Christianity is the True Humanism :: Religion Religious Essays

Christianity is the True Humanism Recently, I heard a shocking story about young boy who was raised in a coffin. Having been abandoned by his mom and dad, the child’s dysfunctional grandparents grudgingly assumed the task of raising him. For some bizarre reason, they kept him confined in a coffin, and only let him out to eat and go to the bathroom. Once the authorities rescued him, they discovered that the little fellow had no idea that there was any other way to exist. He thought all children were raised in coffins. To him that was reality. His life was dehumanizing. He did not know it. Similarly, many of us today do not realize just how dehumanizing our own society actually is. Granted, we don’t live in coffins, but we do live in a deadly culture that increasingly undermines the dignity of human life. The corruption of sexuality, the dissolution of marriage, the breakdown of the family, pornography, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, rampant consumerism, political malfeasance, corporate scandal, ecclesiastical betrayal, excessive individualism, the obsession with technology and biotechnology, and the desecration of the environment are just a few of the powerful forces that are chipping away day by day at what it means to be human. Ironically, most people have no idea that there is any other way to exist. Most simply assume that this is just the way life is. Few, if any, are asking whether or not we are witnessing the abolition of man. Is there any vision of life that can help us realize that we are living in the coffin of a lethal, dehumanizing culture and show us a better way? A Christian worldview answers affirmatively with a resounding â€Å"Yes!† In fact, Christianity is the â€Å"true humanism† which delivers us from the pit of degradation and lifts us up to the peak of nobility and respect. In all creation, we human beings alone are the image and likeness of God. We can reflect, love, create, and most importantly, worship the One whose image we bear. God has given us stewardship over creation to develop a rich and godly culture that benefits others and honors God. Art and science, work and play, marriage and family, church and state are our gifts and tasks. God has crowned us with glory and majesty (Psalm 8: 5). By redemption, Jesus Christ has reconciled us to God from whom we were estranged because of sin.