Christian ethics and the environment
of the Christian world. Furthermore, the belief in an omnibenevolent God has further deeply reshaped our theory of justice, whereas the Romans and Greeks faced the cruelty of a world and of Gods that were careless about human suffering, Christians in their belief of inherent divine justice have reshaped our legal system and penalty system in the principles of fairness rather than immediate cruel penalty for any transgression. Thus, Christianity has fundamentally reshaped the very 'train tracks' on which we have our discussions about ethical values, proving just how deeply important and urgent this question is in the field of environmental ethics. Let us first outline the strengths of the case that there is in fact a distinctive Christian justification for environmental ethics. From the very first image of the bible in Genesis 1 – 'In the beginning there was nothing . . . and God created the heavens and the Earth' – it is established that the world is the creation and property of God, entrusted to humanity as 'caretakers', the justification being that humans take up this role over animals due to their being in the image of God and thus having advanced reasoning ability. Note that this establishment is far more a lease than licence: humans are not given free rein over the world; they simply care for it. This would appear to be a distinct ethical justification for the protection of the environment as in exchange for their 'covenant' with God and his 'good gifts', human beings are expected to respect the world he has created and honour his values. This forms a sort of proto-social contract, where the justification is made through the exchange of benefits between two parties. This would seem to be distinct, say, from atheist environmental ethics in that Christians believe that they are on this world to fulfil a purpose whereas atheists believe they are here by chance. The problem here is that humanists, for example, might feel a similar caretaking obligation on the basis that they have superior reasoning ability over animals and so can correct their faults. So this does not seem to be a particularly distinctive justification, as, particularly in the Christian world, God is the source of this reasoning ability. A second Christian justification for environmental ethics is that best set out by Locke when he tells us that we have an inherent duty not to harm ourselves, others or the environment, as we would be harming the property of God. This is a clear extension of the Christian concern for the inherent sanctity of life. Furthermore, he tells us that we should not live in excess because we would denying the gifts of God to the rest of 'his children'. This is a clear extension of the Christian idea of the sin of gluttony. Clearly then, some would say, Christian ethics fundamentally encourage restraint and respect of the environment, as to despoil a forest, for example, is to destroy and reject God's creation. Therefore, there is a very strong uniquely Christian justification here which is provided for by the belief in the existence of the divine who places inherent value in human life. The problem is that many atheists would say that they see the world as a great opportunity without believing in God. If anything, without the belief of eternal life beyond the grave, they are actually more likely to value human life as consciousness is a fleetingly valuable moment rather than an eternal guarantee. Furthermore, the Christian Bible places a great deal of emphasis on inheritance, with the gospels desperate to prove Jesus was a descendant of David and was born in Bethlehem in order to fulfil the messiah prophesy. They are so desperate in fact that all historical accounts would seem to indicate that there was no such Roman census that forced people to return to their hometowns at all. This total fabrication suggests how important the idea of the future generations of the Earth are to Christians. God makes a Covenant not only with Abraham but with all generations to come that land and prosperity should be theirs. Meanwhile, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, at the heart of so many Christian services, remind believers that God will remain strong
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