When did Homo Sapiens become 'in the image of God' ?

This is a question for Christians who believe in evolution. It has multiple aspects:1- Biblically, is there a difference between animals and humans ?2- If there are no differences, then why would God regard humans as anymore special than other animals ?3- If there is a difference, what is it ?4- If this difference is that humans are thelogically in God's image, then at what point along their evolutionnary progression did they become 'in God's image' ?Obviously, this topic won't interest atheists, sorry if it is a bit exclusive to christians, but this is a question I have been asking myslef for quite some time.

Ok i'll develop my idea a bit.I first thought of this when I watched a video in astrophysics class in which the director of science at the Vatican said at one point along the evolutionary lineage, God gave our ancestors a soul, which made them humans 'in Gods image'.It seemed to me at the time (and it still does) that this was just an attempt to mix evolution and chistianity. Personnally, I have always found it difficult to reunite the two without making huge compromise in some critical christian doctrines.Anyhow, to continue on what Dr. Adequate said. I'm not a theologian, but I have always seen the 'in God's image' part as not intellectually nor physically, but more on the human ability to communicate" think this because before Adam sinned in Genesis, God talked with him everyday, suggesting this was the reason he created us for. Of course this is all theology.I agree that animals also have the ability to communicate, and this is why I also think his whole creation is somewhat also 'in God's image'.

That's a very interesting view I never heard before

Of course, this was a question intended for theistic evolutionists.From an atheist point of view, the answer is easy: Humans are not any different then any other animal. I think everyone agrees that this is the correct answer from an atheist. (Thus why I said it maybe won't interest atheist, since they don't have the dilemna theistic evolutionist have)

Are you suggesting that the Genesis account indicates that God created man as totally different from the rest of creation ? I don't have this impression when reading it, although it mark a difference between humans and the animals. But it isn't that much of a separate event from the rest of the animals, making man on the 6th day with the rest of the mammals etc.

Maybe my idea was not clear, but by 'not any different' I meant that humans, from an atheist point of view, are just another type of animal. Bblically, humans have a soul, and animals do not. Thus why humans are 'in God's image'. (I checked this out since starting this thread, and it seems this is the most common view amongst theologians in regards to what 'in God's image' means.)So from a YEC point of view: the answer is simple: humans were created fully humans from the beginning, and so had a soul right at the start.from an atheist point of view: humans have no soulbut from a theistic evolutionist point of view, it is more difficult: where along the humans ancestry lineages did they get a soul ?

this thread poses no problem for atheists.