Image of God and Human Dignity

          The Bible begins with the story of Genesis.  Genesis gives an account of the creation of the world.  Throughout the first few chapters, it details the order in which everything was made.  On the sixth day, it states that “God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).  This statement is a very significant one in Catholic religion and serves to show important details about both God and all people and can be used to illustrate how sweatshops are immoral.

            The first thing that the quote from Genesis reveals about God is that He is the creator of the world and everything in it.  It portrays God as both a “master builder” and an artist (McGrath 47-8) who made everything just as He planned.  This quote can also support the belief in God as a father.  Just as “fathers bring their children into existence” (McGrath 26), God also brought all living creatures into existence and cares for them like a father.  This shows God’s powerful, yet loving personality and helps one to understand how humans should be treated.

            The second and more important detail in the quote from Genesis is that God created humans in His image. Throughout the rest of the creation story, it never says this statement about any of the other creatures made by God.  This shows that “although humanity is not divine, it possesses a relationship with God which is different from that of other creatures” (McGrath 49).  While some feel this simply shows the “privileged position of humanity within creation,” others feel that it affirms the “responsibility and accountability” humans have for taking care of the world and others (McGrath 29).  Being created in the image of God, also allows people to be able to relate to Him and to have some sort of relationship with Him through prayer or meditation.  This also shows God’s love for mankind.

            The concept of being created in the image of God can be used to demonstrate how sweatshops are immoral in a number of ways.  The first way is that since God created all humans, He is the father of everyone.  That means that everyone is equally loved in the eyes of God, even those who are poor and work in sweatshops, because they are all his children.  Forcing people to work in such terrible conditions is treating the children of God in a very disrespectful and cruel manner.  The second reason why sweatshops are immoral is that, as all humans are created in the image of God, they have inherent human dignity and sweatshops do not uphold this dignity. According to the US Catholic bishops, “Every human being possesses an inalienable dignity that stamps human existence prior to any division into races or nations and prior to human labor and human achievement” (“Economic Justice for All” 6). Any “denial of dignity to a person is a blot on this image” (“Economic Justice for All” 8).  Therefore, anytime a person’s dignity is denied, something must be done about the situation causing it.  Sweatshops are just one such situation that must be corrected.

            In conclusion, the first chapter of Genesis states that God created human beings in His image.  This shows how God is both the  creator and father figure of all humans and considers them to be higher levels of creation than the rest.  It also serves to show that sweatshops are immoral and go against these teachings as they treat the children of God in a bad manner as well as fail in upholding their human dignity.