Tamana Bawa
Christianity and Culture in Dialogue
Professor Blumenfeld
05/04/20
Part A: Essay
Statement II. The human individual has intrinsic value because of a spiritual soul created
immediately by God. That we possess a spiritual soul is not the object of the observational
sciences. The truth of our intrinsic value as human persons is only graspable through
philosophical and religious reflection.
I strongly agree that the human individual has intrinsic value because God immediately
created us with spiritual souls. We possess a spiritual soul that is not the object of any
observational sciences. I also agree that the truth of our intrinsic value as human persons is only
graspable through philosophical and religious reflection. Through various of the readings I have
read thus far in this course, I’ve found a central theme that god is the creator of everything, that
he loves all human beings and that all human beings should love God back by respecting his
creations. All people have been created in god’s image as they possess characteristics that reflect
God’s image. I will further explain my thesis by turning to the works of Genesis, Pope Francis’s
Laudato Si, Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, and Gaudium et Spes.
First, the central theme of the book of Genesis is that God creates the earth out of
nothing. We humans possess characteristics that reflect God’s image. God created every human
being for a broader purpose. The human nature was created to cooperate with one another to rule
over the earth and enjoy God’s creations. God gave humans the freedom to make their own
choices and govern their own lives. However, all humans were designed to live in obedience to
God’s authority as well and if they didn’t, the disobedience of God resulted in consequences. For
example, Adam and Eve ate from the tree since they listened to the Serpent (ignoring God’s
wishes) and the result of that was the ground being cursed and God sending Adam and Eve out
of the garden. Next, God wanted to start over by wiping out the whole population since
humankind corrupted the earth with evil. Noah was the only exception because he pleased God.
Therefore, God told him to build an ark with specific instructions to save himself from the flood.
The result of this was that God flooded the Earth and got rid of everything he previously created.
Lastly, God believed that having one language will allow the humans to surpass him. Therefore,
God created different languages, consequently causing people to leave the tower because they
couldn’t build or work together without proper communication which tells us that we cannot
work our way up to God. Humans fell short of God’s expectations and creations and were
