Can anybody think of a better explanation than Genisis 1:27,  for the uniqueness of humans, above all animals?
603237
Its not evolution, that is for sure. The evolutionist idea of natural selection is flawed from the beginning. The idea that we evolved into this superior human who have to deal with feelings of emotion, need large amounts of food and water to survive, require a male and female to reproduce and the list goes on. If natural selection is true then humans would have stopped long before now when we didn't need so much food and water; when we could split ourselves because there was no gender and no one had to think about taking care of a child. A human child is one of the most dependent offspring. Without the care of parents the child would die. This does not seem to fit the the theory of natural selection. Genesis 1:27 explains it good.
36444
Good for you! I've often asked the question: How can we possibly understand even a tiny part of an omnipotent being? To think we can is presumption. I'm reminded of a quote from Inherit the Wind: God created Man in His image, and Man returned the favor. To think that any religion speaks for God (or all religions, for that matter) would cast God as a sociopath with the emotional maturity of an infant. We ascribe so much to God's will; everything from winning a Grammy to losing a child, to finding a parking place to destroying entire civilizations for being "primitive".\n\nIn my searching I found some New Age teachings which suggested that God contemplated Itself and, as a result, split into billions of tiny pieces, each piece endowed with the will and the ability to experience all that Life is. So in the sense that an omnipotent being would have no reason (in my tiny comprehension) to hate any part of itself, God therefore loves each and every one of us.\n\nThat's also the reason I don't believe there is a Hell. But that's another story. ;-)
473741
God created all creatures.
725823
For one thing, it would show that life isn't unique to our own planet,  that given the chance, life can and will evolve to intelligent beings that are capable of communication over vast distances.  Scientifically it would give us great insight into the evolution of life in the universe; we are not "alone" or particularly special.  I think it will have a tremendous impact on religion, particularly Christianity.  Unless the beings looked exactly like us, Christians will have to rethink the whole "we were made in God's image" thing.
868007
1) To make us see how small we are in relation to His greatness. To give us a sense of awe. People used to marvel at the stars etc. long before they had any idea of what they were, and we can still marvel at them now with all our astronomical knowledge.\n\n2) To make us realise that in spite of this, we are very special to Him because He gave us this earth to live on, with a perfect balance of nature until we messed it up.\n\n3) Jesus said, "I have sheep who are not of this fold." This could possibly mean that there is intelligent life on other planets.\n\nHave you thought about, also, the amazing life in the depths of the oceans that even now we know almost nothing about? And the thousands or millions of species still undiscovered in the rainforests, of insects, plants etc.?
167120
Each person is uniquely and individually made.  God knew us EACH even before we were in the womb.  He knows us individually.\n\nJer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,\n\nAND \n\nHe knows every hair on our head!\n\nLuke 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.\n\nAND\n\nThe Bible says that we are in the hand of God.  Do you think that God knows who is in His own hand?  Of course!  Speaking of the Saints (us) Jesus says:\n\nJohn 10:29My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father's hand.
571410
There are none.  This  is why christinity can be seen as a culmination of many things prior to it.  Of course Orthodoxy has attempted to maintain that Christianity is unique.  However any one who studies some ancient history soon comes to the conclusion this is untrue.\n\nWith the Qumran dead sea scroll and naghammadi texts we find this originality is even further eroded.  We are finding those teachings that orthodoxy has clung on to as a sign post of originality (within christianity)often date back centuries before Christ was even born. For instaqnce the concept of turning the other cheek was once thought to be "unique." This was as it simply was not found in Judaism until Christ.  The dead sea scrolls have shown this and many other "christian" concepts are found in writing upto 300 years prior to Christ (in Essene texts..which is non main stream Gnostic Judaism)\n\nHowever the fact that Christianity is not "original" does not detract from its overall message, or negate the physical existance of Christ.  In any way.
142584
The Bible suggests that humans are theomorphic, in the image of God.  But I think that men wrote this who had an anthropomorphic conception of God.  I think God is beyond any form like that.  Certainly he is not limited to some physical form.  For our benefit, God takes forms so that we can grasp some idea of what he is like.
751823
No one.....\n\nTht is why we are humans....humans make mistakes and no one is the best...forget about human, all living being are not the best...tht is why they are living being...\n\ni know one thing for sure, GOD IS GREAT, the best.
495079
Well I think the most important part about the lives of animals in the bible is that they were created by God, and for man to rule over them, but after that it pretty much stays with people. And im not too worried about whats gonna happen to them, its the humans we should worry about, but interesting question though, I have no idea.
199217
Bible says about the Adam and Eve, Quran also says in similar ways,\nIf going in detail in Quran of best translation and using our common sense we will come to know that,\nGod created universe, in his six days of creation, the Big bang happened, earth cooled down, life formed, plants came to being, animals came to being, in this six days only man also came from the descendants of apes.\n\nThe exact translation when u go, u will see that God talks about Six Eras not Six days.\n\nAdam is the first civilized being with intelligence among the humans in the shape of human(ape descendant). Therefore, he is called as the first man, and later Eve was also civilized under his influence. Thats the Gods creation of Man(civilized human among others).\n\nfor both of them it was like a paradise on earth, as they used to see the world with intelligent eyes and understand, but where thrown away from that paradise after getting the idea of evilness(that apple story), that means that wonderful life was no more after being sinful.\n\nUnderstand more and more with common sense, u will understand both science and God's creation together.
230086
This is a very good question indeed. Well, according to my source, which is the King James Version of the Holy Bible, (I choose this version because most people are familiar with it). There were man before Adam and Eve, the two of them were only the first of their own kind or tribe, as well as being the first servants of God. Genesis Chapter 1 versus 26-28 read: (*my own emphasis are added to the text)\n\n26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let THEM* have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.\n\n27 So God created man in his OWN* image, in the image of God created he him; MALE* and FEMALE* created he them.\n\n28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.\n\nSo here in the Bible tells of creation of man and woman. THIS man and woman were created simultaneously, not one then the other.  AND this man and woman or race of men and women were on the earth and had habitated the Earth as instructed by God, long before the creation of Adam and Eve. This is where in the Bible we find the story of the original people. The one's whom were given the dominion of the land as a gift of God. HOW do we know that these were not the same as Adam and Eve? That is told in verse 29 which reads:\n\n29 And God said,"See, I have given you EVERY* herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and EVERY* tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.\n\nTo these first inhabitants of the Earth, there was no forbidden fruit, as there was for Adam and Eve. The first people were given full dominion and full reign and EVERY tree as food.  As we see in this, King James Version of the Holy Bible, Adam and Eve came along later, long after the seventh day of creation. And also we see that they were a creation of the Lord God, who created them to be servants in the garden, because "there was no man to till the ground" (GEN 2:5). Genesis Chapter 2 tells of the creation of Adam:\n\n7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into him the breath of life; and the man became a living being.\n\nThen the Lord God gave Adam his rules:\n\n15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden *TO TEND AND KEEP IT*. \n\n16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;\n\n17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."\n\nThen Lord God noticed Adam was lonely:\n\n18 And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."\n\nThen Eve was created:\n\n21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.\n22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.\n\nAnd they were good until the "serpent" went and pointed out to them that they were the only ones in the garden who couldn't eat from every tree... and as they say, the rest was history.
984321
Ever read Genesis 1-3?** \n\n1. Genesis 1-26"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."\n.....\nGenesis 1-28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. \n\n\never think it is odd how true this is even today? How did they know that there was not some thing more "evoled" then them on the Earth?\n\n2.  Genesis 1-27"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. "\nWhe did God not tell us we "evolved"? is his word not true? \n\n3. Genesis 1-11 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so."\n\n"...and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself" Why did God tell us this? We know this to be true anyone can just look as see this. Do you think God may have put it this way for us today?  This done not tell us that God will make a fruit tree in to a pine tree overtime.\n\n4.God is the God of DNA.... if God mad DNA why not reuse some of the same DNA? This dose mean that we "evolved" \n\n5. Why can the people who say we "evolved" not find ALL the bones to back it up? If ech. step was 10,000,000+- or so should we not be diging up bones all over?
299216
:}\nJohn 5:7  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.\n\nthe asker seems disappointed that G-d is greater than he can understand.\n\nthere are dumber lesser beast which can be understood even by the asker\n\nTo conclude that G-d doesn't exist because a mortal cant understand him is absurd\n\nor that his nature cannot be what he taught it to be because this mortal cannot explain it.\n\n\nHow very human of us.
469454
Very little is unique to humans.  Most of what we consider "unique" is only something we do more of than other animals.\n\nFor instance, we're the smartest animals, but hardly the only smart ones.  Our brains are large, but the brains of many whales are larger.  Opposable thumbs are found in the other great apes at least.  Speech of a sort may be found in other animals, we can't really rule it out.\n\nSome of the answers received thus far are wrong.\n\nChimpanzees feel shame and blush.\n\nIt's not clear that other animals don't have philosophy or religion (how exactly would you tell?)\n\nOther animals seem self aware, or at least recognize that what they see in the mirror is "them".\n\nEmpathy is recorded from primates.\n\nChimpanzees have morals in as much as there are behaviors frowned upon socially amongst them.\n\nAnd as for bipedal, all birds, kangaroo, and kangaroo mice are bipedal.\n\nI sometimes suspect the only unique thing about humans is the arrogance to think we're unique.  :-)
183054
I would say the Christian mythology is outstanding because it is more about humanity. Others such as the Greek are vastly superior in many respects but they lack that certain human touch which many people cherish. Nevertheless, all religions (mythologies) are profitable for enlightenment. Master Jesus used the advanced concept of parables (storytelling) to enlighten his students.
656300
Well the bible talks about Noah too--a story plagarized from the babylonian epic of Gilgamesh.  There was never enough water for a great flood, to load all the species on earth--Noah would have had to load 5 a second for 30 years.  Not enough genetic diversity, not enough water.  Point is--the story is untrue--they are fables designed for primitive people. It is not a book of science--much of it is allegorical---soo with an allegorical thought--Adam and Eve leaving the garden of eden could well be an allegorical representation of a hominid species becoming self aware.