Animals?

Several years ago, my stepmother got rather worked up when she overheard me telling my son that human beings were animals, quickly interjecting that this wasn't so.

The reason for her indignation was religious; her literal belief that human being were "created in the image of God" necessarily precluded the possibility of human beings being animals. Along with a disbelief in evolution, she believed this set human beings apart from all other life on this planet, just as surely as if we'd been aliens who came from another world to settle on Earth.

Yes, human beings have distinct differences from all other animals: our self-awareness, our intelligence and ability for complex reasoning, our larger capacity for individuality, our ability to use both spoken and written language, our ability to alter our environment to suit our needs, to name a few. For those who believe in God, surely these attributes are what is meant by the "image of God", rather than our physical bodies.

Recent scientific studies in genetics and DNA have shown that we humans share about 98 percent of our DNA in common with our closest primate relatives, which is sufficient proof to me that human beings are indeed animals. Darwin had it right on the nose, even without the DNA evidence to back him up.

As for me, personally, the sex act in particular leaves me in no doubt whatsoever that I am an animal. Though I'm capable of being civilized and "making love", the best sex for me is a raw, primal act of mating when the thin veneer of civilization is stripped away and I give myself over completely to my animal nature.

The way I see it, life on Earth has two basic choices -- one is either a plant or an animal.

Thoughts?