What is thy birthright, man,
Child of the perfect One;
What is thy Father's plan
For His beloved son?
These lines from the Christian Science Hymnal (Hymn No. 382) call to mind the first chapter of Genesis, in which it is clearly stated that God made man in His own image and likeness and gave him dominion over all the earth.
However, the second and following chapters record that the mist of materiality seemed to obscure man's true selfhood. They picture man as a fallen mortal, separated from God, endeavoring to sustain himself, engaged in a vain search for pleasure and satisfaction in matter, and unaware of man's God-given dominion.
