Abstract
Human dignity is a multifaceted, inter-disciplinary and cross-cultural topic in all ages. However, it has gained most interest and attention after the experiences of World War Two. In Africa (as with other countries), it is one of the most important questions to ask, especially in the era of post-colonialism. Africans should be able to define the question, Who are we? by looking through African lenses rather than repeating what has been described by the West. In this case, the vulnerable and marginalised people like the homeless of the City of Tshwane and of other cities should be given a platform on which they can make their contribution. The marginalised should be able to inform the prominent (or scholars) about how they view their situation as homeless people and how that translates into an understanding of human dignity. In this encounter, human dignity would be more contextually understood, explained and applied. Therefore, the task of the church would be to understand that human dignity is encountered as we meet and interact with people from different backgrounds, not a tag attached to personal achievements or success.
Highlights
Human dignity is a multifaceted and sensitive topic, especially when one seeks to define and construct it on the basis of basic human experiences in South Africa
Human Dignity as God’s Reflection In Judeo-Christian theology, the starting point for understanding what it is to be human is the affirmation that human beings are created in the image of God8 (Howe 1995:27)
They argue: “Evolution is man-made and the Bible is the Word of God.”. They question the credibility of Evolution, as they state that it is just human “scientific thinking.”. They understand Evolution to claim that “we develop from apes, whereas the Bible declares that (1) God created both apes and human beings, (2) human beings are created in the image of God, (3) a human being was the one who gave a name to an ape and (4) human beings are the rulers and they dominate the created order, including apes.”
Summary
Human dignity is a multifaceted and sensitive topic, especially when one seeks to define and construct it on the basis of basic human experiences in South Africa. When the whites of European descent who speak Afrikaans started to colonise South Africa in the 17th century, they introduced a theology which could underpin and foster colonialism: namely, a version of the theology of election and the covenant This theology viewed Afrikaners as Israelites, as a volk that had been elected, called and led by the God of the covenant, and claimed that Afrikaners had supremacy in humanity and dignity, as beloved (or distinct) creatures of God (Mofokeng 1989:38-39). This was clearly affirmed by PW Botha, the apartheid-President from 1984 to 1989, as he addressed his cabinet on 15 August 1985 and declared that Pretoria was only for the white people. We shall be trying to find out if there were any new insights that emerged from the encounter
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