The Christian Concept of Imago Dei
The Imago Dei (image of God) concept provides a multifaceted interpretation of God’s relationship with humans. It emanates from the creation doctrine that presents humans as stewards of God’s creation, the bearers of God’s image and likeness, and beings with the obligation to represent God in the world. According to Cherry (2017), the Imago Dei expresses a foundational relationship between God and humans by providing a multidimensional view of powers and responsibilities vested in humans. For instance, bearing the image of God means that people have advanced cognitive capacities that extend to rationality, compassion, and relationships. Also, this concept means that people exhibit unique spiritual orientations and characteristics that reflect God’s power. Also, it is possible to interpret the Imago Dei concept from the structural and physical perspectives that rely massively upon people’s unique abilities and intellect that enable them to operate as stewards of God’s creations. Although there are various perspectives of interpreting the Imago Dei concept, its impacts percolate the healthcare through spiritual and ethical standards that guide professional activities. The Christian Concept of Imago Dei
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The Importance and Relevance of Imago Dei in Healthcare.
Healthcare professionals are responsible for promoting patient safety and well-being by providing impartial, compassionate, and dignified care. The prospect of improving health by upholding virtues such as compassion, honesty, accountability, and justice relies massively upon spiritual standards and universally accepted moral principles. According to Szczerba (2020), the image of God in humans does not only signify the physical structure alone. Instead, it encompasses moral qualities and virtues that exemplify God’s perfection. These virtues include moral purity, freedom from sensual lust, spiritual happiness, goodness, and justice.
In healthcare settings, understanding moral obligations enables care providers to show compassion, extend love to patients, respect their rights, and provide dignified care regardless of the recipients’ age, background, gender, and other forms of diversities. In this sense, the belief that people bear God’s image and likeness prompts care providers to make rational decisions, uphold the sanctity of life, and embrace ethical standards in medicine. Therefore, the Imago Dei concept is significant in enabling care providers to foster patients’ dignity and deliver quality care to save lives. The Christian Concept of Imago Dei
References
Cherry, M. J. (2017). Created in the image of God: Bioethical implications of the Imago Dei. Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, 23(3), 219–233. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbx009
Szczerba, W. (2020). The concept of Imago Dei as a symbol of religious inclusion and human dignity. Forum Philosophicum, 25(1), 13–36. https://doi.org/10.35765/forphil.2020.2501.2 The Christian Concept of Imago Dei
