1.10 Caring for the environment Flashcards
Reasons for Catholics to care for the environment
1) Creation is special as it was made by God to look good, so every part of it should be valued and Catholics show their love for God by taking care of the world he has created(Genesis 1). Creation is holy since it comes from God. God creates and sustains the universe in an act of out-flowing love, nothing should be rejected.
2)God made humans stewards of the Earth, so humans have a responsibility from God to look after the earth(Genesis 2).
3) Jesus taught Christians to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’(Mark 12:31) and ‘neighbour’ represents everyone Christians share the world with, so Christians must understand how pollution and littering affects all human life, including future generations. You can care for the environment which your neighbour lives.
Catholic Church’s teaching on caring for the environment
Damaging one aspect of the environment affects others too(delicate balance in creation), and Catholics should think how their actions, including their use of natural resources(materials found in nature/humans to make more complex things) should be used for preservation of lifestyles for future generations. Ni part of nature should he isolated from the rest. In Laudato Si 159, there is the claim
“the world is a gift which we have freely received and must share with others.”
Eg. in 2008 the Vatican installed solar panels on the roof of one of its main halls,which light and regulate the temperature of lots of buildings in the Vatican. Catjolics take care of creation by looking after the world and not abusing the environment in any way.
Catholics need constructive action, not just thinking, to solve environmental issues as otherwise they will be hypocrites(people who tell others how they should live but who don’t live by these standards themselves).
