Why is there a problem with humans being apes?

Answer 1

Because it's part and parcel with rejecting the Biblical notion that human beings are somehow superior to "animals", since being an ape suggests we're just another animal on this planet, and don't occupy a unique niche above them in the grand scheme of life.

Most of the moral authority of Christianity ultimately derives from the idea that God created human beings as somehow separate and superior to the rest of the animals, as is laid out in the story of Genesis. It's the foundation of believing man has a right to use the world the way he sees fit, to use other animals and treat them the way he sees fit, etc.

It's also, ultimately, the foundation for another idea central to Christian thinking. It's the foundation for the belief that human beings have a soul.

If we were simply animals like all the others, what would that say about us? Does every cat, rat, bat, and flea go to Heaven? Do all the lichens and mushrooms go? What about bacteria? If they've lived a good bacterial life, done their part to infect what they were supposed to infect, made it properly ill, and fought the good fight before being wiped out by an immune response, do they get to go to Heaven?

The quick answer is "of course not". God didn't make Heaven for animals, after all. He made Heaven for humans, because we're special. He created us that way, with a soul, to occupy a unique place in all the Universe.

If you admit humans are apes, then you admit they're another animal. They're not special and unique. They weren't created separately.

That causes serious problems, theologically speaking. Even if you were to somehow accept the notion, and try to cling to the idea humans are special now, it wouldn't be very long before someone showed up to start asking just when the first human being occupied that special place.

What was it that made little Nate the Neandertal or Cameron the Cro Magnon better than his mom and pop, and gave him a soul while they missed out on it?

Maybe... well, maybe there really isn't anything that made Nate or Cameron better than their moms and pops. Maybe there isn't anything that makes us any better than any of the other animals out there.

I mean, if we're just an animal... what if we don't have a right to do all the things we've been doing to God's world just because it pleased us? What if the point of Creation isn't us, and we aren't as important to him as we think we are? That would mean everything we've been told by the Bible telling us that human beings are the ultimate point of existence is a lie, and we've been living and dying by these lies.

What if what if that means we don't have a soul?

We can't go to Heaven without a soul.

No... if you're clinging to a fundamental belief system which explains reality in the context of man being special and different from the rest of the animals because God made him that way, acknowledging that humans are apes is a very threatening thing to do.

So, a lot of people simply can't do it, because it would wreck their worldview.

There's also an incredible amount of ignorance surrounding the matter when you get right down to it. Look at the answers to this question which display a scientific bent and quite incorrectly state that human beings aren't apes (for the record, though, humans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans are all classified as hominids-- also known as the Great Apes-- so we are, taxonomically, classified as a species of ape: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_apes).

Personally, I have no problem reconciling being both an ape, and being special and unique. After all, it's pretty obvious humans are, indeed, apes from our physiology, and I'm no different than the rest of my fellow humans in that regard. It's also obvious that human beings are unique as far as animals go, considering our level of intelligence, our ability to manipulate the environment, our penchant for producing really interesting and thought provoking things like art, literature, and tequila.

So yeah, it isn't a problem in my mind reconciling the one fact with the other because to me they both seem self-obvious, but then, I tend to derive my sense of worth from the idea that the Universe may simply be about existence itself, of which I'm an integral part, so I can be special and unique just because I exist in my own, individual way.

Answer 2

If we were once apes then why are there still apes around?
Why aren't they changeing into something other than what they are?
We were never ever created as an ape was created or we would still be apes.
Notice I said 'created' because a higher power had to design us and make us.
Believe it or not but nothing isn't very smart and can't do very much at all.
Nothing can only do well...nothing.
So something had to be responsible for making everything and do you really think that the something who was smart enough to make all of this would first create us as apes?
No it wouldn't,and the something that created everything is God the most high.
God our heavenly Father created Humans to be Humans and animals to be animals.
In fact we are his children and no amount of trying to change that by saying we were created by nothing will make it so.

Answer 3

apes = apes
humans = humans
if humans "are" or came from apes (as xtians claim evolution claims), then Almighty Ghost Wizard didn't create humans (in his image) he created apes that became and/or are related to humans. It sorta takes away the "special-ness" of being Sky Fairy's chosen organism.

Besides, I've never met an ape that loves sake the way people do! Proof is in the pudding!!

Answer 4

Some may act like a ape. But God made an ape and he made man to different creatures just like a man and a woman.

You are the problem but God does not care he laughs and so do we. Have fun.

Answer 5

There's no problem with it. We're very good at being apes.

We have every feature that categorized an organism as an ape. Right down to the specific and unique pattern of cusps on our molar teeth (called the Y-5 dentition) that defines the group.

Humans are apes. No problem.

Answer 6

Well, my dad used to work for this guy who had a pet chimpanzee and he said she looked like armpit all over.

So...I guess the hairy apes are kinda gross.

But I don't see why people are so miffed at the idea that we could improve over time. What's so bad about starting hairy and learning to wax? I find it comforting, actually, to think that we can continue to evolve, to improve in body and mind and society.

Answer 7

Apes tend to be more humane to other apes.

Answer 8

Because to admit that people are just animals (like apes or hippos or even penguin) is the same as admitting that we are not special (and have some divine purpose or whatever) and some people don't like to feel like that, they would rather believe they have a special reason to justify their existence and measure their actions by.

Answer 9

Humans are homo sapien sapiens (primates) not apes. However, the problem is that many people want to think they are somehow separate from the animal kingdom and we are not we are part of it. We are animals. We all share the great tree of evolution.

Answer 10

I don't mind 'em being apes. A little monkey-ing around never hurt anyone! It's when they're being asses that I have a problem with 'em!