"Any error about creation also leads to an error about God.” – Thomas Aquinas
Last Sunday was Earth Day. People celebrated in different ways all over the country. Some people stopped to reflect on the state of the Environment and our human impact on that state. Others feel that focusing on environmental issues is an overreaction invented by political leftists.
People of faith are also polarized on this issue. Some people feel that God has called upon human beings to care for the environment. For such people, it is a matter of their faith to act responsibly toward the Earth. We should respect the Earth and care for it accordingly.
For other people, the Environment is not a part of their faith, it is the object of their faith. For them, transcendence and deity are found by looking to the beauty and hope found in nature. We should care for the earth as a deep spiritual experience.
Finally, there are some that believe that human beings were given "dominion" over the Earth. To them, this means we are to use the world as a means toward our own ends. When this dominion is limited by governments, or other forces, they feel that their God-given dominion is being infringed upon. We should utilize the Earth as God's gift to us.
Do you maintain one of the perspectives above, or do you take a different view of ecology? How does your faith inform your view and your ecological ethics? What are our responsibilities personally and as a culture? How do you live out your ethics on a daily basis?
Join us for our conversation this Wednesday at Short's Brewing Company. We will meet at about 7pm. See you then!
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