Christian view of the environment

Traditionally there have always been two opposing viewpoints on the environment. In one view, the environment is considered a treasure to be preserved and kept as far away as possible from the influence of man. In another view, the environment is considered an asset that should be exploited for the benefit of man. Since the publication in the 1960s of Rachel Carson’s watershed book titled Silent Spring – where she observes that as the presence of pesticide residues in the environment continues to adversely affect the ability of birds to reproduce, there will soon be no birds to sing resulting in silent springs, hence the title of the book – and the subsequent series of global conferences on the environment, there emerged a new concept that reconciles the two opposing viewpoints on the environment. This is the concept of sustainable development.

Sustainable development combines the advocacy for the protection of the environment with the struggle for economic development. It is the kind of development that meets the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It is a dynamic process of economic and social transformation that seeks the optimum level of current benefits without compromising the potential for similar or better future benefits. It is a development process that promotes economic growth, social equity and environmental integrity.

There is a story about the great Mahatma Gandhi that captures the very essence of sustainable development. In the 1920s, when Gandhi was taking his daily bath in the free flowing and unpolluted water of the Sabarmati near Ashram, he consciously used only a minimum amount of water needed for taking bath. On being asked why he was using the river water so sparingly when it was available in abundance, he remarked that all that was flowing in the river was not his. This story tells us that Gandhi practiced what he preached, for it was he who said, “The earth has enough to satisfy all the people’s need, but not some of the people’s greed.”

But what is the Christian view on the environment? What does the Bible say about nature and the environment? The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) teaches that if man sincerely loves God, he must also love his creation, the work of his hands. The Church teaches that man is able to love the things themselves created by God, and ought to do so. Human beings can receive them from God and respect and reverence them as flowing constantly from the hand of God.

The Christian Bible teaches that all of God’s creation is good. In its very first book, the Book of Genesis, the Bible describes the story of creation: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw how good the light was … ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that dry land may appear.’ God saw how good it was. Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. God saw how good it was.”

For five days God created and separated all the physical things. And each action is described by the words, “God saw how good it was.” On the sixth day God created man and woman. And the Bible says, “God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.” Therefore, the Bible teaches us that all of God’s material creation is good. But man, who was created in God’s own image, was created not just “good” but “very good.”

Indeed the Bible contains many references to the beauty of creation and the need to care for nature as part of God’s creation. The Book of Sirach in the Old Testament states: “How beautiful are all his works! Even to the spark and fleeting vision. The universe lives and abides forever, to meet each need, each creature is preserved. All of them differ, one from another, yet none of them has he made in vain, for each in turn, as it comes, is good. Can one ever see enough of their splendor?” The Book of Psalms echoes the same message: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder’s craft. One day to the next conveys that message; one night to the next imparts that knowledge.”

The Bible further teaches that after God created man, he tasked the man with the responsibility of cultivating and caring for the environment. This is reflected in the verses from the Book of Genesis, “The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being … The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.” God created man not only to “cultivate the Garden of Eden,” meaning to develop and utilize the environment in which he lives, but also to “care for the Garden of Eden,” meaning to protect and care for the environment. Man is to both cultivate and care for the environment.

The Bible therefore teaches that the environment is both an asset to be utilized for the benefit of man and a treasure to be cared for and preserved for the enjoyment of man. The Christian Bible thus reconciles the traditionally opposing viewpoints on the environment and teaches the very essence of sustainable development.

Dr. Filemon A. Uriarte, Jr., Director, Board of Trustees, Couples for Christ Former Secretary, Department of Science and Technology