Cultural Task Paper

          So I found my folders of all of my college papers....... I figured I would embarrass myself and start posting them here..... Comment kindly.

February 10, 2005

          When God created, as in Genesis 1, what did he intend humans to be? This question, when answered a certain way, can change the way a person moves, breathes, thinks, acts, speaks, and lives. As one reads through Genesis 1 in the Bible, one sees that we were clearly made in “God’s image”, but what does this mean? Many people have different opinions about the answer. With each answer comes different responsibilities and vastly different worldviews. This tells us what our relationships should be with other humans, and the rest of God’s creation.

         I believe through careful analysis of Genesis 1, and other sources, that when God created us humans in “His image” that he gave us the intuition, the need, the capabilities, the power, and the ability to create for ourselves and have rule over the rest of creation. I do not see this “image” as just our spirituality, or features that we share with God, but as many things combined. Just as He has created us, we are to also create and spread our talents to all areas of our culture. If this were not the case then we should still be wearing leaves and eating only vegetables. Instead God new that we had our own desires and urges. Because of this he allowed us to kill and eat meat, and to use the animal furs as clothing. God obviously rules over everything and can do what he wishes, but in all of that he has also given us our own will to do what we see fit to a certain point.

         The command given to Adam in the Garden of Eden explains this concept a little easier. Adam is to “till it and keep it” or in other words, to develop and preserve. We are commanded and were created to develop the Earth and also to preserve it. In order to develop we have had to create new ideas, new concepts, and new ways of doing things. This in turn created new ways to live, and ultimately created culture. Due to differing views on how we should develop the Earth, we have many different cultures. God doesn’t care how the outcome looks to other people, as long as we listened and developed and preserved. We were called to be cultural people. Culture is a combination of many different things. This includes every aspect of our lives, from technology to worship, from art to church, from music to family, everything.

         Obviously God is the supreme ruler, and we have to obey his words. From the front to the back of the Bible God tries to convey his will to us through prophets, teachers, miracles, and events. The will of God is never forced upon us though. God has given us our own choice to do what we will. To do this in a way that pleases him is the task that I believe is set out before us. We are not just to develop and preserve, we are to spread God’s will, spread the news of Jesus, and spread goodness. This is not necessarily supposed to be done by preaching or teaching, but it can be done in many ways. The daily tasks we perform can be done to please God, even the everyday things like our school work or our actual work. Development of the Earth includes education, and includes vocation. Some day I hope to become a professor of religion or philosophy. There are ways in which I can teach that will help to develop and preserve what God has given to me. I can create yearning in the student’s lives to know more and to ultimately succeed at preserving the culture in which I have had a part in developing. By continuing to develop and to spread culture to the next generations we can preserve the earth and use it to honor God because of the power he has given us.

          Now if this development and preservation is not pleasing to God he can easily take authority away from anyone he wishes. When you mistreat a privilege, as it is with any government that humans have created, the privilege is taken away and there may be bad consequences. Though we have the free will, it best suits us and the rest of society to do things in a manner that is in line with the commands and will of God.

          All of these thoughts about development and preservation are still new to my thinking; I have always looked past the creation as just another Bible story. Looking deeper into it though I have realized that the way I viewed the world was not how God intended things to be. I may also be way off in my thinking. To the best of my knowledge though, these ideas seem to be based on truth and the word of God. Questions still arise though from my mind all the time. Questions like, what is our purpose if God is perfect and really has no need for us? Or Does God need us? Or Have I been developing and preserving correctly? Am I on the right path? These questions are hard to answer in any form. Through prayer, and more years of walking with him, he will reveal some more of this wisdom to me. Until then, and after then, I will strive to faithfully do what I was created to do.