Life, death and beyond

Life, death and beyond

 AO1 - Examine the Christian teachings on the Nature of Human Life
Human nature is the qualities common to humanity, ordinary human behaviour which is considered to be less than perfect. In religious views, human nature is the most important thing to an individual. Humans are all different and unique in their own way, especially distinctively different from other animal life. From a Christian point of view, each human has a part in the universe, we should live virtuous lives so that we will be with God in the after life. God created each individual, we are stewards of God; "So God created man in his own image, in the image of god he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27).
In Christian theology, human beings have a unique nature and value in all creation. They have a sanctity and this relates to their dignity which has both a natural dimension, in terms of rational thought and moral decision-making powers, and also a supernatural dimension, in terms of their ultimate purpose and destiny to be with God. Christian ideas of dignity, the nature of value of human beings, are based on an understanding that God has given human beings a distinctive purpose. God has a purpose in creating the world and the human beings within it, the intension of saving humanity from sin and death through the discovery of the image of Christ in every person. This dignity means humans should not be sacrificed. In the story of Abraham, he is being ordered to replace his son with a ram (Genesis 22:3) for sacrifice, the practice of sacrificing a child to God in the hope that good harvest will come is prohibited.
Judeo-Christian tradition teaches that God gave man free will, that God is omnipotent and omniscient; God knows all our future decisions. The idea of predestination is placed in Christianity, the view that God has already decided who will be saved and who will not. This idea originates in St Paul's letter to the Romans, "For those God foreknew he also...

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