Homosexuality in the Light of Image and Likeness: A Christian Anthropological Approach

Abstract

The article discusses the Theology of the Body’s concept of Man as created in the Image of God which can be traced from antiquity since it has a rich and long tradition. This is evident in the works of Patristics and doctors of the Church like Augustine and Aquinas, who devotedly wrote about “the body and its relation to the soul, created by God in his image and destined for bodily resurrection” (Pope Pius XI) although some promulgated doctrines are now understood as erroneous in some way. Furthermore, the article examines the relevance of the pedagogy of this concept, that man was created in the image of God in light of the challenge of homosexuality which can be traced from the Old Testament excerpts for example, Leviticus 18 and 20. To begin, it is worth familiarizing me with the Theology of the Body to help me understand the scope of this project. John Paul II describes Theology of the Body as “a specific, evangelical, Christian pedagogy that unfolds and explains the revelation of the body by reflecting on the human experience”.1 “Pedagogy seeks to educate man by setting the requirements before him, giving reasons for them, and indicating the ways that lead to their fulfillment”.2 Given that, this article scope, will investigate in an in-depth manner the concept of Man-not in the literary sense as some have mistakenly interpreted created in the imago Dei and examine the significance of that teaching to the modern-day challenge of homosexuality as understood by varied disciplines.