Ten commandments of the environment - Essay Example

The Ten Commandments of the Environment Question Man’s superiority among the created order is manifested by the fact that man was created in God’s image and has a perpetually existing soul. Superiority however does not give man a superior right to enjoy the ecological system. In fact man’s superiority confers upon him a duty/responsibility to preserve and protect the environment so that all living creatures equally enjoy the environment not only now but well into the future (Zenit Staff Writer 2008).

Question 2: Conserving and respecting the environment for future generations means accepting and organizing ethics so that human dignity is not compromised by advances in modern technology. This means striking a fair balance between respecting nature and not exploiting it to such an extent that it is depleted and ensuring that respecting nature does not completely restrict man’s ability to take advantage of technology. By taking this approach all living creatures benefit from the responsible conservation of the environment and at the same time benefits from the responsible use of modern technology.

Question 3: Respect for the human person is preserved in advances in technology when we create and maintain harmony between the two. In other words we do not permit modern technology to dehumanize us. For example, social networking is one way of permitting responsible use of modern technology as it permits human interaction across borders in ways that were not possible in previous years. Friends and family separated by miles can maintain instantaneous communications on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

Therefore technology can be used to close the social gap created by commercial and technological realties.Question 4: From the church’s perspective nature is a gift and therefore not something to be worshiped. There must be a distinction between worship and respect. Man was furnished with the “human intelligence and moral responsibility” to know to what extent the ecosystem can be altered so that its “order and beauty” is respected and at the same time ensuring that altering the ecosystem is done for the benefit of all creatures (Zenit Staff Writer 2008).

Question 5: Reconciling ecological concerns with economic development mean engaging in what is commonly referred to as sustainable development. In other words, economic or commercial projects should take into account the damages that those projects cause to the environment and developing ways of production and use that preserve the environment. For instance waste management and toxic emissions must be managed as we have seen in laws controlling the level of toxic emissions permitted from motor vehicles.

There are a number of anti-dumping laws calculated to protect the environment as there are a number of laws designed to ensure that production is carried out so as to safeguard against the depletion of the earth’s O-zone layer.Question 6: Conserving the environment is not possible unless there is a collective and collaborative effort universally. International treaty obligations and laws must impose upon individual states a duty to follow a universal code for sustainable development for the collective good of all of mankind.

Question 7: Responsible lifestyles calculated to preserve and protect the environment means refusing to see oneself as a commodity. We must change our “personal and national priorities” which have adhered to the “commodity from of life” (Kavanaugh 2006, xxvii). Michael Moore (2009) also speaks of the irresponsible lifestyles driven by greed under the direction of capitalism that encourages what amounts to evil lifestyles that are self-centered with little regard for how satisfying one’s own desires may have negative consequences for others and ultimately the environment.

Obviously, we need to realize that we do not live in a vacuum and that we are all interconnected.Question 8: When we regard creation as a gift from God we are inspired to behave towards the environment and to ourselves as a part of the environment because this attitude inspires nurturing. We regard the gift of creation as a responsibility toward nurturing that which was created by God. Just as we were created for a purpose, so were all of God’s creation and this ultimately means the environment and its natural resources.

Just as we seek to improve our enjoyment of our individual creation we feel inspired to improve or at least conserve all that God has created.BibliographyKavanaugh, J. Following Christ in a Consumer Society. Orbis Books, 2006.Moore, Michael. Capitalism: A Love Story. (A 2009 Documentary Film by Overture Films).Zenit Staff Writer. “Ten Commandments for the Environment: A Christian View of Man and Nature.” Zenit.Org. June 2008. http://catholic.net/index.php?option=dedestaca&id=499&grupo=Think%20%20Learn&canal=Environment (Retrieved December 20, 2010).