Image of God
One of the critique of the functional interpretation of the imago Dei is that some formulations might convey a negative message that it conveys about persons with disabilities. Within the functional view, it is often thought that disabilities which interfere with one's capacity to "rule," whether physical, intellectual, or psychological, are a distortion of the image of God. This formulation of the functional view isolates and excludes those with disabilities, and some theologians even use it to go so far as to state that animals more fully display the Image of God than people with profound disabilities. At the same time, however, the substantive view has been criticized for exactly this issue.