Love Endures: Session Two - Humans are made in the Image of God - Responsiblity and Creativity

 

Session Two: Humans are Made in the Image of God – Responsibility and Creativity

 

Introduction:   Last week, we were introduced to each other and to some of the big fears that accompany a diagnosis of dementia. One of the biggest fears is that when you lose your memory to dementia, your very identity is threatened. We met Joe Potocny who said that “...when I step over the line (and lose my identity)…” life will no longer be worth living. We investigated 1 Corinthians 13 to see what the Bible has to say about the source of life’s value - it’s not our gifts and abilities, but God’s love for us that gives life meaning and value, and the Apostle Paul reminds us that this divine love (agape) is enduring, something that “never ends”. Today we’re going to examine how ancient Israel viewed human identity, as revealed in Hebrew Scripture.

 

 

Warm up Today, we’re going to explore the meaning of a phrase you’ve heard, but perhaps not really thought about: “the image of God”.  Before we see what the writer of this phrase might have meant by it, what do you think – what is your image of God?                     Does your image of God include what God looks like or what God does (or both)?

Bible Study:

“So God created humankind in his image…”

 

Humans are the image of God:

In the time and place in which Genesis was written, kings were thought to be the “image” or representative of a god. The use of the term “image”, then, is meant to give humans a royal dignity, set apart from the other created animals as representatives of God on earth. Also, the Hebrew word for “image” (tselem) is the same word used for “statue” elsewhere in scripture (ex. 1 Sam 6:4, 2 Kings 11:18). Kings of that time would erect statues of themselves in distant provinces to represent their authority. It is thought that the writer of Genesis uses these traditions to show that humans are meant to represent God on earth. This “image” is invoked 3 times in Genesis. In the first two uses of the word, it refers to what God is creating (Gen 1:26-28 and 9:1-6). In the third use of the word, it refers to human procreation in the fathering of Seth, Adam’s son (Gen 5:1-3).

1. Read Genesis 1:26-28, 5:1-3 and 9:1-6.

 

              a. Paying special attention to Genesis 1:26-28, would you say that the writer is more intent on expressing what the image of God looks like or what the image of God does? These verses contain descriptions of what humans are to do  and nothing about their appearance.

 

 

 

       b. What kind of things is the image to do (Gen 1:28)? “have dominion”, “be fruitful and multiply”, “fill the earth and subdue it”

 

 

 

2. God directs the first humans to multiply and fill the earth. Notice how Adam fathers a son “according to his image” in Gen 5:3. What does this say about the importance of creating and nurturing as part of human life? Part of being made in the image of God is creating – “Adam became father of a son in his likeness” recalls the language of Genesis 1:26 when God created humankind “…according to our likeness”. The first humans also tilled the soil and raised sheep (Gen 4:2), creating a livelihood from the soil and pastures, bringing their produce and meat as offerings to the Lord.

 

Theology in Real Life:

Robert Johnson is 76 years old, a resident of Willow Lake Nursing Home for the past 7 years. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, 10 years ago and is now in the advanced stages of the disease. He has shown no recognition of any family member or friend for the past 5 years. Previously a kind and stylishly dressed gentleman, he has developed a habit of striking out at any caregiver or fellow resident who comes within arm’s reach, allowing only a few familiar nurses aids to change or feed him.  He also refuses to take showers and will only accept short bed baths. Previously a professor of American Literature, his speech has declined to the point that he is able to only utter occasional syllables. He spends most of his days in his recliner in the commons area strategically distanced from other residents. Recently, Mr. Johnson has had increasing difficulty swallowing and has been choking on much of his food. His physician, Dr. Howard Lee, along with the staff of Willow Lake, has implemented the standard changes to help prevent choking (or aspiration), aware that Mr. Johnson’s swallowing problems are due to his progressive dementia and will continue to worsen. Although these changes have helped Mr. Johnson to continue to eat until he is satisfied (he pushes away food at a certain point in the meal), he has lost 15% of his body weight, 20 pounds, in the past 2 months.  Dr. Lee has called the family together in the Willow Lake conference room to discuss “the next steps”, as he puts it. He notes that without a feeding tube, Mr. Johnson will eventually no longer be able to take in enough food and fluids to stay alive. “He’s taking about 25% of his meals, or about 500 calories a day- he can’t survive forever on this small amount of food. I wanted to speak with you all, because in the next few weeks or months, we’re going to get to the point where we’ll have to make a decision between two options: either provide ‘comfort care’ as Bob dies from Alzheimer’s Dementia, or insert a feeding tube to try to keep him going a  little longer. I must tell you that some really good studies have been done about feeding tubes in Alzheimer’s Disease – these studies show that people with feeding tubes die at about the same time as people without feeding tubes.  One of the hardest things to do in making decisions for someone you love is to decide whether or not to artificially feed them once they stop eating. From the studies I’ve read, and from my personal experience working with people with Alzheimer’s disease, part of the disease is an irreversible tendency to just not want to eat anymore. Most people eventually lose their hunger drive along with their ability to swallow. At this point, the disease has damaged the brain enough so that the brain cannot keep the body alive. In my view, it’s not starvation that kills a person with Alzheimer's disease; it’s the massive brain damage that kills the person.” Dr. Lee then asks family members to go around the table and discuss their views and their opinions. He turns to Mr. Johnson’s daughter, Eva – she has been a regular visitor to her father over the past 6 years. Eva responds, “Well, I have to say I don’t even recognize Daddy anymore – he hasn’t known who I am for the past five or six years, can’t talk, won’t wash or change his clothes, won’t even let me get near him anymore. We used to be really close. He’s just not Daddy anymore. I mean, I see Daddy almost every day, but to me it seems like the real him is gone and all that’s left is his body. So I can’t see putting a feeding tube in him, not if it’s not going to help and his body’s shutting down anyway. I just can’t see it.”

Others speak, and generally, the feeling seems to be that the family would like the nursing home to keep feeding him by mouth as long as possible and then continue to make him as comfortable as they can in the time he has left. As the meeting winds down, Dr. Lee notices that Richard, a nephew visiting from out of town, has been sitting quietly throughout the session. He is obviously upset. When he asks Richard if he has anything to add, he explodes, “I can’t believe you all are even considering letting Uncle Bob starve to death! Think about it – you can’t just let someone starve!! You all are playing God here, and I tell you, I don’t want any part in it!” Richard storms out of the room. Silence follows.

 

Pretend you’re there at the family conference. Luckily, you’ve recently attended a class studying ancient Israel’s view of human life. You recall that the book of Genesis says that humans are made in the image of God. From your understanding, the “image of God” means that humans are to represent God on earth and are meant to act on God’s behalf. You recall that in many of the Old Testament stories, from Moses to Aaron, to Elijah, to David, God uses humans to do his will. Keep these concepts in mind as you discuss the following questions:

 

1. Richard becomes alarmed at the notion of “playing God”, implying that certain actions are not to be undertaken by humans, but are better left up to God.
2.  By his reaction, where do you think Richard draws the line – what kind of actions are okay for humans, which actions are to be left up to God?  Richard seems to suggest that life and death decisions are best left up to God. Richard feels that failing to do something that would prolong life (inserting a feeding tube) is also “playing God”.

3. Richard is uncomfortable in limiting any care that might shorten life. What is the alternative here? How do you think Richard expects God to act in this situation? The family is deciding between inserting a tube vs. continuing to feed by mouth. Studies have shown that feeding tubes do not prolong life in advanced dementia due to complications from surgery and aspiration (breathing in and choking) of the tube feeds. By citing these studies, Dr. Lee is informing the family that they actually are not shortening Mr. Johnson’s life. Regardless, Richard is uncomfortable in taking any action that might be construed as shortening life. Richard obviously expects that God will end Mr. Johnson’s life in some other way than by not eating.

 

4.  After studying the concept of the “image of God”, are you convinced that humans are meant to represent God? Does this include acting on God’s behalf? In your experience, how does God work – exclusively outside of human activity? Exclusively through human activity? A mixture of both?

 

 

5. What is the difference between “playing God” and “acting on God’s behalf”? One could accuse humans of “playing God” when they act in contradistinction to the nature of God as revealed in scripture. One example would be the biblical command to “have dominion over the earth”. Practicing this command in ways that destroy rather than nurture God’s creation could be seen as “playing God” – acting in God’s name but not in God’s manner. Equally, if one dominates and subdues other humans in a way that is divorced of God’s love for creation, this would be a way to only “play God” instead of acting as God’s representative.

 

The Image of God: Creativity

Remember from our bible study that every time “image” is used in Genesis, it is in the context of a creative act – either by God or by humans. Keep this in mind as you watch the following video, “The Fence”, from the HBO Series, “The Alzheimer’s Project” (9 minutes) . Josephine Mickow, 77 years old was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease 5 years before being filmed. As she is in the advanced stages of dementia, she may have had the disease for 5 years or so before diagnosis. Unlike many people with advanced Alzheimer's disease, she has been able to remain at home, something which has caused much financial and emotional stress for her daughter.

 

1. Josephine has “aphasia”, a language disorder that in some way affects all people with dementia. How does she communicate with her daughter? Gestures, some facial expressions, she still shows her sense of humor in the games of peek-a-boo at the clothes line. She also shows her attachment to her daughter by following her to the clothes line (after refusing to give the shirt back).

 

2. Her daughter describes something as a “little glimmer that she’s still there”. What is that? What other “glimmers” do you notice? The “vignettes” she leaves around the house, arranging food, toys, flowers, bottles – this shows her daughter that the creativity that was a big part of her life is still there.

 

 

3. What did you make of the fact that Josephine painted over all her canvases when she was initially diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease? It may be that Josephine sensed that Alzheimer’s was removing a part of her old self, her old abilities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Today we examined the view of human life as revealed in Hebrew Scripture. In doing so, we found that being made in the “image of God” means that we are to represent God here on earth. The image has a lot more to do with how we do God’s will, than how we look. Hopefully, you have gained a new appreciation for the responsibility given to humans who are to act as God’s representatives. We also explored how humans are created to be creative and how this creativity is important even in the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Closing: time to wrap up. What questions do you have about this week’s material? Is there anything in today’s material that applies to your situation? How can the group pray for you this week? In what other ways can the group help you this week? Close with prayer.

Copyright 2011, James Lee Wright. All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced or distributed without the author’s express written permission.