Conference lgp30::christian-perspective

Our relationship with God.

    I agree with .1.
    
    Let me add -
    	o  Our ability to laugh
    	o  Our ability to blush
    	o  Our sense of modesty
    	o  Our potential to destroy our environment
    
    Peace,
    Richard
    

    Our ability to think in abstract terms.
    
    Mike

Interesting question.  My short answer is "less and less than we thought".

I agree with John in .1 here, I think.  Though I see a possible sense of
meaning wherein my relationship with God distinguishes me from John and his
relationship with God or Richard and his relationship.  In that sense a
relationship with God distinguishes every living entity from every other. I'd
also say that in some way all creatures have a relationship with God, as they
are all God's creations, and dependent on God for their existence, but
certainly humans (both male and female) are the only ones created explicitely
in God's own image. 

I do believe that some animals have a sense of right and wrong, through
observation of the antics of my cats and their reaction when I enter a room. 
(though that may have more to do with the cat's relationship with me than with
God .-) 

I'll add handedness to the list of differences.

Homo Sapiens are the only known creatures that are predisposed to prefer one
hand (the right) over the other.  (Among dogs, cats, and monkeys, for example,
about � are ambidexterous, and of the remaining �, there is an even split
between right and left hand preference (in tests of retrieving a ball from an 
opening large enough for a single hand, for example).) 

I'd question some of the other differences as well.

Elephants, for example, have an astonishing ability to destroy environments
(admittedly not as efficiently as humans).

Some primates have demonstrated a natural ability to play tricks on others of 
their kind and laugh at the result (a sense of humor); they can even blush, I 
believe.  Some also demonstrate a natural ability to make and use tools, (for 
example, breaking off reeds and fashioning them into straws used to suck out 
ants from ant hills) which I think would require the ability to think in
abstract terms. 

Several years ago, our ability to use language was seen to be a catagorical 
difference, until some primates were able to learn American Sign Language.

More recently grammar was believed to be a higher level difference, however 
there is evidence that some of the signing primates do possess a rudimentary
grammar. 

Peace,

Jim

   I saw some interesting things, one however seems to be missed.

   Humans have a concept of self, we to the best of our knowledge are
   self aware.  I suspect but cannot prove that we are also the only
   animal that ponders about our ability to think and have such awareness.

   Peace,
   Allison

    Humans are the only ones who kill for fun.
    
    Marc H.

>    Humans are the only ones who kill for fun.

	Not true. Cats have been shown to kill for fun.

		Alfred

    I wonder if that's true, Marc.  The way cats often play with and
    torture mice and birds that they capture, and then when finished
    killing their prey off they deposit it on the doorstep of the house,
    suggests to me that killing prey can be a sort of game for cats.
    
    I say this despite the fact that I love cats, and I would want no part
    of an afterlife without them.  :-)
    
    -- Mike

    Whoops, notes collision.  :-)

>    Whoops, notes collision.  :-)

	And we're on the same side. Perhaps we should save those
	notes. :-)

			Alfred

    Perhaps we should.  :-)

    Re: .8
    
    Well, not to change the topic to "Cats".....
    
    My cats do "play" with the prey, but, they do eat it or try to give it
    to me as a gift. There is more just a fun part to the kill.
    
    Marc H.

    Hmmm, I agree with Alfred and Mike on this one.  My cats seem to
    enjoy playing with the prey.  Some will eat it after, some will not.
    They've given up trying to make a gift to me of the 'kill'; my
    screaming must have turned them off.
    
    I've also seen cats display other human characterics such as kindness
    for each other.
    
    Ro
    

    
    There are laws fully protecting the fertilized eggs of many animals
    throughout the entire gestation period, human eggs don't have that 
    protection.
    
    Perhaps this is part of the human's ability to destroy it's
    environment or perhaps that we enjoy killing for fun.  ;^(
    
    Jill

    I wish I could say that humans were the only animals who go to
    war, but that's not true.
    
    Peace,
    Richard
    

    ...culture which finds expression through art.  This seems to be
    universal among humans and exclusive to humans.
    
    Peace,
    Richard

	...the human spirit.

regards,
ace

    The ability to establish contractual agreements.
    
    Shalom,
    Richard
    

    Humans can find meaning in that which otherwise might not have meaning.
    
    Shalom,
    Richard