Ecology and ethics: relation of religious belief to ecological practice in the Biblical tradition

Abstract

The Bible, without which Western civilization is inexplicable, has powerful ecological teachings that support an ecological worldview. While these teachings are not widely practised in our time, continuing degradation of ecological systems by humanity requires their re-examination by ecologists and the church. Such re-examination can help develop the mutual understanding necessary for making ethical ecological judgements and putting these teachings into practice in an appropriate manner. Among these teachings are the expectation that people will serve and keep the Creation (earthkeeping principle), that creatures and ecosystems not be relentlessly pressed (sabbath principle), that provisions must be made for the flourishing of the biosphere (fruitfulness principle), that the Earth be filled with biologically diverse and abundant life (fulfilment principle), that pressing the biosphere’s absolute limits must be avoided (buffer principle), that people should seek contentment and not selfish gain (contentment principle), that people should seek biosphoic integrity rather than self-interest (priority principle) and that people should not fail to act on what they know is right (praxis principle) Ecologists need to recognize and respect these and other biblical ecological teachings and be ready to assist churches in their care and keeping of Creation. And churches must join ecologists in the work of assuring the continued integrity of the biosphere.