What Specific Actions Should Christians Take Regarding the Environment - Essay Example

What specific action(s) should Christians take regarding the environment and its preservation or restoration? No: ’s Name: Date: Outline Introduction Thesis Statement: The earth and its environment need preservation and restoration and Christians have a moral duty to do the needful and assist others. Discussion God has provided us with everything that we need for our lives. Bible says that those human beings who are responsible for destroying the earth will have to withstand God’s judgment against their acts. By destroying the earth, human beings are challenging God’s might. The Christians should not be destroyers, but protectors of the environment. The ecological crisis and environmental devastation is the tragic result of erroneous human interaction with nature. As good Christians, we should be conscious in terms of energy consumption and much more. The linkage between man and biosphere enables him to carry on his journey of life. Christians should not consider decision making in terms of using earth’s resources in terms of free-market, but in terms of moral bearing of their acts. As Christians, we have a moral duty to identify that God created everything valuable and worthy. Everything that is created by God needs no change, because it is in its best form. Conclusion Christians are religiously obligated to work for the earth’s preservation and restoration, so they should bear their responsibility. What specific action(s) should Christians take regarding the environment and its preservation or restoration? Introduction Christians as the custodians of Bible are assigned the task of preserving earth along with its resources because the earth belongs to God and showing love to God includes loving his creation. Christians have a duty to take care of God’s creation, so they are not anti environment, but they should work as proponents of environment. As far as religious obligations are concerned, Christians and people following other religions have to keep the earth inhabited and its inhabitation is only possible if its environment is kept safe. The earth and its environment need preservation and restoration and Christians have a moral duty to do the needful and assist others. Discussion God loves His creation whether they are humans, animals, plants, water, land or anything else present in the world. Being human beings, we are handed over the earth and we have to take care of the earth. Christians as followers of Christianity are religiously obligated to take care of earth and its belongings. Deem (2009) informs that earth is temporarily handed over to humans and they have to return it to God as it belongs to God. God designed the earth for his creatures’ healthy survival. Man is not allowed to destroy the earth. God has provided us with everything that we need for our lives. In addition, God has created human beings as the masters of other creatures and because of human dominance, human beings have a moral duty to take control and take care of other creatures. Deem (2009) writes, “Because clean air, pure water, and adequate resources are crucial to public health and civic order, government has an obligation to protect its citizens from the effects of environmental degradation”. Therefore, as good Christians, it is our duty to take care of everything God has created, so that we as well as other generations can use God’s resources. Bible says that those human beings who are responsible for destroying the earth will have to withstand God’s judgment against their acts (Deem, 2009). Therefore, Christians as followers of Bible have to take care of environment and earth altogether to ensure God’s kindness towards them. The earth is having many forms of degradations such as degradation of land because of usage of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, dilapidation of species, conversion of land from wilderness to urban areas, creation of discarding grounds because of perilous chemicals, increasing pollution, increasing gases in the atmosphere and cultural loses (Bohlin, 1992). By destroying the earth, human beings are challenging God’s might. The role of Christians in God’s world is like His stewards, so they are duty bound and earth is their dominion. They have a responsibility to live in harmony with nature, so they should not abuse their dominion. Nature should be treated as valuable and as Christians, we should be able to make use of the dominion without being devastating (Bohlin, 1992). Christians should not rectify themselves towards dealing with the environment, but they must also make others environmentally responsible. The Christians should not be destroyers, but protectors of the environment. The work of Christians should be as healers of the already degraded earth. Christians should not fail to realize that their accountability towards restoration and preservation of earth is sacred (Bohlin, 1992). Preservation of earth and its environment is not a small and negligible phenomenon and it is in fact a sacred duty of its inhabitants, as God wanted it to be inhabited. The ecological crisis and environmental devastation is the tragic result of erroneous human interaction with nature (Baldwin, 2001). According to Biblical teachings, human beings were created to exist in the world as rulers over other creatures, they should be kind, and caring towards other creatures as God is to them. It is said, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees” that is indicative of the fact that God likes the sustenance of earth and its ecology (Baldwin, 2001). Its resources should be preserved so injuring earth’s resources is a crime as per God’s instructions. As good Christians, we should be conscious in terms of energy consumption; we should be eco-consumers; the domestic wastes should be recycled; educational campuses should be made arboretums; people should be motivated to take care of greenery in institutions; conservation groups should be assisted; nature should be valued by spending time with it, and finally, we should have global thinking, but we should start from our homes. Therefore, as keepers of the garden (earth), Christians should honor and care for nature (Bohlin, 2001). Man being created as a dominant creature of the world is given all material things that he needs and in return, he has a duty to take care of the biosphere in which, he exists. The linkage between man and biosphere enables him to carry on his journey of life. For making moral decisions, he has to relate to the nature. People on earth are not required to use the resources of earth as per economic efficiency, but by moral bearing (Dewberry, 2007). Our actions should be judged in terms of moral principles and not on economic perspectives. Human beings are held responsible for their decisions regarding earth and moral principles. Christians should not consider decision making in terms of using earth’s resources in terms of free-market, but in terms of moral bearing of their acts (Dewberry, 2007). Therefore, as Christians, the decision making process related to earth and its sustenance should depend on moral principles and not economic principles. Christians should be considering what is good for nature and its continuity to exist. God created everything in its excellent and perfect state. The environment is deteriorating because of our wrong actions. As Christians, we have a moral duty to identify that God created everything valuable and worthy, and no human effort is required to make something valuable (Hubert, 1992). His art is praiseworthy as He made everything in its perfect form. We, human beings have erred in using his given resources. We made everything worse and now, as Christians, it is out moral duty to work collectively for the conservation of creation. We should work for the preservation of environment and as Christians, we should provide service to others and assist them in taking care of nature and restoring it to its previous state (Hubert, 1992). Everything that is created by God needs no change, because it is in its best form, so its restoration and preservation is essential. We can use the resources and nature, but our approach should not be destructive, it should be constructive and preserving (Hubert, 1992). Those who keep faith in Christianity know that they have a moral obligation towards preservation and restoration of earth and its environment, so they should play their roles. Conclusion Christians are religiously obligated to work for the earth’s preservation and restoration, so they should bear their responsibility. They can help others in understanding the importance of earth and environment. God made human beings the rulers of the world and handed over earth temporarily to human beings and, as the dominant creatures of the world, they have a moral duty to work towards continuity of the world. Therefore, Christians have a major role to play as per Bible’s teachings in saving earth from getting deteriorated. References Balwin, J. T. (2001). Keepers of the Garden: Christians and the Environment. [online] Retrieved from: http://dialogue.adventist.org/articles/14_1_baldwin_e.htm [Accessed: 2 Mar 2014].  Bohlin, R. (1992). Christian environmentalism. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/ecology.html [Accessed: 2 Mar 2014]. Deem, R. (2009). Is christianity anti-environmental?. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/environment.html [Accessed: 2 Mar 2014]. Dewberry, C. (2007). Is there a Christian Environmental Ethic?. [online] Retrieved from: http://msc.gutenberg.edu/2008/01/is-there-a-christian-environmental-ethic/ [Accessed: 2 Mar 2014]. Hubert, D. (1992). The Environment: What can Christians do?. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.directionjournal.org/21/2/environment-what-can-christians-do.html [Accessed: 1 Mar 2014]. Read More