(Article entitled “Ecological Stewardship: The Biblical Perspective” published in book entitled “Ecological Spirituality: Cross Cultural Perspective” in 2007.)
Rev. Dr. Davis George
1. Ecological
Challenges:
The effects of ecological
degradation surround us: the smog in our cities; chemicals in our water and on
our food; eroded topsoil blowing in the wind; the loss of valuable wetlands;
radioactive and toxic waste lacking adequate disposal sites; threats to the
health of industrial and farm workers. The problems, however, reach far beyond
our own neighborhoods and work-places. Our problems are the world's problems and
burdens for generations to come. Poisoned water crosses borders freely. Acid
rain pours on countries that do not create it. Greenhouse gases and
chlorofluorocarbons affect the earth's atmosphere for many decades, regardless
of where they are produced or used.
Opinions vary about the causes
and the seriousness of environmental problems. Still, we can experience their
effects in polluted air and water; in oil and wastes on our beaches; in the
loss of farmland, wetlands, and forests; and in the decline of rivers and
lakes. Scientists identify several other less visible but particularly urgent
problems currently being debated by the scientific community, including
depletion of the ozone layer, deforestation, the extinction of species, the
generation and disposal of toxic and nuclear waste, and global warming. These
important issues are being explored by scientists, and they require urgent
attention and action. We are not scientists, but as responsible citizen of the
world we call on experts, citizens, and policymakers to continue to explore the
serious environmental, ethical, and human dimensions of these ecological
challenges.
Ecological issues are also
linked to other basic problems. As eminent scientist Dr. Thomas F. Malone
reported, humanity faces problems in five interrelated fields: environment,
energy, economics, equity, and ethics. To ensure the survival of a healthy
planet, we must not only establish a sustainable economy but must also labor
for justice both within and among nations. We must seek a society where
economic life and environmental commitment work together to protect and to
enhance life on this planet.
2. Ecology: A Common Patrimony:
According to Pope John Paul II Ecology is our common
patrimony. And the goods of the earth, which in the divine plan should
be a common patrimony, often risk becoming the monopoly of a few who often
spoil them and, sometimes, destroy them, thereby creating loss for all
humanity. God has given the fruit of the earth to sustain the entire human
family "without excluding or favoring anyone." The Second Vatican
Council says "God destined the earth and all it contains for the use of
every individual and all peoples".1
2.1 The Earth is a Gift to all Creatures
In the creation story we read
in the Bible, "God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very
good." (Gen 1:31) The heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the
earth and the sea, fish and birds, animals and humans—all are good. The whole
creation is called to bless the Lord. (Pro 8:2; Dan 3:74-81) The earth, the
Bible reminds us, is a gift to all creatures, to "all living beings–all
mortal creatures that are on earth." (Gen 9:16-17) Hence the covenant of
Noah consisted of all creatures. (Gen 9:9-10) It is amazing to see how all
living creatures are taken care of and protected by God himself. God’s plan was
that we live interconnected as we are interdependent.
Aquinas in Summa Theologica
tells us that God produced many and diverse creatures. Hence the whole universe
together participates in the divine goodness more perfectly, and represents it
better than any single creature whatever. Respect for nature and respect for
human life are inextricably related. "Respect for life, and above all for
the dignity of the human person," Pope John Paul II has written, “extends
also to the rest of creation.” 2 Pope John Paul II said.
2.2. Alienation from Nature: Ecological
Crisis
In the name of development man has been
consistently alienating himself from nature. Exploitation and depletion of
natural resources to satisfy man’s insatiable lust and greed slowly made
humanity more and more vulnerable to impoverished life and destruction. Human
beings were made to be part of God’s creation with an added responsibility and
accountability to make this planet earth more productive and fruitful for all
God’s creation. Not paying heed to this sacred duty entrusted to him, man
brought humanity to almost the verge of natural catastrophe.
2.2.1Global
Ecological Destruction: Consumption and Population
Consumption in developed nations
remains the single greatest source of global ecological destruction. A child
born in the United States,
for example, puts a far heavier burden on the world's resources than one born
in a poor developing country.
To deal with population
problems the world has to focus on sustainable social and economic development.
According to Gandhi “there is enough in the world for man’s need, but not
enough for man’s greed.”
3. The Ecological Crisis: A Moral Problem
Faced with the widespread destruction of the environment,
people everywhere are coming to understand that we cannot continue to use the
goods of the earth as we have in the past. . . . [A] new ecological
awareness is beginning to emerge. . . . The ecological crisis is a moral
issue.3
There is a growing awareness
that world peace and prosperity is threatened not only by the arms race,
regional conflicts and continued injustices among peoples and nations, but also
by a lack of DUE RESPECT FOR NATURE, by the plundering of natural resources and
by an progressive decline in the quality of life. The sense of precariousness
and insecurity that such a situation engenders is a seedbed for collective
selfishness, disregard for others and dishonesty. Faced with the widespread
destruction of the environment, people everywhere are coming to understand that
we cannot continue to use the goods of the earth as we have in the past. The
public in general, as well as political leaders are concerned about this
problem, and experts from a wide range of disciplines are studying its causes.
Pope John Paul II appreciated
the great discoveries and technological advancements made by science. At the
same time he expressed his concern over the indiscriminate application of
advances in science and technology, which according to him have become a moral
problem. As a result of this man is often oblivious of God’s plan which is so
evident in nature. Every time we discover something new, we discover how God
has implanted his laws in the smallest of atom and the biggest of
constellation. This should be a humbling experience which makes him wonder at
the order in the universe and worship the God in nature. John Paul II expressed
his concern over the growing lack of respect for life. God alone is the author
of life and we need to learn to respect life and be grateful for the wonder of
life in so many forms. Indiscriminate genetic manipulation can result in untold
miseries. Human beings could be treated as any other animal and the bonding
between person to person, parents and children, families and society may be
lost. In the name of progress and scientific advancements, we should not
manipulate and exploit human needs and human situation. Ethical values must be
safeguarded to preserve human dignity.
Uncontrolled destruction of
animal and plant life has brought about imbalance in ecology and this in turn
has affected human beings. To add to this we have witnessed reckless
exploitation of natural resources. We end to forget that we are interdependent
beings and man alone cannot survive on this planet earth. There is a growing
awareness on this issue all around the world.
4.
Authentic Development: Option for the Poor
The ecological problem is intimately connected
to justice for the poor. Unrestrained economic development is not the answer to
improving the lives of the poor. Material growth alone will not constitute a
model of development. A "mere accumulation of goods and services,
even for the benefit of the majority," as Pope John Paul II has said,
"is not enough for the realization of human happiness." 4
He has also warned that in a desire "to have and to enjoy rather than to
be and to grow," humanity "consumes the resources of the earth,
subjecting it without restraint as if it did not have its own requisites and
God-given purposes."
It must also be said that a
proper ecological balance will not be found without DIRECTLY ADDRESSING THE
STRUCTURAL FORMS OF POVERTY that exist throughout the world. Rural poverty and
unjust land distribution in many countries, for example, have led to
subsistence farming and to the exhaustion of the soil. Once their land yields
no more, many farmers move on to clear new land, thus accelerating uncontrolled
deforestation, or they settle in urban centers which lack the infrastructure to
receive them. Likewise, some heavily indebted countries are destroying their
natural heritage, at the price of irreparable ecological imbalances, in order
to develop new products for export. In the face of such situations it would be
wrong to assign the responsibility to the poor alone for the negative
environmental consequences of their actions. Rather, the poor, to whom the
earth is entrusted no less than to others, must be enabled to find a way out of
their poverty. This will require a courageous reform of structures, as well as
new ways of relating among peoples and States.
5. The Biblical Vision of God's Good Earth
We read in the Bible, “So God
created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing
that moves upon the earth.” (Gen 1:27-28)
Yet,
man’s lordship is not "absolute, but ministerial: it is a real reflection
of the unique and infinite lordship of God. Hence, man must exercise it
with wisdom and love, sharing in the boundless wisdom and love of God." 5. In Biblical
language, "to name" creatures (Genesis 2:19-20) is the sign of this mission of knowledge and
transformation of created reality. It is not the mission of an absolute
and insensitive master, but of a minister of the Kingdom of God,
called to continue the work of the Creator, a work of life and peace. His
responsibility, defined in the Book of Wisdom, is to govern "the world in
holiness and justice" (Wisdom 9:3; Wisdom 13:5; Romans 1:20). The Book of Wisdom, echoed by
Paul, celebrates this presence of God in the universe. This is what the Jewish tradition of the
Hasidim also sings “You are wherever I go!
You are wherever I stop… wherever I turn, wherever I admire, only You,
again You, always You”.6
5.1
Bible and Ecology: Splendor of Creation
The book of Genesis teaches us
that the Lord God formed us "out of the dust of the ground" (Gen 2:7;
3:19). Psalm 139 thanks
God for fashioning us fearfully and wonderfully "in secret", "in
the depths of the earth". The Psalms delight at and are full of awe over
the mystery of our intimacy with the earth, our intimacy with "fire and
hail, snow and mist", "mountains and all hills", "sea
monsters and all depths" (Ps 148). Psalm 104, one of the most lyrical
praises, sings the glory of God "robed in light as with a cloak", who
"spread out the heavens like a tent cloth" and "made the moon to
mark the seasons".
The Bible shows nature’s link
with God who created it, blessed it, and shows himself through it. He appears
in fire, in wind, and in water. God also uses nature to bring humans closer to
him and to punish them when they go astray. Everything in the world, therefore,
remains sacred since it is linked with God and leads to him. Various texts in
the Psalms (Ps 19:1-7; 98:7-9; 104:1-5, 13-25; 148:3-13) show that all things
on earth are seen as God’s handiwork which bring him honour and praise by their
very existence.
The prophet Daniel in a
canticle calls on all the "works of the Lord" to bless him: "Let
the earth bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Mountains and
hills, bless the Lord, everything growing from the earth bless the Lord"
(Dan 3:74-76). The last chapters of the Book of Job call upon the animals,
nature, birds, etc., and praise God for their presence. Chapter 12 urges humans
to learn humbly from the earth: "But ask the beasts, and they will teach
you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or the plants of the earth,
and they will teach you " (Job 12:7, 8).15 The Bible is concerned with
salvation or life-giving blessings not only in the afterlife but also within
this world and within present history, individual and collective. It envisions
a new world and a new history. Its salvific concern embraces nature, that is,
the earth, air, trees, seas and birds.
The cosmos is God’s ‘womb’, as
it were. The intimate relationship between God and the cosmos explodes with
seminal energy that generates and regenerates life. God, as it were, energises
the cosmos and the cosmos in return dances with the creator.
In Jesus’ teaching, one can
see his ecological concern in his language. He used ordinary creatures such as
birds, lilies, grass, etc., to help to put his message of concern for the world
across. He also shared his experience of a loving God dynamically present in
the world. He is encouraging his listeners to have eyes that see and ears that
hear the movement of God in the world. Jesus was passing on to his listeners
what he had discovered about God’s reign in the natural things around him.
The miracles of Jesus (37 of
them in the Synoptic Gospels and seven in John) form a major section of the
Gospels and reveal Jesus’ concern for the world as such. Through the miracles
Jesus destroys the "domination" of Satan over the created realities
and establishes the "dominion" of God which is liberating. In this
sense all the miracles have ecological resonance. The nature miracles (Mk 4:35-41; 6:45-62, etc.) invite us to trust in the
absolute power of God in the midst of ecological disasters. The feeding
miracles (Mk 6:30-44;
8:1-10) tell us about the abundant resources of nature, which provide us with
food and drink, and which need to be evenly distributed according to the needs
of the people. The miracles of exorcism (Mk 5:2-20; Lk 4:35-41, etc.) reveal
that cosmic ecological harmony is on the agenda of God who directs the forces
of ecocide. The healing miracles (Mk 5:25-34, etc.) call us to be God’s
stewards in the restoration of the disfigured images of God in creation,
especially, human beings. The resuscitation miracles (Mk 5:21-21, 35-43, etc.) challenge us not to be
silent spectators of the world-wide ecological holocaust that is taking place,
but to be active agents in the creation of "a new heaven and a new
earth" (Rev 21:1-4).
A serious reflection on the
life-events of Jesus Christ, his teaching and his miracles from an ecological
point of view is very inspiring. Today, if one reads the Gospel from an
ecological perspective one can see Jesus of the Gospel as an ‘Ecologist.’
5.2 Scientists learn from creation
Louis Agassiz, perhaps the
greatest natural scientist of the nineteenth century, declared that it is the
job of prophets and scientists alike to proclaim the glories of God and he spent his life as a scientist
doing exactly that. As Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, "The true doctrine of
omnipresence is that God reappears with all his parts in every moss and
cobweb.” 7 In our study
of natural objects we are approaching the thoughts of the Creator, reading his
conceptions, interpreting a system that is His and not ours.”8 "Facts are the words
of God, and we may heap them together endlessly, but they will teach us little
or nothing till we place them in their true relations, and recognize the
thought that binds them together." 9
Today there is another
interesting trend. It is that the number of inventions based on copying nature
is now beginning to be systematically exploited. In so doing, one need not even
bring up the argument over whether "nature" refers to the handiwork
of God or millions of years of mindless evolution; all that matters is that
nature is incredibly successful at solving problems with which we have struggled
for years.
This trend began by noticing
that many inventions were discovered by observing how "nature" had
solved problems. Inventors spent centuries trying to invent the airplane after
watching birds fly. The book Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science chronicles
several of these observations which led to inventions. It also includes some
discoveries that really appear to have been accidents, but many came from
simply noticing the invention already working in nature, and using scientific
inquiry to discover just how they work. For example, the color purple is
associated with royalty partly because the natural dye Tyrian purple could only
be extracted from small mollusks in the Mediterranean Sea.
It was very expensive because it took 9,000 of them to produce a gram of dye.
The synthesis of this color by William Perkin led to the birth of the synthetic
dye industry. Certain peptides which are highly effective in fighting a variety
of bacteria were discovered when it was observed that some African frogs would
heal perfectly in murky water filled with lethal bacteria. The list goes on and
on. 10
The present scenario fosters
the trend of a more systematic imitation of nature. The word
"biomimicry" has been coined to refer to the idea of purposely
copying nature to discover new inventions. The author of a book with that title
sees this emerging field as the result of centuries of trying to fight nature
as gradually succumbing to a trend to acknowledge nature's ways as best. She
points out that not only has nature already invented everything we have but, it
has many more inventions whose workings still evade us.
We realize that all our
inventions have already appeared in nature in a more elegant form and at a lot
less cost to the planet. Our most clever architectural struts and beams are
already featured in lily pads and bamboo stems. Our central heating and air
conditioning are bested by the termite tower's steady 86 degrees F. Our most
stealthy radar is hard of hearing compared to the bat's multifrequency transmission.
And our new 'smart materials' can't hold a candle to the dolphin's skin or to
the butterfly's proboscis. Even the wheel, which we always took to be a
uniquely human creation, has been found in the tiny rotary motor that propels
the flagellum of the world's most ancient bacteria.
Humbling also are the hordes
of organisms casually performing feats we can only dream about. Bioluminescent
algae splash chemicals together to light their body lanterns. Arctic fish and
frogs freeze solid and then spring to life, having protected their organs from
ice damage. Black bears hibernate all winter without poisoning themselves on
their urea, while their polar cousins stay active, with a coat of transparent
hollow hairs covering their skins like the panes of a greenhouse. Chameleons
and cuttlefish hide without moving, changing the pattern of their skin to
instantly blend with their surroundings. Bees, turtles, and birds navigate
without maps, while whales and penguins dive without scuba gear. How do they do
it? How do dragonflies outmaneuver our best helicopters? How do hummingbirds
cross the Gulf of Mexico on less than one
tenth of an ounce of fuel? How do ants carry the equivalent of hundreds of
pounds in a dead heat through the jungle?
No wonder that these marvelous
creations inspire awe and reverence; they are the work of the Almighty. When we
look on any or the least of these, we are looking at God moving in his majesty
and power. The new millennium promises to provide many new and wonderful
inventions as scientists recognize the hand of God in nature and begin to
understand the principles behind so many inventions which are found everywhere
in His creations.
6. Estrangement of Humans from Nature: Ecological Conversion
In the Book of Genesis, where
we find God's first self-revelation to humanity (Gen 1-3), there is a recurring
refrain: "AND GOD SAW IT WAS GOOD". After creating the heavens, the
sea, the earth and all it contains, God created man and woman. At this point
the refrain changes markedly: "And God saw everything he had made, and
behold, IT WAS VERY GOOD" (Gen 1:31).
God entrusted the whole of creation to the man and woman, and only then as we
read could he rest "from all his work" (Gen 2:3).
Adam and Eve's call to share in the unfolding of God's plan of creation brought
into play those abilities and gifts which distinguish human beings from all
other creatures. At the same time, their call established a fixed relationship
between mankind and the rest of creation. Made in the image and likeness of
God, Adam and Eve were to have exercised their dominion over the earth (Gen 1:28) with wisdom and love. Instead,
they destroyed the existing harmony BY DELIBERATELY GOING AGAINST THE CREATOR'S
PLAN, that is, by choosing to sin. This resulted not only in man's alienation
from himself, in death and fratricide, but also in the earth's
"rebellion" against Him (Gen 3:17-19;
4:12).
In the Bible's account of Noah, the world's
new beginning was marked by the estrangement of humans from nature. Hosea, for
example, cries out:
There is no fidelity, no mercy,
no knowledge of God in the land.
False swearing, lying, murder, stealing
and adultery!
in their lawlessness, bloodshed
follows bloodshed.
Therefore, the land mourns,
and everything that dwells in it
languishes:
The beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and even the fish of the sea perish (Hos
4:1b-3).
The idea of social justice is
inextricably linked with ecology in the Scriptures. In passage after passage,
environmental degradation and social injustice go hand in hand. Indeed, the
first instance of "pollution" in the Bible occurs when Cain slays
Abel and his blood falls on the ground, rendering it fallow. According to
Genesis, after the murder, when Cain asks, "Am I my brother's
keeper?" the Lord replies, "Your brother's blood calls out to me from
the ground. What have you done?" God then tells Cain that his brother's
blood has defiled the ground and that as a result, "no longer will it
yield crops for you, even if you pray.”
In the biblical
vision,
therefore, injustice results in suffering for all creation. To curb the
abuse of the land and of fellow humans, ancient Israel set out legal
protections
aimed at restoring the original balance between land and people (Lev
25). Every
seventh year, the land and people was to rest; nature would be restored
by
human restraint. And every seventh day, the Sabbath rest gave relief
from
unremitting toil to workers and beasts alike.
Pope John Paul II emphasized
the need for personal conversion. “As individuals, as institutions, as a
people, we need a change of heart to preserve and protect the planet for our
children and for generations yet unborn.” 11
We need to have a paradigm shift - from
a culture of consumption to a culture of conserving; from depleting to
replenishing.
7. Environmental
Stewardship: God's Stewards and Co-Creators
7.1 Stewardship: Protecting the Environment for Future Generations
Stewardship is defined in this
case as the ability to exercise moral responsibility to care for the
environment. It implies that we must both care for creation according to
standards that are not of our own making, and at the same time be resourceful
in finding ways to make the earth flourish. In Genesis, God said "till it
and keep it", (Gen 2:15)
and this should be understood not as dominion over the whole world, but as the
‘stewardship’ of human beings over the creatures. We must have a relationship
of mutuality with other creatures and we must empathize and participate with,
delight in, and accompany the creatures to bring about a communion of all
sections of creation whose head is God himself. It is awesome that the creator
of this universe in his wisdom entrusted his own creation to human beings so
that they may take care of it and make it productive and fruitful for the
benefit of the entire of creation. He did not visualize that humans would
exploit the creation for his selfish ends. Yet, God alone is sovereign over the
whole earth. "The LORD'S are the earth and its fullness; the world and
those who dwell in it" (Ps 24:1). We are not free, therefore, to use
created things capriciously. Humanity's arrogance and acquisitiveness, however,
led time and again to our growing alienation from nature (Gen 3:4; 6:9, 11)
7.2 Theological and Ethical Foundations of Stewardship
God, the Creator of all
things, rules over all and deserves our worship and adoration (Ps. 103:19—22).
The earth, and, with it, all the cosmos, reveals its Creator’s wisdom and
goodness (Ps. 19:1—6) and is sustained and governed by his power and
loving-kindness (Ps. 102:25—27; Ps. 104; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3, 10—12). Men and
women were created in the image of God, given a privileged place among
creatures, and commanded to exercise stewardship over the earth (Gen. 1:26—28;
Ps. 8:5). Our stewardship under God implies that we are morally accountable to
him for treating creation in a manner that best serves the objectives of the kingdom of God. However, both moral accountability
and dominion over the earth depend on the freedom to choose. The exercise of
these virtues and this calling, therefore, require that we act in an arena of
considerable freedom–not unrestricted license, but freedom exercised within the
boundaries of God’s moral law revealed in Scripture and in the human conscience
(Exod. 20:1—17; Deut. 5:6—21; Rom. 2:14—15). These facts are not vitiated by
the fact that humankind fell into sin (Gen. 3). Rather, our sinfulness has
brought God’s responses, first in judgment, subjecting humankind to death and
separation from God (Gen. 2:17; 3:22—24; Rom. 5:12—14; 6:23) and subjecting
creation to the curse of futility and corruption (Gen. 3:17—19; Rom. 8:20—21);
and then in restoration, through Christ’s atoning, redeeming death for his
people, reconciling them to God (Rom. 5:10—11, 15—21; 2 Cor. 5:17—21; Eph.
2:14—17; Col. 1:19—22), and through his wider work of delivering the earthly
creation from its bondage to corruption (Rom. 8:19—23). Indeed, Christ even
involves fallen humans in this work of restoring creation (Rom. 8:21). As Francis Bacon wrote in
Novum Organum Scientiarum (New Method of Science), that man by the ‘Fall’ fell
at the same time from his state of innocence and from his dominion over
creation. Both of these losses, however, can even in this life be in some parts
repaired; the former by religion and faith, the latter by the arts and
sciences. Sin, then, makes it difficult for humans to exercise godly
stewardship, nonetheless the work of Christ in, on, and through his people and
the creation makes it largely possible.
When He created the world, God
set aside a unique place, the Garden of Eden, and placed in it the first man,
Adam (Gen. 2:8—15). God instructed Adam to cultivate and guard the Garden (Gen.
2:15)–to enhance its already great fruitfulness and to protect it against the
encroachment of the surrounding wilderness that made up the rest of the earth.
Having also created the first woman and having joined her to Adam (Gen.
2:18—25), God commanded them and their descendants to multiply, to spread out
beyond the boundaries of the Garden of Eden, and to fill, subdue, and rule the
whole earth and everything in it (Gen. 1:26, 28). Both by endowing them with
his image and by placing them in authority over the earth, God gave men and
women superiority and priority over all other earthly creatures. This implies
that proper environmental stewardship, while it seeks to harmonize the
fulfillment of the needs of all creatures, nonetheless puts human needs above
non-human needs when the two are in conflict.
Some environmentalists reject
this vision as "anthropocentric" or "speciesist," and
instead promote a "biocentric" alternative. But the alternative,
however attractively humble it might sound, is really untenable. People, alone
among creatures on earth, have both the rationality and the moral capacity to
exercise stewardship, to be accountable for their choices, to take
responsibility for caring not only for themselves but also for other creatures.
To reject human stewardship is to embrace, by default, no stewardship. The only
proper alternative to selfish anthropocentrism is not biocentrism but Theo
centrism: a vision of earth care with God and his perfect moral law at the
center and human beings acting as his accountable stewards.
7.3 Authentic development based on Justice.
How
are we to fulfill God's call to be stewards of creation in an age when we may
have the capacity to alter that creation significantly and perhaps irrevocably?
How can we as a "family of nations" exercises stewardship in a way
that respects and protects the integrity of God's creation and provides for the
common good? For this we need to focus on economic and social progress based on
justice. Sustainable development can happen only when we focus on justice;
justice not only for the rich, but also for the poor and marginalized; even to
all other plant and animal kingdoms. In the name of development we have often
destroyed the mother earth on whom we depend for survival. Exploitation of the
environment has resulted in ecological imbalance and poses great threat to
future of the planet earth. The common good calls us to extend our concern to
future generations. Climate change poses the question "What does our
generation owe to generations yet unborn?” As Pope John Paul II has written,
"there is an order in the universe which must be respected, and . . . the
human person, endowed with the capability of choosing freely, has a grave responsibility
to preserve this order for the well-being of future generations."12
Passing along the problem of global climate change to future generations as
a result of our delay, indecision, or self-interest would be easy. But we
simply cannot leave this problem for the children of tomorrow. As stewards of
their heritage, we have an obligation to respect their dignity and to pass on
their natural inheritance, so that their lives are protected and, if possible,
made better than our own.
A more responsible approach to population issues is the promotion of
"authentic development," which represents a balanced view of human
progress and includes respect for nature, respect for order in the universe and
social well-being.
7.4
Interdependence to solidarity and moral responsibility
"The ecological
crisis," Pope John Paul II has written, "reveals the urgent moral need for a new solidarity,
especially in relations between the developing nations and those that are
highly industrialized".13
The earth's atmosphere encompasses all people, creatures, and habitats. The
melting of ice sheets and glaciers, the destruction of rain forests, and the
pollution of water in one place can have environmental impacts elsewhere. As
Pope John Paul II has said, "We cannot interfere in one area of the
ecosystem without paying due attention both to the consequences of such
interference in other areas and to the well being of future generations." 14 Responses to global
climate change should reflect our interdependence and common responsibility for
the future of our planet. Individual nations must measure their own
self-interest against the greater common good and contribute equitably to
global solutions.
Pope John Paul II has said
that interdependence, must be transformed into solidarity. Surmounting every
type of imperialism and determination to preserve their own hegemony, the
stronger and richer nations must have a sense of moral responsibility for the
other nations, so that a real international system may be established which
will rest on the foundation of the equality of all peoples and on the necessary
respect for their legitimate differences."15
Whether we like it or not, we have all been born on this earth as part of one
great family. Rich or poor, educated or uneducated, belonging to one nation,
religion, ideology or another, ultimately each of us is just a human being just
like everyone else. We all desire happiness and do not want suffering.
Furthermore, each of us has the same right to pursue happiness and avoid
suffering. When we recognize that all beings are equal in this respect, we
automatically feel empathy and closeness for them. Out of this, in turn, comes
a genuine sense of universal responsibility: the wish to actively help others
overcome their problems.
Nowadays, significant events
in one part of the world eventually affect the entire planet. Therefore, we
have to treat each major local problem as a global concern from the moment it
begins. We can no longer invoke the national, racial or ideological barriers
that separate us without destructive repercussions. Tenzin Gyatso Dalai Lama of Tibet said that in the face
of such global problems as the greenhouse effect and depletion of the ozone
layer, individual organizations and single nations are helpless. Unless we all
work together, no solution can be found. Our mother earth is teaching us a
lesson in universal responsibility. Good wishes alone are not enough; we
have to assume responsibility.
8. Conclusion: Need of the Hour - Ecological Balance.
We are
amazed to see the marvels of science and technology and at the same time
saddened to see human starvation in some parts of the world and extinction of
other life forms. Where Exploration of outer space is taking place
paradoxically the earth’s own ocean, seas and freshwater areas grow
increasingly polluted, and their life forms are still largely unknown or
misunderstood…Many of the earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects, and even
microorganisms that we know as rare may not be known at all by future
generations. We have the capability and the responsibility to take
proactive steps to preserve the ecological balance. The whole universe is
God's dwelling. Earth, a very small, uniquely blessed corner of that universe,
gifted with unique natural blessings, is humanity's home, and humans are never
so much at home as when God dwells with them. In the beginning, the first man
and woman walked with God in the cool of the day. Throughout history, people
have continued to meet the Creator on mountaintops, in vast deserts, and
alongside waterfalls and gently flowing springs. In storms and earthquakes,
they found expressions of divine power. In the cycle of the seasons and the
courses of the stars, they have discerned signs of God's fidelity and wisdom.
We still share, though dimly, in that sense of God's presence in nature.
For many
people, the environmental movement has reawakened appreciation of the truth
that, through the created gifts of nature, men and women encounter their
Creator. The Christian vision of a sacramental universe–a world that discloses
the Creator's presence by visible and tangible signs–can contribute to making
the earth a home for the human family once again. Pope John Paul II has called
for Christians to respect and protect the environment, so that through nature
people can "contemplate the mystery of the greatness and love of
God."
Reverence for the Creator
present and active in nature, moreover, may serve as a ground for ecological
responsibility. For the very plants and animals, mountains and oceans, which in
their loveliness and sublimity lift our minds to God, by their fragility and
perishing likewise cry out, "We have not made ourselves." God brings
them into being and sustains them in existence. It is to the Creator of the
universe, then, that we are accountable for what we do or fail to do to
preserve and care for the earth and all its creatures. For "the LORD'S are
the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it" (Ps 24:1).
Dwelling in the presence of God, we begin to experience ourselves as part of
creation, as stewards within it, not separate from it. As faithful stewards,
fullness of life comes from living responsibly within God's creation.
Stewardship implies that we must both care for creation according to standards
that are not of our own making and at the same time be resourceful in finding
ways to make the earth flourish. It is a difficult balance, requiring both a
sense of limits and a spirit of experimentation. Even as we rejoice in the
earth's goodness and in the beauty of nature, stewardship places upon us the
responsibility of the well-being of all God's creatures.
Education in ecological
responsibility is urgent if our “paradise lost" has to be regained. The
children have to be taught to respect their neighbors and to love nature.
"If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than
contempt, we must leave them more than the miracles of technology. We must
leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we
got through with it."-Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) 36th President of the United States.
NOTES & REFERENCES
- Second
Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World
(Gaudium et Spes), no69, in Austin Flannery, ed., Vatican Council
(Gaudium et Spes, 69).
- John
Paul II, The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility (Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, 1990), no. 7.
- Ibid.,
nos. 1, 15.
- John
Paul II, On Social Concern (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis) (Washington, D.C.:
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1988), no. 28.
- John
Paul II, Evangelium Vitae," NewYork, Random House, 1995, no. 52
- M. Buber,” I Racconti dei
Chassidium,” Milan 1079, p.256
- T
Royston M. Roberts, Serendipity: Accidental Discoveries in Science, Wiley
& Sons, New York,
1989.
- The
Agassiz, Louis, Methods of Study in Natural History, Boston: Ticknor and
Fields, 1863, p. 14
- Agassiz,
Louis, "Evolution and Permanence Type" reprinted in The
Intelligence of Agassiz by Guy Davenport, Westport, Conn.,
Greenwood Press, 1983, p. 231.
- Benyus,
Janine M., Biomimicry, William Morrow, New York, 1997, pp. 6-7.
- John
Paul II, The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility (Washington, D.C.:
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1990), no. 6.
- John Paul II, "The
Exploitation of the Environment Threatens the Entire Human Race,"
address to the Vatican symposium on the
environment (1990), in Ecology and Faith: The Writings of Pope John
Paul II, ed. Sr. Ancilla Dent, OSB (Berkhamsted, England: Arthur
James, 1997), 12.
- John
Paul II, The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility (Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, 1990), no.10
- Ibid.,
no. 6.
- See also treatment of this
topic in Stewardship: A Disciple's Response (Washington, D.C.:
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1993),39.
- Wallace, Mark I. Fragments of the Spirit:
Nature, Violence, and the Renewal of Creation. New York: Continuum, 1996.
- Williams,
George H. “Christian Attitudes toward Nature.” Parts 1 and 2. Christian
Scholar’s Review 2, no. 1 (fall 1971): 3–35; no. 2 (spring 1972): 112–26.
Wilderness and Paradise in Christian
Thought. New York:
Harper and Brothers, 1962.
- Zizioulas,
John. “Preserving God’s Creation: Three Lectures on Theology and Ecology.”
Parts 1–3. King’s Theological Review 12 (spring 1989): 1–5; 12 (autumn
1989): 41–45; 13 (spring 1990): 1–5.
- John
Paul II, On the Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum (Centesimus Annus) (Washington, D.C.: United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops,
1991), no. 38.
- John
Paul II, "International Solidarity Needed to Safeguard
Environment," Address by the Holy Father to the European Bureau for
the Environment, L'Osservatore Romano (June 26, 1996).
