The Doctrine of Imago Dei: Response to Second Answer
I totally agree with your observation. The Christian concept of Imago Dei, refers to a theological doctrine that is found in Christianity, Sufism of Islam and Judaism, which maintains that all humans have been created in both the likeness and image of God. In this regard, theologians and philosophers have held discourses on the precise implication of the millennia phrase, Imago Dei. The primeval Jewish scholars including Philo and Saadia Gaon presented the argument that the creation of humans in the image of God does not necessarily imply that God has the human-like features (Robinson, 2016); however, the phrase is figurative language implying the bestowment of distinct honor to humanity by God, that he did bestow on the other creations. Still, Maimonides presented the argument that, such reasoning faculty allows an individual to assume God-like features in instances where the individual develops the aptitude to grasp God’s definitive reality’s nature (Robinson, 2016).
Still, in the Christian though, the doctrine of Imago Dei is intimately related to the original sin’s concept. The image that existed in Adam was partly lost during man’s fall, and only through the atoning sacrifice that entailed the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross that human were reunited with God (Carter, 2014). However, in spite of the partial loss of the Image of God, every individual basically has value irrespective of the aspects of class, disability, gender and race.
With regards to the importance of the doctrine of Imago Dei in healthcare, it can be noted that it assist in the provision of quality care to all patients and ensuring that all patients are treated as equal human beings by the healthcare workers. Thus, Imago Dei ensures that, regardless of one’s race, gender, position and status amongst other aspects, the healthcare service providers provide similar and comparable quality of care. It, therefore, ensures justice in the provision of healthcare services.
References
Carter, C. (2014). THE IMAGO DEI AS THE MIND OF JESUS CHRIST: with David Fergusson,“God, Christ, and Animals”; Margaret B. Adam,“The Particularity of Animals and of Jesus Christ”; Christopher Carter,“The Imago Dei as the Mind of Jesus Christ”; Stephen H. Webb,“Toward a Weak Anthropocentrism”; and David Clough,“On Thinking Theologically about Animals: A Response.”. Zygon®, 49(3), 752-760.
Robinson, D. (2016). Understanding the’Imago Dei’: The Thought of Barth, von Balthasar and Moltmann. Routledge.