Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Neatly embodied in Krech's words, "...critics....castigated Christianity for anthropocentrism..." is an often-resurfacing tendancy that never ceases to make me stop and think. Because Christianity is anti-anthropocentrist. Very much so.

A few verses to illustrate (NIV):

Matthew 37:40: "Jesus replied: ' "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.' " ---Loving God is the first commandment; Christianity is God-centric

2 Corinthians 5:15: "And he [Jesus Christ] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

Matthew 26:6-12: "While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. 'Why this waste?' they asked. 'This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.' Aware of this, Jesus said to them, 'Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.' "

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would agree that the bible is God-centric as the poster suggests, however many have argued that the Christian God is a projection of human beings. If that is the case, then the bible is indeed Anthropocentric.

Anonymous said...

I think that the Christian Faith is entirely anthropocentric. It says continuously that humans are the reason for life on earth. When God created the animals were they not simply as companions to man, his core creation? Does not the bible specifically state that God cares more about a hair on your head than an entire flock of birds? Even the passages you state talk simply about the deeds of man in relation to other men. Nowhere in those quotes is anything earthly mentioned besides man. While I agree that the faith is 'God-centric,' I agree more with anonymous that the Christian God, humans having been created in his image, is himself anthropocentric.