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CHRISTIANITY AND ENVIRONMENT
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4/2/2017

Aanya Mishra

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Christianity and the Environment
Christianity is a monotheistic religion, solely based upon the life, teachings and death of
Jesus. They regard Jesus as the Son of God and the savior of humanity. They believe
there is one God composed of three distinct persons: God the Father, Jesus Christ (his
son), and the Holy Spirit. Though they serve different purposes, they are one as a deity.
The holy book of Christians is the Bible, which is divided into the Old Testament and the
New Testament. The Christian practices vary by denomination. Despite that, Christian
beliefs center on the nature of God, the identity of Jesus Christ, and how people can be
saved from sin and its punishments. Being the religion with the largest number of
followers, around 33.2% of the world population are Christians.

Though environment may not be the core belief or of central importance in this religion,
but it can be interpreted indirectly from verse of the Bible. The first reference to
environment protection can be interpreted from Genesis 2: 15 where, god gave Adam the
purpose to take care of the Garden of Eden. He created a Garden for Adam to look after,
to enhance it and protect it against the encroachment of the surrounding wilderness.

"And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to
keep it." (Genesis 2:15)

Moreover, it is also clearly depicted in the bible that God intended for humans to be
stewards and not owners, because though we may have the permission to use it, but it
always remains of the Lord's.

"The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my
tenants. Throughout the country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the
redemption of the land." (Leviticus 25: 23- 24)

Because of this doctrine, the Christian environmentalists have a strong approach in

environment conservation. They oppose to anything that can remotely affect the
environment we preside in. This also constrains the belief of private property rights among
conservative Christians.

The principle, "Freedom, the expression of the image of God, may be abused by sin and,
therefore, needs restrictions (1 Pet. 2:16)" however, can be interpreted to understand that
human stewardship does not restrict private property rights and the use of environment ,
as long as people are held accountable for their actions. It is the responsibility of the
government to ensure that no such activities are allowed to be carried out that has an
adverse impact on the environment. Hence, these principles not only promote economic
growth but also maintain the environment quality.

The most important yet the most controversial verse of the Bible is Genesis 1: 28, also
known as Dominion Mandate. The verse reads:

"And God blessed them [Adam and Eve], and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the Earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the Earth."

The interpretation of this particular verse can be done is two ways, one in a positive light,
and the other in negative. While on the bright side, this verse may imply the role of
humans in protecting the environment, at the same time balancing their needs and
requirements, because we understand that earth and everything living and non- living in it
were created by God for the fulfillment of the life of humankind, and as a payback it is
our duty to look after it and prevent it from exploitation as we hold the supreme most
position among the creatures created by God. As for the negative side, this verse can be
seen to promote an exploitative, no- responsible attitude of humanity towards the Earth
and its resources. Since we have the dominating powers, we can exploit the resources given
to us however we want and in whichever way we please, with no regard for fellow
creatures.

Hence, the overall concept of environmentalism among the Christians and the bible can be
understood in the way the verses of Bible are interpreted, because there is no such direct
statement that commands the humankind to protect the creation of God and thus has to
be interpreted form among the verses.