8. The Natural World

Question 1

What are the main threats to the environment?

Answer 1

• Pollution damages buildings and can cause major health problems.
• The burning of fossil fuels causes global warming which could cause the ice caps to melt, leaving some towns and cities under water.
• Non-renewable resources such as oil, natural gas and metals cannot be replaced and so will disappear.

Question 2

What do Christians believe about stewardship and what does that look like?

Answer 2

• Christians believe that God gave humans stewardship of the earth, so they have a duty to look after the environment and so Christians should:
• reduce carbon dioxide emissions by using renewable ways of producing electricity
• employ more energy efficiency
• use more efficient means of waste disposal: recycling, nuclear, reprocessing and geological storage.

Question 3

How does the Church of England promote stewardship?

Answer 3

The Church of England is encouraging Christians to be better stewards through its Shrinking the Footprint campaign.

Question 4

Why are some Christians in favour of animal rights?

Answer 4

Some Christians are in favour of animal rights and oppose the use of animals in research because animals are made by God.

Question 5

Why do some Christians disagree with animal rights?

Answer 5

Other Christians disagree because the Bible says God gave humans control over animals.