-8-
(Religious
Ethics and the Ecology)
The Christian Church is not only lacking in
its theology about environmental concerns, but in some ways, it serves a psychological
justification for mankind's superiority over nature. Aside from this idea that
the earth is somehow inferior to a paradise in the beyond, which we will
discuss a little later, the emphasis by theology upon a certain passage in
Genesis is where the problem begins.
Then God blessed them and God said, "Be
fruitful and multiply fill the earth and SUBDUE it: HAVE DOMINION OVER
the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing
that moves on the earth.
(King James
Version, Genesis 1:28)
This passage has been misused over and over to
rationalize and justify mankind's destruction of the environment in the name of
human progress. Without any factual justification, this passage implies that all
the earth, in fact the entire universe, was created
for, and given to, man. In other words, mankind sees itself as the sole purpose
of all of God's creation.
Yet, in Chapter Two of Genesis, which is the
second creation account, which was actually written earlier
than the first; we read:
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the
Garden of Eden TO TEND AND KEEP IT.
(King James Version, Genesis 2:15)
In one account we read "Dominion",
while in the other we are instructed to "tend and keep". It
really becomes a misread of scripture to read one of these accounts while
ignoring the other. And though they might seem contradictory, if we read them
paradoxically they really are not - but the two must be considered to arrive at
a healthy conclusion.
By nature of being made in the Image and
likeness of God (that is, being self-aware, able to express love, and having
the ability to self-determine to an extent), we appear to have special
qualities that on the surface animals or plants do not possess. Add to those
characteristics our intellect and ability to harness nature through a variety
of technological wonders; in that sense, one could say that we have been gifted
with an upper hand, so to speak.
The real problem with this is the word
DOMINION. Dominion in the traditional religious sense implies that we are in
control of nature; instead of, a loving part of it. Dominion implies we are the
rulers and nature is the servant. Dominion implies that all things created are
lesser than we.
But if we read the two Bible passages
together, we can see that the idea of "dominion" in the one puts a
greater responsibility on humankind. In other words, the two passages taken
together tell us: that by the nature of our special gifts we have a greater
responsibility in caring and tending to the creation that we are in fact a part
of. Self-awareness and intellect make us more capable of finding out the
consequences of our actions. We can actually choose whether we want to be a
positive or negative force in the natural order around us. This doesn't make us
superior to God's other creations; in reality, it makes us more responsible in
our treatment of them. Once we profess belief in God as Creator, we are morally
obligated to treat as sacred what we claim is God's Creation.
The fact of the matter is, and theologically
one could argue, that the so-called lesser creatures are in fact closer to God
than humankind. Those creatures fulfill their purpose as God intended them.
They contribute and balance nature according to a grand design. And, none of
them have developed the power that could destroy every living thing on this
planet, as man has done. This begs the question, who is really closer to God?
The plants, animals, and non-living things that fulfill their purpose according
to the will of the Creator, or, man who has to discover his purpose and then
can choose to reject it. We may be smarter than the so-called lesser creatures
with our intellect, or so it seems; but in truth, it would appear that the
so-called lower creation is closer to the Creative order. They do what God
intended them to do.
In reality, if we attempt any literal
interpretation of this idea of "dominion" over the earth, the Bible
becomes completely false. We may have an edge over some creatures, but we are
far from having dominion over them. The truth and reality is we do not have
dominion over nature (the earth) at all; but rather, we are completely
dependent upon it for our very existence!
There are animals, insects, microbes and even
plants, which can and do kill human beings. It would be doubtful if anyone
hiking through the woods that encountered a grizzly bear would proclaim that
they had dominion over that bear. We have control under certain conditions,
such as if we have a gun when we encounter the bear, but for the most part
nature has the upper hand. There are all kinds of bacteria and microbes that
could eliminate mankind if set out of balance, or, beneficial organism that
without them men could not live.
Add to this the fact that we are at the mercy
of the elements, dependent upon oxygen, and require fuel that the earth
provides: one can quickly see that our survival is completely dependent upon
the earth. Yet, the earth has proved its ability to survive without, and in
spite of, man. In a very real sense, if we see God as being itself,
Her true manifestation is ever present in the earth around us because our being
is dependent upon it. No theology that does not emphasize our responsibility
toward the environment can be responsible. The most sacred of all our religious
relics should be the very creation around us.
For all our science and understanding of the
how things work around us, it is no less a miracle that things happen that way.
Too often, human beings tend to think that because they can tell you how
something works, it is mundane and without mystery. But when you ask the
ultimate philosophical question: "Why is there something where there
should be nothing?" - the natural becomes a
living miracle we can see.
Moving away from this idea of dominion, we
need to look at the hypocrisy of a Christian theology, which teaches that God
is the Creator of all things, and remains silent about abuses that not only
endangers the welfare of future generations, but might endanger the work of
God. We theologically assert that all was created for man, the so-called
crowning glory of God's creation, without anything other then the words
of men to support such a dogma.
From the natural order we have learned that
man has only inhabited this planet but a short geological time compare to the
so-called lesser life forms. The argument that these lesser life forms are only
relative in relationship to the creation of man is a self-serving and arrogant
premise. Dinosaurs, as well as other life forms, walked this earth tens of millions
of years before any type human being lived. If we are to believe God is the
Creator, then these creatures who survived so long must have had purpose to the
Creator Who created them. The existence of stars,
planets and galaxies run into the billions of years. On what basis can we argue
that all of this exists as some test for men to enter a better world?
The miracle of God which stands in front of
our physical observation - the true representation of God incarnate is the
creation - the greatest manifestation of God's power in our reality: is too
often theologically reduced to some kind of a game board that was created to
test man.
If we truly believed that God is responsible
for the creation, that makes every aspect of the
creation, sacred, by nature of its origin in God. It is true, that parts of
this creation serve our needs of survival, which is obviously what God
intended. But such thinking does not justify the human waste, pollution, and
destruction of the sacred for selfish comforts and needs. There is hypocrisy in
the treating our sacred churches and shrines with care and respect, while we
pollute the air and water which gives life - while we pave the forest that
offer shelter to so many creatures - while we threaten all of creation on the
earth with our weapons of mass destruction.
In the book of Genesis we read:
So it was, and God saw all that He had made, and
IT WAS VERY GOOD.
(GENESIS 1.-31)
If God seen His creation as good, what
possible justification could man have in his religious indifference toward the
ecological problems we face in the next century? We cherish our tokens of brick
and stone, of gold and silver, icons; as sacred - treating them with respect
and reverence. Yet, when it comes to the earth, fashioned from God's hand it is
abused without much thought. Theologically, couldn't one argue that the
greatest temple, the greatest cathedral, the greatest shrine was built by the
Creator Herself, which is the earth? What religious icon can even touch the
beauty of the night sky. We have these wonderful and
inspirational devices to remind us of the Divine, but are often ignoring what
the Divine, Himself, puts before us.
Many primitive religions seen this ideal in
everything around them - thus, intertwining the sacred with the earth. This concept
helped lead to balance and harmony with nature, along with a sense of
thankfulness for the bounty nature provides. Those peoples planted and hunted
with respect, and in doing so, religion became an intricate part of their daily
lives.
But this idea of respect for the creation has
become replaced, in so many Christian circles, with a premise, that sees the
earth as inferior and only a stepping stone to a better world paved with the
blood of
This thesis is not an advocacy to return to
superstition, or an argument to support certain extreme concepts such as not
killing bugs. . Yet, until we see this earth as sacred, of God's hand, we will
never be able to execute our responsibility to care for it. As long as we
replace the sacred miracle of God with the material devices of men, our faith
is a hypocrisy, blinding us to a truth which is before
our very eyes. If we can no longer see the majesty of God in what is before us,
what is of Her design - our other religious beliefs
are a distraction to God's created revelation.
It is the duty of a responsible theology to
promote an Image of God in all of the creation, encouraging men to treat with
respect and reverence all that is of God's Hand. The gift of the earth, and her
resources, was not given to just a few men who were capable of exploiting it.
Earth was put here for all God's children and creatures that dwell upon it. For
that reason alone, it would seem disrespectful to God, and truly immoral, to
ignore the consequence of our life on the planet which is a gift to us all.
Too often, religion emphasizes the Love that
God expresses for each individual, losing sight of God's Love for the all. Yet,
only in seeing this paradox can we truly respect the individual rights of all
human beings, as well as all living things.
If one stops to think about it, the gift of
life is a very fragile gift. Life is a gift that is totally dependent upon that
which surrounds us in the environmental system, which a life adapts to. In our
scientific age, we know for example, that a collision with an asteroid could
wipe life off the face of this planet in a matter of hours. The fact is, we have created enough power to obliterate our own world.
We see the forces of nature at work in tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, tidal
waves, drought, and earthquakes - any one of which can cost us our property or
even our life.
The fact of the matter is,
it is truly a miracle when one considers the complexities of the universe that
it continues in such an orderly manner. From the dying stars which created the
atoms that make up life - to the sun that burns for eons which sustains that
life; from the virtual seemingly continuous orbits of the planets - to the
mixture of atmospheric gases that makes life possible; we witness an endless
living miracle that few people even recognize. Any moral code that refuses to
take this into consideration; any ethics that do not address these realities;
any religion neglecting this most profound truth; is, failing God as well as
the people it serves.
Our religious concepts about heaven, paradise
in the beyond, or the new earth - all can be counterproductive in the view of
the world we live. Again, to many, the earth in its entire splendor is not
really the best that God has given. While on one hand the idea of paradise
offers consolation and can provide meaning for death; it is often doing so by
devaluing our state of being in reality. In other words, men often proclaim
that God has better to give!
The first argument against such thinking is an
obvious one. If we mistreat what God has already created, why would She possibly send us on to something better? One might be
able to keep an ideal of heaven for comfort, but the earth needs to be seen as
part of that experience of heaven. In such a way the earth, too, becomes sacred
and important in the eyes of the religious.
God's participation in Creation is
demonstrated in Paul Tillich's "Systematic
Theology":
God is not a separated self-sufficient entity who, driven by a
whim, creates what He wants and saves whom He wants. Rather, the ETERNAL ACT
OF CREATION IS DRIVEN BY A LOVE which finds fulfillment only through the
other one who has the freedom to reject and to accept love. God, so to speak,
drives toward the actualization and essentialization
of everything that has being, FOR THE ETERNAL DIMENSION OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE
UNIVERSE IS THE DIVINE LIFE ITSELF. It is the content of the Divine
blessedness.
(p422, Part
Five)
What a profound thought, to see the content of
the universe as the "Divine Blessedness". In such vision the
message of Christmas (Glory to God in the highest) is shouted out at
every moment, in every action, and in every being. A bit of God becomes
incarnate in every aspect of every life. Life viewed in this way is no longer
about time verses eternity; but rather, eternity as we are experiencing it in
the reality of now.
The Divine Essence of things is expressed
nicely in Psalm 104:
Bless the Lord, my soul; 0 Lord my God, Thou art
great indeed,
clothed in majesty and
splendor, and wrapped in a robe of light.
Thou has spread out the
heavens like a tent and on their waters
laid the beams of
thy pavilion;
who takes the
clouds for thy chariot,
riding the wings of
the wind;
who makes the
winds Thy messengers and of fire Thy servants.
Thou did fix the earth on its foundation so that it
never can be shaken;
the deep
overspread it like a cloak, and waters lay above the mountains.
At Thy rebuke they ran, at the sound of Thy thunder
they rushed
away, flowing over
the bills, pouring down into the valleys to
the place
appointed for them.
Thou did fix a boundary, which they might not pass;
they shall not
return to cover the
earth.
Thou does make springs break out of gullies, so
that their water
runs between the
hills.
The Wild beasts all drink from them, and wild asses
quench their
thirst; the birds of
the air nest on their banks and sing among
the leaves.
From Thy high pavilion, Thou does water the hills,
the earth is
enriched by Thy
provision.
Thou who makes the grass grow for the cattle and
green things for
those who toil for
man, bringing bread out of the earth and
wine to gladden
men's hearts, oil to make their faces shine
and bread to
sustain their strength.
The trees of the Lord are green and leafy, the
cedars of Lebanon
which he planted;
the birds build their nests in them,
and the stork
makes her home in the tops.
High hills are the haunt of the mountain goat, and
boulders a
refuge for the rock
badger.
Thou has made the moon to measure the year and
taught the sun
where to set.
When Thou makest darkness
and it is night, all the beast of the
forest come forth;
the young lions roar for prey, seeking their
food from God.
When Thou makest the sun
rise, they slink away and go to rest in
their lairs;
but man comes out
to his work and to his labor until evening.
Countless are the things Thou has made, 0 Lord.
Thou has made all by Thy wisdom; and the earth is
full of Thy
creatures, beast great
and small.
Here is the great immeasurable sea, in which move
creatures beyond
number.
Here ships sail to and fro,
here is Leviathan who Thou has made
Thy plaything.
.
All of them look expectantly to Thee to give them
their food at
the proper time;
what Thou gives
them they gather up,
when Thou opens Thy
hand, they eat their fill.
Then Thou bides Thy face, and they are restless and
troubled; when
Thou takes away their
breath,
they fail (and they
return to the dust from which they came);
but, when Thou
breathes life into them, they recover;
Thou gives new life to the
earth.
.
May the glory of the Lord stand forever,
and may He rejoice
in His works.
(Psalm 104:
1-31)
Jesus too gives us hints at God's
participation in creation:
Are not sparrows two a penny? Yet without your
Father's leave not one of them can fall to the ground.
(Matthew 10:29)
Theology has built complicated dogmas on some
statements of Jesus that are far more ambiguous than this. Simple logic
demands, if God can notice the fall. of a single
sparrow, what of the rest of his creation?
People may be able to rationalize and justify
our abuses of each other and the planet, but we can never know just how much of
our exploitation is offensive to God. At the very least, this is a desecration
of the Sacred manifestation of God.
The protection of the environment is every bit
as much of a religious issue as any ethical concern.
For religion to shun this responsibility is to remove itself from the very
creation of God. Any discussion of ethics or morals that excludes ecology is
seriously lacking.
Western Christian Theology
could learn much by looking to Eastern religions, Native American cultures and
belief, and even some of the primitive peoples of yesterday and today. What should be so plain to logical religious minds has
taken a back seat, because our Western theology has tended to remove the
Creator from Creation, placing Him in some distant heavenly realm.
But the revelations to these other
aforementioned cultures, and their keen vision, has made them aware that God is
manifested in being itself; therefore, anything which exists owes its being to
the glorious Source of Being - and that makes it a part of God! The Sacred!
Our common sense tells us that God expects us
to utilize the gifts She has put here to use. After
all, we depend upon plants and animals for our very food supply. We have the
capacity to utilize many other aspects of nature to improve our quality of
life. But none of that gives us license to exploit, waste or abuse the
resources which are not only given to us, but bestowed upon future generations.
None of us have a right to a greed, which insults the generosity of the
Creator. To do so is to desecrate the sacred and a blasphemy of the most direct
kind.
Jesus gives another ethic, which can be
applied here, as well as other places:
Where a man has been given much, much will be
expected of him; and the more a man has had entrusted to him, the more he will
be required to repay.
(Luke 12:48)
Modern society has certainly been blessed with
much. And one of the chief blessings is its knowledge and understanding of how things
work, and the effects our interactions have upon them. These blessings should
cause us to think, not only about our treatment of the sacred, but of our
legacy to those who come after us.
Our religious beliefs are sometimes clouding
our vision. For example, on Thanksgiving we give thanks by stuffing ourselves
to the point of gluttony; where is the logic in that? How does that thank God
for the wonders She bestows upon us? This suggests
that a few words of prayer on this special day of the year make up for our
waste and greed during the rest of the year.
It is not through prayer that we express our
thanks to God, but in our recognition and action toward what is of God. Ethics
begin with treating all things as sacred, striving never to offend the source of
existence. This goes from our ancestors, to our parents, on to others who make
life easier for us - and ultimately to the very creation which sustains us.
Many of the Native American traditions not
only gave thanks to the Great Spirit for their life's provisions, they thanked
the beasts and plants that sacrificed their lives to provide life to the tribe.
One needs to see that a God who takes note of a sparrow's fall might also feel
the sacrifice other living things make to contribute to our well being. We sing
the praises of Jesus and his sacrifice, with its implied promise of eternal
reward, but we are silent in our praise for all of God's creatures that perform
the ultimate sacrifice so that we might live today.
Instead of preoccupying religious thought with
all the supernatural wonders that may await us, responsible theology needs to
focus on the miracle of the reality around us. George Washington Carver said,
"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,
through which God speaks to us every hour, if we only tune in.'' What a
profound theological thought!
It is the role of responsible theology and
responsible religion is to help us to tune into that broadcast. We will never
find the essence of God in our hearts when we are looking for Him in the
heavens. How can we ever hope to expect more, when we so take for granted what
is given?
The given is the sacred, but we must open our
eyes to see it. At the root, God's truth is visible even to the most simple mind. But too often our discourse of complicated
arguments blind us to the fact that God is not "other", She is
the all! The sacred is not the transcendent, it is not our shrines, it is not
our words, nor our icons. The sacred is of God and nothing can be more sacred
than the creation which proceeds from Him. Until our theologies incorporate
this concept, they are lacking in their ability to lead people to God.
Please email us with your thoughts
Express your opinions on our Message Board
Sign our Guest Book