Made in God's Image

In the first creation story in Genesis, men and women are created in God's image.  What does it mean to be made in God's image?

First, it places humanity (the whole of humanity) in an unbreakable relationship with God.  For the Christian story this culminates when God becomes human in the person of Jesus Christ.  It is a mark of God's commitment to humanity.  Why is humanity so important?

It is possible that in the whole of this colossal universe, humanity are the only beings who are self-aware.  In being self-aware we share the same sort of consciousness as God.  For the first time, the universe is able to look at itself and reflect upon what it sees.  Humans do this through theology, philosophy, art, mathematics and science. 

The Christian story aims to bring humanity into an even closer relationship with God, a relationship of co-creation.  This is not an easy task.  Matter has its own wayward consciousness.  Humans are a mix of matter and spirit and so have a particularly difficult path to follow.

Although matter is somehow conscious, it is not self-conscious.  It is not able to do anything other than respond in itself - it cannot abstract experience and independently reflect upon it.  But even that spark of consciousness enables matter to respond to God and it responds in its own way.  Hence my conjecture that the huge variety of life (and indeed the inanimate universe) is the result of the response of matter to divine stimuli.  There is no plan because life comes from the generative conversation between God and matter.

But humanity is self-conscious and as such is made in God's image.  This brings the conversation between God and matter to a new place.  For the first time God's love for creation can be reciprocated.  For the first time it is possible for matter to be conscious not only of itself but also of God. 

There are 100 billion galaxies each containing 100 billion stars; that's about 10 to the power of 22 stars.  Maybe many of these have conscious beings, made in God's image.  Maybe we are the only ones.  Either way it's something to ponder.