Christianity and Neurology

I love what science-fiction author and orthodox Roman Catholic John C. Wright said recently:

http://johncwright.livejournal.com/255380.html?thread=763381...

"I do not value a human because of the biological fact that they share my genus and species, no. The biological fact is indeed indifferent to the more profound moral fact: I value Man because he is Imago Dei, the image of God.

"Spock of Vulcan is not a member of my species, but if he were real, I would value him, and say he has rights, and protect his life, and so on. I value Vulcans because they are also Imago Dei, rational creatures as God is. For that matter, R2D2 is an intelligent being, capable of moral decisions, and great bravery, and yet nothing in his biology -- he is not, properly speaking, even a living thing -- makes him human. He clearly has a soul, however, or whatever you want to call the thing that makes for courage and humor and loyalty. The robot is also Imago Dei."

Based on my experience, some people (ugh weasel words) can not cope with the idea that humans might be made of the same mental or physical patterns as both other animals and inanimate objects. The notion that there is something 'holy' about each person that transcends our physical selves is pretty central to the Abrahamic religions.