Is the planet really in peril? Is the climate really about to come crashing down around us? How should we be treating the earth? As Christians, what should our attitude be towards the planet? As conservatives, how should we approach the environment?
It's all too easy to take Bible verses out of context to get them to say what we want, but lately, some people take it a step further, by completely making up verses and quoting them as if they are real. Here's one
say that. Anywhere. She has suggested that it's from somewhere in Isaiah, but even if she's paraphrasing, there's no verse in the Bible that comes close to saying what she suggests: that we should "minister" to the environment's "needs," as if it is some sort of extension of God Himself.
some verses in the Bible that address man's relationship to the earth. Why don't these people just quote
verses? Part of the problem may be because the Bible doesn't say quite what they want it to...
The Earth, Our GardenRather than simply putting humans on the same level as animals, as the modern environmentalist does, God makes it clear that people are of
chief importance in His eyes. In fact, He has placed people in a position of authority over the environment.
He tells us, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
"Subdue" the environment, God says. That is: tend it, cultivate it, utilize it. Benefit from it. We should be careful here, though. God is not saying we should
exploit the earth or destroy it. This is not a license to plunder. On the contrary, we have the responsibility to care for the earth and tend it. Just as
God appointed Adam as the caretaker of the Garden of Eden, the earth is
our garden, and we are its caretakers. It is there for our use, for us to grow food, for us to relax in and to enjoy its beauty. It is a gift from God, a resource for our benefit.
Jesus'
Parable of the Talents illustrates how God has entrusted us with various resources, with the expectation that will we use them wisely, that we will prosper from them, that we will use them for His glory. We can choose to be like the wise servants who took the resources and multiplied them many times over. Or we can be like the foolish servant who, afraid of misusing the freely given resource, decided not to touch it at all. This is the error the environmentalists commit.
The Religion of EnvironmentalismEnvironmentalism's great heresy is its belief that the environment is just as important, or perhaps
more important, than people. While God tells us to cultivate the environment for our benefit, environmentalists tell us to curtail our activities for the benefit of the
environment. While God treasures people above all else, environmentalism sees them as an invasive species that has despoiled the earth. Where Adam saw an untamed wilderness, environmentalists see an "undisturbed habitat." What we call a swamp, the environmentalist reveres as a "wetland." What we call a jungle, the environmentalist hallows as a "rain forest." In the end, environmentalism elevates creation to a level approaching the divine. It is sacred, too holy to be touched.
The modern environmentalist is only a few steps away from the primitive witch doctor or druid who worships the spirits whom he believes inhabit the rocks and trees and rivers. The modern environmentalist persuades himself that he has arrived at his reverence through reason, science, and enlightenment, but in fact, he couldn't be more misled.
It is natural to be find ourselves in awe of God's creation, but what act of
reason leads us to worship the creation rather than the Crea
tor? To revere it to the point, as Nancy Pelosi does, where we think we need to "minister to its needs" is to get things completely backwards. The apostle Paul
said it best: "Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles."
The DangerThe orthodoxy of this new religion is rigid, and deadly. Already, actions taken for environmental reasons have caused immeasurable human suffering.
- DDT was banned because it was believed to be harmful to peregrine falcons, but as a result, millions of people have died from malaria worldwide that might otherwise have been spared.
- The fear of "overpopulation" and the "population bomb" is used as an excuse to promote abortion and euthanasia.
- Environmentalists promote biofuels like ethanol that are made from food, directly leading to mass food shortages in the third world.
- Extremist groups such as the ELF and Sea Shepherd regularly resort to violent action, supposedly on behalf of the planet.
We need to step back from the irrational precipices of environmentalism, and return to the reasonable practices of
conservation. We should take care of the resources God has provided for us. We should cultivate them, enhance them, and preserve them for future generations. But we must stop valuing the environment above
people. There is nothing wrong with valuing wetlands or rain forests, so long as we don't value them more than
people.
We also need not spend our days fretting about some future calamity that may or may not occur, be it global warming or a new ice age, asteroid collision or volcanic implosion. The earth has been built much hardier than we give it credit for. It's made to
last. In addition to God's
promises to provide for our needs, He also
promises us this:
"As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease."
In the end, we have more pressing concerns.
Ultimately, although we are told to care for the earth, our highest calling is to care for
each other. God values people first, and so should we.
