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Environmental ethics in Christianity
Christians and environmental ethics
Essay on st francis
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St Francis of Assisi St. Francis of Assisi has been known throughout the world as a lover of nature. In fact, many artistic portrayals of the Saint show him in lavish natural settings, but it was not until 1979 that Pope John Paul II declared Francis the Patron Saint of the Environment. It wasn't until late into St. Francis' life that he was truly able to find a connection with god, who he referred to as the creator, in all aspects of life. "Long before the environment became an issue, Francis saw human beings abusing nature. In what could be the first "ecological statement" outside the Bible, Francis said this: "These creatures minister to our needs every day; without them we could not live and through them the human race greatly offends the Creator every time we fail to appreciate so great a blessing." - Legend of Perugia 43" (http://www.franciscans.org.au/spirituality/) St. Francis wasn't always as much of a hippie as this passage makes it seem, and his father discouraged the life that Francis Lived. Francis was born in 1181 to a wealthy family. His father was a clothes merchant and changed his sons name from Giovanni to Francesco at the time of his baptism. Legend has it that Francis was born in a stable, but that may have been fabricated in an effort to make his life further resemble Christ's. Growing up, Francis was not the most studious of children.
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.
“It was a different place when Damien came there and made his great renunciation, and slept that first night under a tree amidst his rotting brethren: alone with pestilence; and looking forward (with what courage, with what pitiful sinkings of dread, God only knows) to a lifetime of dressing sores and stumps.” (Bunson, 250)
Saint Gregory of Tours was born around the year 538 at Arverni, which is now Clermont-Ferrand. He belonged to the Gallo-Roman family, which was a very prestigious family. He was also related to the houses of Gaul. Gregory’s original name was Georgius Florentius. He took the name Gregory to honor his late grandfather who was named Gregory. His Grandfather was the Bishop of Langres. When Gregory was young, his father died and he went to live with his Uncle. His uncle, Gallus, was the Bishop of Clermont. Gallus educated him until his death in 554. Gregory’s mother left to live with friends in Burgandy and left her son to Avitus who became Bishop of Clermont after Gallus. Avitus taught Gregory all about the Scriptures. Gregory was not too impressed with the scriptures. Gregory got seriously ill and wasn’t supposed to recover. He did recover though and this made him more mindful of God and the scriptures. Gregory then became a friend with the Bishop of Tours whose name was Euphronius. Euphronius died in 573 and Gregory succeeded him as Bishop of Tours.
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
Francis of Assisi is one of the most influential personalities in the entire world. In the book ‘Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life,’ Cunningham recounts the life of this humble monk who lived in the medieval times, and shaped the Christian life, which spread in Western culture throughout the rest of history. I believe Cunningham accurately accounts for the life of Francis of Assisi, and in doing so; he provides a trajectory of the Christian faith from its early and historical proponents through its fusion with western culture, and its subsequent spread throughout the world.
The Soubirous family lived in the far north of the little town of Lourdes, in
Francis joined the military at the age of 20. Prior to this date (1202), the favoured son showed his parents that he would like to follow his own life, not in the footsteps of his father. After his enlistment, he struggled heroically in one bloody battle, but his troop experienced defeat. Taken prisoner of war, he was held captive for several months, then released and sent home. His parents were joyful and made up to him for the long months of suffering by showering him with affection. Francis probably enjoyed receiving extra money the most from this.
Saint Columba was born on the 7th of December, 521 in Garten Ireland. He was born to Fedhlimdh, the great grandson of the Irish king Niall of the Nine Hostages, and Eithne (Edmonds. “St. Columba”). Eithne was related to the royalty of of the Scottish Dalriada being a descendant of the King of Leinster. Columba could have attempted to become and Irish king but instead devoted his life to becoming a servant of God (“Who is St. Columba?” stcolumbaretreathouse.com). Once Columba was had learned to read and write he enrolled in the Monastic school of Moville and studied under St. Finnian. Tradition states that Columba was able to convert water into wine, by prayer, for the Holy Sacrifice. After completing his studies in Moville he received further training in Leinster from a bard named Gemman. Soon after leaving his studies with Gemman, Columba became part of the monastery of Clonard; it is here that he met the rest of the twelve apostles of Ireland and attained priesthood (Edmonds. “St. Columba”).
Francis was born at Assisi in Umbria in the early 1180’s. His fath er was Pietro Bernadone, a very wealthy cloth merchant. His baptized name was Giovanni but it was changed to Francesco. Francis received a decent amount of schooling as a child although he did not show much interest in it. He was very spoiled and did not want to go into his father’s business. He had high status, was handsome, wore fine clothing, and was very well known with the people of Assisi.
... conservationism. He is inspiration for all of us to see the natural world as a community to which we belong.
He wanted his followers to be closely committed to each other. One of his fundamental missions was to repair God’s house both physically and spiritually. His thoughts on preaching, living in the normal society and moving around the area were not in harmony with life in a monastery. In his own life, he struggled daily with hardships. He lived the lowliest existence he could achieve. Francis saw God’s perfection in animals. He possessed a child-like view in which people were all kin because they had one father. Love was the ultimate virtue. He taught respect for others and sympathy. “Whoever may come to us whether friend or foe, a thief or a rover…, let him be kindly received” writes Francis (Robinson 1909). The life of Christ and his teachings influenced Francis. He sought to imitate Christ’s life on earth through humility, poverty, and devotion to God. Compassion was important, as was a peaceful coexistence. He did not teach new ideals but sought to bring back old Gospel doctrine. Francis built his teachings around the teachings of Christ and adapted his sermons to the needs of his audience. He infused Christ’s sermons into his own. If Christ said it, then Christians should obey and live accordingly. This resonated within the public more so since he practiced that ideal in his own life. He never thought about personal consequences, only what was best for the community. His devoted example
Francis was famous for his love of all creation. He called for simplicity of life, poverty, and humility before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. He died in 1226, at the age of 44.
Francis was born with the baptismal name of John, to Peter Bernardone and his wife Pica, in the fall of 1182 while Peter was away. A well to do businessman in fabrics, furs and fine apparel, Peter was not pleased with the baptismal name that Pica had chosen in honor of John the Baptist, so he insisted on the name Franciscus or Francis in English. Francis was brought up in the privilege that Peter’s business permitted and Peter was grooming him to take over this business one day. During this grooming process, Francis came across many classes of people and all walks of life learning from each person. While learning the tools of Peter’s trade, Francis was learning that a life of privilege supported his life of parties, partiers, and an elaborate wardrobe. Even though his parents did not discipline or control his lavish behavior, they were concerned for his lack of interest in Peter’s business. However, Francis did take note of his wealth when a beggar came to his father’s shop; Francis dismissed him, but later saw his actions as greedy and was re...
St Ignatius of Loyola is an inspiring person and has touched the lives of many people even now centuries after his death. Loyola has affected the lives of an uncountable number of people, either directly or indirectly. He started as an extremely brave and tough soldier and turned into the founder of a powerful religious order. He was born in 1491 in Spain and founded the Jesuits in 1540 at the age of 49.The Jesuits today are still a devoted religious order. Everything they do is in God’s name, hence their motto AD MAIOREM DEI GLORIAM this literally means “for the greater glory of God”. (Linten, Seven Things) Many Jesuits (and even non Jesuits like Pope John Paul II) sign their documents with amdg at the end to show that they do their work for God and not solely for themselves. (Linten, Seven Things) The Jesuits have survived multiple persecutions and yet have still remained a major influence in the church and in universities around the world. If it were not for an unfortunate cannonball shattering a soldier’s leg then none of this may have happened.
Thomas Aquinas for example, used this view to rebuke the criticisms of anthropocentrism, “We refute the error of those who claim that it is a sin for a man to kill brute animals. For animals are ordered to man’s use in the natural course of things, according to divine providence. Consequently, man uses them without any injustice, either by killing them or employing them in any other way” (Desjardins, 99). Not only has Aquinas claimed that animals are subject to man as a “natural course”, but also that anyway in which they are used is justified because of this. Aristotle takes this idea one step further, and claims that the sole basis for plants and animals’ existence is to serve humans. He later goes on to say that if nature makes nothing without purpose, then nature has made everything specifically for the sake of humankind. Both Aristotle and Aquinas based these beliefs upon the idea that only human beings are worthy of moral standing. This is due to the belief that humans alone have a “soul” capable of thinking and choosing. Since they thought animals not to have such a soul, animals must be morally irrelevant (Desjardins, 99). In this first example, the basis for environmental responsibility comes entirely from the belief that said the environment is meant to serve humans. Meaning that any obligations man has towards nature is entirely