The Endangered Species Act: Noah's Ark
I've often wondered why the religious community isn't more "environmentalist" than they are. After all, shouldn't they care about all the things that God created? Yet for many Christians, and especially among conservative Christians, the environment just doesn't seem to be a high priority item. How do you get the environmental message across to these people? For those of us who are environmentally concerned Christians, I know it can be extremely frustrating at times to talk to our fellow Christians about environmental matters. I came across this document a few minutes ago:
http://www.biodiversityproject.org/spiritguide.pdf
It's from The Biodiversity Project and it's entitled "Building Partnerships with the Faith Community: A Resource Guide for Environmental Groups." I had barely started reading it when I came across this:
"One of the most lasting—and perhaps most significant—contributions the religious community can make to biodiversity lies in its core teachings: the unique message it can proclaim about biodiversity. This message has sometimes transformed not just the particulars but the entire tone of the debate. For example, when religious leaders explain that species diversity should be preserved because “God saw all that God had made, and behold it was very good,” the discussion moves away from utilitarian calculations. While such considerations have their place, discussing biodiversity purely on utilitarian grounds sometimes leads to debates about the “usefulness” of a given species, which in turn can lead to “loggers vs. owls” conversations."
OK, so far, so good: God saw ALL that he had made, and it was good. And who are we to judge which portions of the Creation are "more good" or "less good" than the others?
The next sentence is this:
"Similarly, describing the Endangered Species Act as a 'Noah’s Ark' helps us understand that our relationship with the rest of the natural world is ancient."
Ah-ha! The Endangered Species Act IS Noah's Ark. It is, isn't it? Didn't God tell Noah to take male and female of every species and load them onto the Ark to preserve them? He didn't say, "Decide which species you think are most important to your economy, and load them onto the Ark." What he said was:
"And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them." (Genesis 6:19-21 KJV)
EVERY LIVING THING. So shouldn't Christians be the strongest supporters of the Endangered Species Act and other environmental legislation? From a Biblical point of view, wasn't the Endangered Species Act given to us by God?
I have barely started reading this document, but I can see that it has the potential to be extremely useful. If you ever find yourself in a position to talk environment issues with Christians, or expect that someday you might, perhaps you should read this document, too.
http://www.biodiversityproject.org/spiritguide.pdf
http://www.biodiversityproject.org/spiritguide.pdf
It's from The Biodiversity Project and it's entitled "Building Partnerships with the Faith Community: A Resource Guide for Environmental Groups." I had barely started reading it when I came across this:
"One of the most lasting—and perhaps most significant—contributions the religious community can make to biodiversity lies in its core teachings: the unique message it can proclaim about biodiversity. This message has sometimes transformed not just the particulars but the entire tone of the debate. For example, when religious leaders explain that species diversity should be preserved because “God saw all that God had made, and behold it was very good,” the discussion moves away from utilitarian calculations. While such considerations have their place, discussing biodiversity purely on utilitarian grounds sometimes leads to debates about the “usefulness” of a given species, which in turn can lead to “loggers vs. owls” conversations."
OK, so far, so good: God saw ALL that he had made, and it was good. And who are we to judge which portions of the Creation are "more good" or "less good" than the others?
The next sentence is this:
"Similarly, describing the Endangered Species Act as a 'Noah’s Ark' helps us understand that our relationship with the rest of the natural world is ancient."
Ah-ha! The Endangered Species Act IS Noah's Ark. It is, isn't it? Didn't God tell Noah to take male and female of every species and load them onto the Ark to preserve them? He didn't say, "Decide which species you think are most important to your economy, and load them onto the Ark." What he said was:
"And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them." (Genesis 6:19-21 KJV)
EVERY LIVING THING. So shouldn't Christians be the strongest supporters of the Endangered Species Act and other environmental legislation? From a Biblical point of view, wasn't the Endangered Species Act given to us by God?
I have barely started reading this document, but I can see that it has the potential to be extremely useful. If you ever find yourself in a position to talk environment issues with Christians, or expect that someday you might, perhaps you should read this document, too.
http://www.biodiversityproject.org/spiritguide.pdf
posted by Jim Allyn at 3/22/2006 10:06:00 AM
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