SECTION 4 CHRISTIANITY- TOPIC 1.4.8 THE NATURAL WORLD Flashcards
How is Stewardship linked with God?
Humans have the responsibility to be God’s stewardson Earth and preserve and protect the earth and its resources so it can be passed onto next generations
Teachings+SOWAA about stewardship
Genesis- God gave humans the right to rule
over the earth. This gives humans control of animals and plants.
“rule over the fish in the sea…and over all the creature”
The Parable of the Talents- Jesus taught that
God expects humans to pass on to the next generation more than they have been given +fair sharing of earth’s resources
Bible also makes clear that there will be a judgement day at the end of the world when people will be judged on their beliefs and behaviour and how well they employ the role of stewards of the earth.
The threat of pollution
waste produced by humans in the form of sewage,refuse and litter-major threat to the future of the planet
Raw sewage, or sewage that has not been treated adequately, is one serious source of water pollution
Litter also chokes many animals, it causes
thousands of bike and car accidents when it is on roads, and it is estimated that a fire breaks out every 12 MINS because of litter.
Christian responses to threats of pollution
believe they should take an active role in dealing with the problems of pollution. They should try to reduce pollution by:
-recycling
-promoting renewable resources rather than non-renewable resources
-encouraging people not to drop litter reminding them of the fines
-making sure to report any area that is badly littered to their local council
The threat of global warming
Global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels in what is known as the ‘greenhouse effect’ and gases released get trapped into the atmosphere
Christian responses to threats of global warming
Climate change is mainly caused by the carbon emissions produced by human activity Christians’
responsibility to be good stewards and leave the earth a better place by:
-using energy-efficient technologies
-using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and bioenergy
-building cheaper and more easily available methods of public transport
-encouraging car manufacturers to use ethanol, biodiesel, electric batteries and hydrogen to power cars
Christian responses to the threats of global warming
-promoting the use of renewable resources
-encouraging car manufacturers to use water, sugar cane and electric batteries as ways of powering cars
-promoting the use of recycling
The Christian Declaration on Nature
a conference of world religious leaders
Christians believe that God created everything to be good and created everything to live in harmony
the declaration condemns the environmental damage caused by human activity
Animal’s rights
-animals do not have the choice to give consent
UNITARIANS argue that choices should be based on what draws the most benefits i.e medicine tested on animals is only acceptable if it helps to save human lives
-QUAKERS are against all animal testing-even if it does help contribute to medical understanding
-some argue it is cruel if animal is at risk of being harmed the product is not safe enough
Christian responses to Animal rights
Most Christians support animal research because they believe that:
-Humans are unlike animals because only humans were made in the image of God.
-According to the Genesis creation stories, God put humankind in charge of animals to use for human benefit.
-Christians believe that only humans have souls and so they have more rights than animals.
-Animal testing has helped to develop vaccines against diseases like rabies, polio, measles, mumps, rubella and tuberculosis.
-Advances in treatments for fatal diseases rely on animal tests because other testing methods are not advanced enough
Why do some Christians oppose animal research ?
- believe that all animals are made by God and so are just as intrinsically valuable as humans.
-JESUS SAID “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?”
this means that even the smallest animal is valuable to God.
-They are opposed to giving scientists freedom to experiment on animals because they believe that many experiments are performed for curiosity’s sake or for cosmetic purposes.
Some Christians are vegetarians and are opposed to animals being used for food. They also oppose the hunting of animals and fishing.
They believe this because:
-God is the creator of animals as well as humans.
-Humans have a duty to care for animals as part of their duty as stewards of God’s creation.
-Using animals for food is a waste of resources
