Well this 'special gift' doesn't necessarily have to be something like a soul, if you look at it as in life process you can see we are much more advanced than animals, we have the abilities to govern, be civilized, understand utter complexity, advance in civilization, etc. It clear to say that humans are among the most gifted of all beings.
But with respect to the topic - I'm not a religious person, but I do think that the special gift could be that of creating, advancing and functioning of society.
LonLon made a very good point, the civilized nature of human beings could be God's gift as well! Even if we aren't civilized 100% of the time.
LonLon, although being Civilized could be a gift, our civilized manner and huge progress could be seen as a curse. As a matter of fact, didn't humans get punished for Eve eating from the tree of knowledge? I'm not religious, but I don't think that was a reward.
Look at what our advancement has done to our planet. We are destroying it, killing animals, and for what? Big houses, faster transportation, computers, things that don't help our health or our personality. is it's Gods gift to us that we kill other people for something as meaningless as money, land, or morals? Just because they have different beliefs does not give someone the right to kill.
If there is a god, I think his greatest gift to us was choice. True, we have the choice to kill and destroy. But we also have the choice to create and improve life, not just for us, but for everything around us. I think that is our greatest gift.
So... Disease is a gift? Death is a gift? Well, actually sometimes it is...
My point is that there are certain things in our world we can love and enjoy, then there are certain things that just can't be a gift. How about starving children in Africa? Was that a gift?
Malevolent I think your definition of 'Civilized' is a little off. Eve's eating of the apple wasn't a result of civilization, it was actually 'choice' -She was told not to eat the fruit but she 'chose' to eat it.
The process of civilization is the level of cultural and technological development, the growth of a culture. The advancement of our planet is doing harm because we are making bad decisions, however since humans are 'civilized' we are working to find resolutions to these problems, the whole idea of 'Going Green' is an example how we are advancing as a society to make the world a better place to live. I'm not saying we don't do stupid things, that is part of the entire cycle of life, decision making - and it is far from a perfect process.
Basically I'm just saying that civilization is actually a good thing, a good thing that may come with negative consequences.
he gave us brains so we can figure out that he doesnt exists, it so simple, god isnt real stop beliving a 3000 year old book, which has no evidence to support it!
