agriculture sufficiently. This is the same location where many of the early Biblical stories in Genesis are set.
References
- ↑ Introduction to the Human Body SEER Training Modules, National Cancer Institute.
- ↑ Morris, Henry M., The Genesis Record. Grand Rapids MI: Baker Books, 1976. p.74.
- ↑ Homo sapiens Smithsonian Institute
External links
- Darwin's Failed Predictions, Slide 11: "Human evolution remains a mystery" (from JudgingPBS.com) (Updated) Evolution News and Views. by Casey Luskin. January 7, 2008.
- Amazing human facts By vinodpaulson
- Fossil evidence for alleged apemen—Part 1: the genus Homo by Peter Line, Journal of Creation 19(1):22–32, April 2005.
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