There is an interrelationship that exists between religion and nature mostly seen in the light of environmental aspects. Relationships between human spiritual worldviews and the conditions nature should have will continue to exist and form part of human life. Ecological values for instance in the aspect of sustainability and the way humans dominate nature are what bring a premise of how environmental projects should focus on protecting nature. Both the first and the second accounts of creation have shown a widespread of religious reflection of how a man should relate to the earth God put him in. As Eco theology helps us to understand the concept of the interrelationship of human and nature, the competing views that are offered in the two accounts of the creation of dominating and taking care of the earth are exceptional; God created man to rule and take care of the earth.
Genesis is the first book of the Bible which gives the account of how God created the earth. In the chapter one and two have given out the roles that man is supposed to play in the world. In Genesis chapter one, man is seen as a ruler, but Genesis chapter two puts the man as a caretaker. Genesis one has outlined the role of a man as to exercise authority over other animals and plants (mcgrath, 2015). Genesis two does not dismiss this, but the book affirms that authority comes with responsibility.
God created man as a superior creature compared to other animals so that he can exercise his power to protect, guard and make the world a better place than he found it.The competitive views on how man is supposed to treat the earth are evident. For instance, in Genesis chapter one, the role of man on the earth is to dominate or rule the world while in Genesis two, the purpose of a man is to cultivate and take care of the earth by, for instance, taking care of all the animals, plants and other living organisms. God created the world and all other animals but when it came to man, God purposed and said, let us make man in our own image (mcgrath, 2015).
Such is a clear evidence that man is supposed to carry out a certain purpose that God had ordained. He wanted the man to bear all his responsibilities and act like God. For instance, as God rules the earth, the man was told to reciprocate the same by ruling over the animals that live in water, rule over bird of the sky and over all the other living organisms that live in the earth. God gave the man every plant that bore seeds. The man was permitted to eat plants that bear fruits and God allowed the man to reign over all other animals. When God created man and put him in the Garden of Eden as genesis chapter two narrates, God gave man instructions to take care of the land and cultivate it and told him to dress and keep the Garden (mcgrath, 2015). This meant that God had purposed to trust the man with the earth.
Whether the issue of dominion or ruling or cultivating and taking care of the earth, the work of man is to create a relationship that is morally right in protecting the environment God trusted them with. In any case, God gave the man the ability to differentiate between right and wrong (mcgrath, 2015). A man should, therefore, ensure that he applies the realms of ethics in protecting the earth. It is the responsibility of man to ensure that he embraces the well-being of the creatures and the entire earth. Let the man, for instance, work to guard and take care of flora and fauna. By use of superior brains that man has, he should make the world better for both him and the rest of creation because everything thing that God Created he said it was good and this means, every creation should be respected in its own way.
Human beings should make it a priority to leave the world a better place than they found it. This should be achieved through protecting the environment and making it sustainable. They should, for instance, buy acts that avoid pollution as this leads to the destruction of the earth as a home for creatures that God created (Victus, 2014). A man should embrace practices that fulfill Gods command of taking care and cultivating the earth. For instance, the man should stop deforestation and instead, plant more trees as a way of creating home for other animals that God denied the capacity to think. This would also provide food and shelter for animals. Avoiding water pollution to protect the plants which grow in water and animals that live in water should be paramount to human beings. If such practices are put into action, then the earth will be returned back to the condition God left it and consequently, fulfilling fully, the competing responsibilities the two accounts of creation put us in.
However, it is a pity to see how Man has shown significant ignorance towards the role that God mandated him with. Instead of dominating the earth in a right manner, and instead of the man taking care of creation, he is using what is in the earth for his own good at the expense of other creatures (Victus, 2014). For instance, poor activities of man that have resulted in the current climate change have consequently ended up harming the earth that God left in a good condition. There is the destruction of the air that creatures depend on for survival. Air pollution as a result of man has become hazardous to both plant and human life.
A man should engage in relationships with the Gods creation and in turn, transform both personal life and culture. Such relationship should entail transformations that will, for instance, include simplified living, justice for all the creation, environmental stewardship, and a worldview that will see creation as a revelation of God (Victus, 2014). It is the responsibility of man to have a ministry on the earth. A man should implement all the possible sustainable practices of the environment. It is the responsibility of man to ensure that he as well organizes the interfaith religious responses to all that pertains the environment. By taking part in various education, outreach, and training programs, a man should portray and build up a moral constituency that will focus on taking actions that are healthy for communities, the environment, and creation at large.
God created the earth and he is the one that holds it all together. Since God is affirmed as the creator in both creation accounts. The earth is his and therefore, as part of Gods creation, it is the responsibility of man to serve and keep Gods creation in a perfect order. In Genesis chapter one, God put the man in the earth to subdue it. As all that entails creation serves man needs, the man should reciprocate the same. A man should as well honor God by showing respect to his words of taking care of the earth. This is by showing high responsibilities of understanding how creation should work (Victus, 2014). For instance, man needs to employ, maintain, and refine creation in service to the Gods command of dominating and taking care of it. All the environmental aspects that will save Gods creation must be adopted by the man at all cost. Let the man be the earth keeper as God expects.
Conclusively, Eco theology helps us to understand the concept of the interrelationship of human and nature, while on the other hand, the accounts of creation offer competing views of the creation of dominating and taking care of the earth. From both, it is clear that the purpose of man by God was to rule and take care of the earth. For instance, in Genesis one, God created man in his image and gave him power over other creatures. Genesis two provides more in-depth explanations of the influence of human beings. Chapter two talks about power, but says the authority should come with responsibilities.
According to Genesis two, it is evident that God cared for the earth, and that is why he created man as a superior being to take care of it. A man should purpose to create a friendship with the environment that will bring out benefits. The fact that God gave man power to reign over other creation does not guarantee him violation of the rights of other creatures. On the contrary, the man should exercise this power to protect the environment. Just as the Eco theology puts how the man should relate with nature, let the man be a welcoming species that shows great responsibilities towards the social justice, environmental sustainability, and stewardship, show justice for all the creation, and portray eco-conscious ways of relating with the environment as Gods demands in the two accounts of creation.
References
Mcgrath, A. E. (2015). NIV Bible handbook.
Victus, S. (2014). Eco-theology and the scriptures: A revisit of Christian responses.
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