PEOPLE: All in God’s image

Watching people standing upright, relaxed or busy, chatting, each one different is an amazing sight. From a Christian perspective, each is made in the image of GOD. Characteristic of that image is being able to love and communicate (both to GOD and to others) as well as to create, to invent, to laugh, to make choices (etc.) and to enjoy the challenges and beauty of life on Earth.

In addition, the unity of Christians is described as being “neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all in Christ.” That statement covers race, class and gender which tend to separate people.

Unfortunately in our nation, cynicism, paralyzing fear, extreme partisanship and the bitter use of the word “hate” are common. People tend to nit-pick and slander others.

The present anti-Semitic riots at our universities are piteous. There is no appreciation of fellow students being made in GOD’s image. Even in Coeur d’Alene, slandering verbally and in written communication is frequent and negatively skews perspectives of people we know and don’t know. 

Knowing others as being made in the image of God does a lot to take away hate as well as to create an appreciation of human qualities as stated above. The Declaration of Independence disavowed all discrimination against others and established the following unifying truth: 

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness — that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

In summary, even in disagreements, know that person is special. Hold them in esteem.

MARY SMITH

Coeur d’Alene