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Environmental ethics in Christianity essay
Are christians good stewards of the environment agree or disagree
Are christians good stewards of the environment agree or disagree
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‘But Peter and the apostles answered (the high priest), ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.’ (Acts 5:29) Explain how the ethical teachings of Christianity challenge adherents to ‘obey God rather than any human authority’ in respect to environmental ethics
Environmental ethics in Christianity are concerned with challenging adherents to ‘obey God’ rather than the hierarchies of authority God has ordained in His creation, as well as promoting adherents to choose the preferential option for the poor and protection of the vulnerable. God has sovereign power over His creation and has delegated the church leaders to have authority over their flock (1 Timothy: 3). However, although these leaders have greater authority on earth, they
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Thus, from the perspective of God’s authority and control, people and nature are in the same class or order - all of Creation including people must submit to God’s plans and ways. Extrapolating on this notion of dominion implying stewardship as a responsible leader of creation, A Rocha - an Evangelical Christian nature conservation organisation - prides itself on its Christian commitment of underlying all they do in their biblical faith “in the living God, who made the world, loves it and entrusts it to the care of human society.” A Rocha draws on this notion of Godly dominion over nature, meaning that people act as stewards or caretakers of nature who are ultimately responsible to God for their use and management of nature. Further, environmental issues often affect the marginalised and the most vulnerable in society disproportionately. In Jesus’ missionary, he constantly modelled behaviour that protected the most vulnerable and the fact that Jesus used creation to teach - especially about the Kingdom of God - reinforces its
In the journal of Environmentalism as Religion, Paul H. Rubin discuss about how environmental is similar to religion. Rubin want everyone to know that the environment and religion are somehow similar in a way, which they both have belief system, creation stories and original sin.
The author of this book Steven Bouma-Prediger main argument is Christians need to live more earth-careful lives and being called to be caretakers is not optional. The responsibility to care for the earth is a part of our faith. Early in the book the authors takes you back to your first encounter with nature he does to make his topic relevant and personal to the reader. He then opposes his first question, how much do we actually know about where we live? He states that this question shows us how little we know about our trees, plants, flowers, and the patterns of the moon. This is also his first argument in which he said if we do not know our earth we are destine to use and abuse it. Understanding and caring about nature is necessary to live properly on this earth. Chapter 1 (page 21) “we are for what we love, we love only what we know, we truly know only what we experience.
As humans we rely both on plants and animals to be able to take care of us. “…many of us still see other animals as bodily things with no mind or spirit” (McFague, 119). I have always interpreted other creation as something that was made for our benefit, so that humans could be fed and replenished. While it does serve this purpose, it is important to realize that this comes from God and that having this amenity should not be abused. “On our planet we are the self-conscious aspect of the body of God, the part of the divine body able to work with God, the spirit who creates and redeems us, to bring about the liberation and healing of the earth and all its creatures” (McFague, 124). These beings should be taken care of because they too come from God, and I think that part of our job is to be able to care for other creatures and treat them well. I’m not against killing animals for meat, as long as it does not cause the animal to endure too much pain. However, I cannot stand the thought of animal abuse and I feel as though that is something that should not be tolerated whether the animals are raised to be killed or not. “While our analysis of ecological sin will focus on the more neglected areas of our relations with other animals and nature, proper relations with our nearest and dearest kin, our own species, must be first in consideration and importance” (McFague, 116-117). What she is saying here is significant. Even though it is crucial for us to care for the plants and animals on this planet for the wellbeing of humans, we have to consider the needs of our own species first. I think that we cannot be greedy or over consumptive, but we must take what we need and only that. It isn’t quite that simple, but living a life as God would want one to, it seems to me that would allow for that
John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and Aldo Leopold all have moderately different views and ideas about the environment in terms of its worth, purpose, use and protection. At one extensively non-anthropocentric extreme, Muir’s views and ideas placed emphasis on protecting environmental areas as a moral obligation. That is to say, Muir believed that wilderness environments should be used for divine transcendence, spiritual contemplation, as a place for repenting sins and obtaining devotional healing, rather than being used for exploitative materialistic greed and destructive consumption, such as industrialism, mining, and lumbering. At the other extreme, anthropocentric, Pinchot views nature simply as natural resources. In other words, nature is explicitly
...that they believe is just and being ethical when concerning the environment, adherents will be rewarded by God. Humanity also benefits as, environmental ethics provided by the Christian teaching and beliefs allows communities to come together and discuss issues concerning the environment whilst being guided by their faith.
Broadly, the divine command theory is a religious moral code in which God’s commands determine what human beings should or should not do. As such, it is expected for theists to subscribe to the divine command theory of morality. The deontological interpretation of the divine command theory separates actions into one of the following categories: mandatory for human beings to perform, prohibited for human beings to perform, or optional for human beings to perform. Those actions that are mandatory to perform are ones which have been expressly commanded by God. Failing to commit a mandatory action would be defying God’s commands, and thus, according to the divine command theory of morality, immoral. Actions that are prohibited are ones that God expressly commands human beings do not perform. Consequently, to perform a prohibited action would be immoral. Finally, those actions that God does not expressly command that human beings should perform or should avoid performing are optional; there are no moral implications to performing or not performing such acts. The rightness or wrongness of an action is inherently and wholly dependent upon th...
Christians consequently share a close relationship by means of the whole of aspects of creation, since in relation to the environment, its unbroken humanity, not unbroken nature, that's seen to be the problem. Stewardship in simple terms means managing someone else’s property. Christians proclaim that everything belongs to God, so as Christians, we need to have the attitude that our belongings are his belongings. As stewards, we have the responsibility of being in charge of the earth. We have been placed in charge and are responsible for whatever happens to it, even though it does not belong to us, as we all know it belongs to God.
While the Pope emphasizes conservation is a noble calling, Emerson and Thoreau presume it is a human issue, however both have the same message. Vatican Radio reported that Francis reflected on the creation of the universe passage in the Book of Genesis,” “In the ‘first creation’ we must respond with the responsibility that the Lord gives us: ‘The earth is yours, take it forward; let it grow.’ Even for us there is a responsibility to nurture the Earth, to nurture Creation, to keep it and make it grow according to its laws. . .” he said ("Pope: Conservation Not Going 'green,' but Being Christian"). This quote corresponds with a quote from Walden, “Heaven is under our feet is well as over our heads”. Thoreau and Pope Francis comment how nature is spiritual, and therefore society should take care of it. The Pope uses his worldwide, 1.2 billion Catholic platform ("Pope Francis’s Encyclical on the Environment") to make a change in saving and preserving the planet. He does this via speaking on behalf of the Amazon basin, calling for “respect and protection of the entire creation which God has entrusted to man”. This creation, he said, should not “be indiscriminately exploited, but rather made into a garden.” (Weiss). Let alone he released Laudato Si (“Praised Be”), an encyclical on climate and justice to enter into dialogue with all people about our common home. ("Pope Francis’s Encyclical on the Environment"). The Pope is upfront that climate change is caused by humans and is a significant threat ("Pope Francis’s Encyclical on the Environment"). He says, "We received this world as an inheritance from past generations, but also as a loan from future generations, to whom we will have to return it!” ("Nature Never Forgives: 7 of Pope Francis's Greenest Quotes"). Pope Francis calls for reform because it is a Christian duty, accentuating this principle through,
The majority of this piece is dedicated to the author stating his opinion in regards to civilization expanding beyond its sustainable limits. The author makes it clear that he believes that humans have failed the natural environment and are in the process of eliminating all traces of wilderness from the planet. Nash points out facts that strengthen his argument, and quotes famous theologians on their similar views on environmental issues and policies. The combination of these facts and quotes validates the author’s opinion.
Deuteronomy 17: 18-20 (NIV Student Bible) reminded me that no one should be above the law and we are all under His view. Much in the same way a leader should lead by actions and adhere to the same rules as all on others in the organization. Hebrews 4:11 (NIV Student Bible) reiterated that all should follow the rules, of the Lord (and also organizations). Proverbs 24:30 (NIV Student Bible) instills that we must all keeping working, be diligent in our quest for our own successes. In the grand scheme of things, we all work for the Lord serving Him in some way or another during our daily lives at home and in the office. We must learn from the mistakes he wants us to make, work hard for our goals, and treat others the way we would like to be treated
In his essay, The Ethics of Respect for Nature, Paul Taylor presents his argument for a deontological, biocentric egalitarian attitude toward nature based on the conviction that all living things possess equal intrinsic value and are worthy of the same moral consideration. Taylor offers four main premises to support his position. (1) Humans are members of the “Earth’s community of life” in the same capacity that nonhuman members are. (2) All species exist as a “complex web of interconnected elements” which are dependent upon one another for their well-being. (3) Individual organisms are “teleological centers of life” which possess a good of their own and a unique way in which to pursue it. (4) The concept that humans are superior to other species is an unsupported anthropocentric bias.
To understand the basis of the ethics that Christians live by the Biblical story must be interpreted. The Bible passes judgement on many things that Christians would come into contact with at some point in their lives. These things include cases such as; abortion, contraception, euthanasia and homosexuality. All of which are negatively referred to in the Bible. However authority today views these issues differently because they use secular ethics in conjunction with their decision making. Examples of authority include governments and work places. This is so that a good outcome may be maximized and had by most of a population, known as a Utilitarian approach. It is inevitable that a few will disagree but this number outweighs the good of the plenty. This secular schemed way of thinking can sometimes severely conflict with the ethical interpretation that is put forth in the Bible. Ultimately when Christians follow the Bible’s ethical basis they will gain the reward of their soul ascending to heaven in the afterlife. This is an incentive to follow Christian ...
Saint Francis of Assisi had a simple message to all in his time and in ours; live a life of humble simplicity in service to others to the glory of God. He came from a background of wealth and privilege yet put it behind him for the privilege of serving God and all His creation. To Francis everything sang out in praise to God; every person, plant, and bird to which he compelled us to be good stewards of the earth and its resources. He conveyed the truth of God’s love for us and all of creation and led by his example of service.
God has not abandoned the world. It is His will that His design and our hope for it will be realized through our co-operation in restoring its original harmony. In our own time we are witnessing a growth of an ecological awareness which needs to be encouraged, so that it will lead to practical programs and initiatives. An awareness of the relationship between God and humankind brings a fuller sense of the importance of the relationship between human beings and the natural environment, which is God's creation and which God entrusted to us to guard with wisdom and love (cf.
Anthropocentrism is the school of thought that human beings are the single most significant entity in the universe. As a result, the philosophies of those with this belief reflect the prioritization of human objectives over the well-being of one’s environment. However, this is not to say that anthropocentric views neglect to recognize the importance of preserving the Earth. In fact, it is often in the best interests of humans to make concerted efforts towards sustaining the environment. Even from a purely anthropocentric point of view, there are three main reasons why mankind has a moral duty to protect the natural world.