Role Of Stewardship Between Christian And Non-Christian Beliefs In Environmental Ethics

I believe that as a Christian we should be as concerned, if not more so, than any other concerned non-believers. We as Christians, have been given the truth about God, His creation and His will. When it comes to His creation He is very detailed about His plans in creating the earth for His people and His purpose (HCSB. Genesis 1:26-30). Sadly, many Christians have fallen into the category quoted by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." Their time here on earth has been fogged by the aspirations of glory. The contributors of this wasted life is ignorance, greed, and selfishness. Furthermore, our environment suffers for the cause. Nonetheless, this is a major topic of conversation

People from all walks of life face many ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas have consequences. Our worldview determines how we deal with these dilemmas, and guides us to the right decisions. In this essay, I will examine an ethical issues through my Christian worldview. I will also present other viewpoints, and compare them to mine.

This way of thinking regards the whole ecosphere as deserving consideration, making all humans, organisms, animals, have equal rights and should be valued and cared for.

This essay will compare Christianity and the Naturalism worldviews. Christianity is man’s desire to live according to the principles outlined in the Bible. Naturalism on the other hand is rooted in man’s will being the sole purpose of their existence. Both have had long term effects on the world in which we live. They both illustrate the way man treats one another. The question that is asked in both cases is what this relationship means; how it affects the believer, and does it change the way the world is viewed.

Anthropocentrism are people who have centered view of our relationship with the environment. People who follow this ethic are described as those who deny, or overlook and devalues the notion of nonhuman things. Biocentrism is defined as intrinsic value to certain living things or to biotic realm in general. In this life the human life and nonhuman life both have ethical standing. Ecocentrism judges actions in terms of their effects on whole ecological systems which consists of living and nonliving elements and their interrelationships (Wihgottt & Laposata, Environment, page

Another problem that we may stumble upon would be relying on other people to be ecologically responsible instead of ourselves. We often believe that there are other people out there in the world who are making a difference and so we passively sit back and do nothing. However, we are all accountable for our own actions. Palmer (2015) is a man who worked around the world with people from every major religion from Daoism to Zoroastrianism. He has witnessed many religious environmental movements emerge and grow. He states that the basis of the environmental

As global warming intensifies, glaciers melt and forests reduced，more and more people begin to be concerned about environment problem. Environment is the fundamental of our existence，so we need protect environment. Paul H. Rubin in his article “Environmentalism as religion” says “But there is another sense in which environmentalism is becoming more and more like a religion: It provides its adherents with an identity”(399). He thinks environmentalism like a religion, and environmentalism and religion have many same characteristic. I agree Rubin’s opinion. Like religion, environmentalism has difference tribe, environmentalist like a missionary, environmentalism and religion both have food taboos and they also

The subject of environmentalists is one that is just asking for a series of childish bickering amongst fully grown adults. No one can ever agree to disagree because everyone wants to be right. Of course, that is impossible, but God forbid that people just come to a reasonable agreement to leave opinions as they are, opinions. Mr. Edward O. Wilson does a very good job illustrating how pointless these political arguments are. How does he do this? He simply writes his own passages, setting himself in the shoes of both of the opposing parties.

Christians are called to the higher purpose of fulfilling a spiritual life in accordance to God’s will (II Timothy 1:9 New Living Translation, NLT). At the same time Christians are a part of society and therefore participate in the wealth of the economy. Although some have challenged business is morally neutral, business can be a wonderful way to bring glory to God (Grudem, 2003). This is possible when Christians apply their Christian worldview and abide by a code of conduct constructed from this worldview (Ruddell, 2004). This paper will examine the process of constructing an ethics program based on a Christian worldview.

While environmental questions are frequently channeled through practical and economic prisms, it is also appropriate to consider our econolgy as a function of morality. The ethical dilemmas which contribute to our policies and our behaviors regarding the use of fossil fuels and our attention to global climate change are frequently overshadowed by more immediate concerns of survival or mere comfort.

In our treatment of the environment, mankind is to have dominion over all of the creatures of the earth. Although with this great power over the earth, man has a responsibility to maintain and sustain the earth. The Reverend John Cumming, Minister of the Scottish National Church stated in 1854 that “wherever there is great power, lofty position, there is great responsibility,”

In today’s business environment, consumers aware of unethical behavior affecting small and large-scale businesses. In most cases, organizations suffer damage reputation, shareholders options decline, revenue decline and employee moral suffers. In order to prevent unethical behavior organizations should consider Christian Principles when developing policies and procedures to prevent unethical behavior. The role of business in God’s creation is not only the institution that human beings operates in, it is an environment that people are task with carrying out specific duties and responsibilities according to specific laws and regulations. The paper will examine why business matters to God and concepts of Agnosticism, Annihilation, and Adoption.

I believe that we need to think of the Earth as a gift and a home. We must take care of our Earth but our personal health must come before Earth’s. Lastly, our decision making should be guided by the Bible and my common sense. Our Earth is truly a gift and it is a good gift from God. Genesis 1:31 states, “God saw all that we made, and it was very good”. We need to change the way that we look at the Earth. Normally if we get a really nice gift we treasure it and do our best to protect it. This is the same mindset that we need to have about our land. Secondly, we do need to recognize that we have dominion over the Earth. God created us to take care of the Earth. In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth and then he created man to be stewards of it. It is important not to get to crazy and do things to harm the Earth but we must also remain healthy. Humans come before the land and they always should. Lastly, when living on Earth we must make good decisions. These decisions should be based on what our teachings tell us and our common sense. It is just common sense that cutting down a tree or throwing a wrapper out the yard will harm the Earth. This semester I have learned so much, and thought deeply about many topics. I know that the Earth is a gift and we are so blessed to have this beautiful creation to live in. The many field trips that we went on made me realize many things about our Earth that I didn’t realize. Specifically the wastewater treatment we went on made me realize how much waste we produce and it makes me feel like we are hurting our Earth. Too often people don’t think about the things that they are doing to our Earth. Psalm 8:6 states, “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet”. The Bible states many times in context that we are to care for the Earth we have been

Through the study of scripture, Christian movements and the views of historical and contemporary figures, it can be said that Christian ethical teachings have a significant influence on the lives of its adherents. A prime example of the effects of these teachings is the nature and practice of Christian environmental ethics. The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy defines environmental ethics as the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its nonhuman contents. Although each denomination has its own unique manner of judging ethical understanding, the basic and fundamental structures of their environmental

These perspectives are anthropocentric or human centered and view all non-human life as less important than humans themselves. Environmental ethics challenges these beliefs by questioning the assumed moral superiority of human beings to members of other species on earth (SEP, 2008). Preservation of the environment is essential to the preservation of the human race.