humanists and the environment Flashcards
1
Q
specesism
A
the belief that human life is more valuable than any other life
2
Q
stewardship
A
the duty to care for creation responsibly
3
Q
christian beliefs on the environment
A
they believe that the earth belongs to god and not to humans, we are just care takers for the planet
4
Q
what does genesis say about God
A
- he is a creator ‘in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth’ (Genesis1:1)
- omnipotent because he created the world ex nihilo
- god is omnibenevolent because he created the world for humans - “god places the man he had formed in the garden he created for him” (genesis 2)
5
Q
what does genesis say about humans
A
- ‘life is holy and belongs to God’ - humans are special because they were created in god’s image
- life is holy because we have been given an immortal soul which comes directly from God - St Paul said that your body is a temple for the holy spirit
- humans have a conscience given by God that allows them to make moral choices like the way God tested Adam and Eve and their ability to know right and wrong (genesis 2-3)
6
Q
catholic beliefs about the environment
A
- god created all humans in his image (genesis 1:27) and created the world to sustain human life
- we are stewards that have dominion over the environment
- we have to care for ‘our common home’
- we must care for others because ‘love your neighbour as yourself’, in order to show love to god we need to show love to our brothers and sisters
7
Q
humanist beliefs about the environment
A
- believe that we should be stewards of the earth but they can be ‘good without god’
- they take care of the planet not out of fear of god but because it is the only planet we have
- they understand the need for population control and the earth has limited resources and do not want to ‘flourish and multiply’ as genesis describes
- believe people are guilty of speciesism and do not believe that we are special or holy
