Image of the Creator

If I had to describe myself in two words, both would begin with “C”. I’m a Christian-Capitalist. These two words describe everything about what I believe and who I am as a person — my philosophy about reality, life, God, violence, people — everything.

Unfortunately, many, if not most, people are starting to view Christianity as being at odds with capitalism. After all, how could a philosophy of self-interest and profit mesh with a religion of selflessness? The answer is simple: Christianity isn’t a religion of selflessness and pointless-sacrifice — at least not to any literal extent.

I’ll focus on just one aspect of the Christian religion, and make several stipulations based upon one of the most over read stories in the Bible: The Creation story. It’s more than about the chronological order that God put the Universe into existence — like most of the Scripture, it’s much deeper than that.

Usually my arguments for my philosophy are written in a manner that is equally acceptable to both the Christian and the non-Christian. I firmly believe that faith and reason do not contradict each other, but absolutely compliment one another. However, I’ll be deviating from my normal course of argumentation style by looking into a purely Biblical explanation for my beliefs, focusing on a specific passage that is often not read in a philosophical light.

The foundation of the Christian revelation is that God gives us the truth in two forms. The literal and the figurative — sometimes in both ways at the same time. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ told us exactly what he meant in a literal manner. In his parables, he told stories to describe the ideas and principles he wanted to communicate.

Sometimes God tells us two things at the same time. The Genesis account is one of those times. It’s both a true story and a figuration of the role of man, and of man’s basic calling and duty — to achieve and accomplish.

I’m not going to be arguing only for the economic system of capitalism. Instead, I’ll be arguing what I consider to be the life-philosophy of capitalism — productivity, reason, purpose and achievement. This is the foundation of capitalism, and encompasses much more than just economics. It’s about life itself.

In the Bible, the story of the beginning of man is recounted in Genesis 1:26-31. Notice the word usage, and the purpose of man inscribed throughout the passage:

26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

What is the purpose of the story? It gives us the most basic purpose of man. God saw that the world was wild, natural and that it should be conquered. So God created man in his image. Man, created in the image of God, suddenly has a basic comand and duty regarding his time on earth. He is to be a creator.

God is a creator — an achiever. His existence is based upon his desire and accomplishment of creation, but the creation of the physical and of his glory. God created a goal, and then created a method for achieving that goal. God achieves, God accomplishes, God creates.

Seeing that reality was wild and empty, God created man in the image of a creator, and gave him a simple command — command nature, have dominion over it. Not to exist for creation, but to unleash creation to exist for us. Not to exist for others or to treat other men as slaves, but recognize that they are created in the image of God, and are deserving of to be treated as creators — co-rulers of the earth. This is a simple-yet-biblical explanation of natural law.

We have been given a universe with a simple command — take dominion over it. Achieve.

This seemingly simple command has far-reaching and beautiful implications, explaining the basic plight of all of mankind. This is not a suggestion — it’s a rule regarding the nature of mankind, and is about our fundamental purpose in existence. Failure to obey this law of humanity will bring dire consequences, as found in societies that reject the principles of achievement and dominion.

How is man to exercise dominion? He is not as strong as the bear, does not have claws like the lion, and does not have fangs like the snake. Man is physically at a disadvantage. Compare him to other animals. He is often awkward, and can’t roll his body up in a ball. He is, relatively speaking, fragile. He doesn’t have a fur coat for winter.

Man has one tool above all others. His productive mind. Animals have their force, man has his reason. Man does not need fur — he can think and unleash nature to create clothes. Man does not need claws — he can unleash nature and create weapons for eating. Man does not have brute force — he can use reason to call others into corporation to unleash nature for their mutual benefit.

The foundational difference between men and animals is in two obvious yet stunning areas — the mind and violence. Man needs his mind to exist and to unleash nature. He does not have to rely upon force and violence — he can reason things out.

Unfortunately, a breed of people has always existed that believes that force is just as good as reason. The foolish group believes that violence is not a bad answer to most problems and that coercion should be used. These people betray that basic idea that makes us human beings — our minds.

The mind is mans greatest weapon and achievement. Without it, he would perish. With it, we can communicate with God and acknowledge the beauty of nature and all of existence.

In the beginning, God created the world, and he created man to fill the world. He created man in the image of the creator, and told him to create, to achieve, to build civilization by the sweat of his brow. The only means man was given to do this was his mind. It is our moral duty to use our mind to help us to achieve our values, and take dominion over creation.

“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.”