Catholic Social Teaching: Human Dignity
Do we need to treat human beings differently than other creatures? The answer seems so simple, but there were/are times and places where people treated other human beings like food (cannibalism) or animals (ancient and modern forms of enslavement) or the same as any other living creature (environmental anti-humanists). On a basic level, we could respond, “Yes, because Jesus told us to love your neighbor as yourself.” Though that doesn’t really explain the reason for humanity’s uniqueness and why we should treat each other differently. Exploring the concept of human dignity, we can see why humans are special and require respect in order to flourish as God intended.
Scripture tells us in the very beginning that God created human beings “according to his image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Have you ever stopped to think about what this means? What part or aspect of us is made in God’s image and likeness? Clearly it’s not our body; God in Himself has no body and is pure Spirit. Very simply put, the aspect of us that is made in God’s image is our intellect and will, our ability to think and to choose. These two activities make us different from all the other creatures that swim in the sea or walk on the land or fly in the sky. Eve’s creation out of Adam’s side makes her as fully human as him, so that women too share in the image and likeness of God (despite what previous discrimination would indicate). This is why human persons have an innate (within them no matter what) and inalienable (can’t be taken away) dignity established by God. No government, no society, no person can deny another’s dignity without violating the moral order.
Knowing what gives a human person dignity, their status as image of God, means that whatever inhibits or diminishes the capacities for thought and love in us violates our dignity. Our purpose as knowing and loving creatures is to know and love our Creator and to love those other persons he has placed on earth with us. The tragedy of sin often obscures that image within us, whether through personal choices that prevent our flourishing or through diseases or conditions that challenge our patience. Yet whether we exercise these capacities to their fullest extent or not, we have basic human rights: to life, to live in a united family and moral environment conducive to our flourishing, the freedom to pursue the truth and practice religion, to establish a family and live in society.
Because the Church knows from Revelation and reason that human beings possess these inherent rights, she can clearly and courageously explain why certain actions violate another’s dignity. Whether it’s the right to life from womb to tomb (abortion or euthanasia), the right to freedom (slavery and human trafficking), or the right to grow up in a united family (adultery and divorce), the Church understands human dignity as the foundation for everything in Catholic Social Teaching that follows. We’ll continue to explore how to pursue the common good with dignity at the forefront of our minds.