Following his college teaching career, a high school buddy fulfilled his life-long desire to be a forest ranger. He once told me he was unhappy with Christianity because it preached the destruction of nature.
Over the centuries the domination and destruction of natural environments has sometimes been justified by referring to Genesis 1 where various Bible translations say God gave man dominion/ power/mastery/authority over all the earth and its creatures.
What a joy it was to discover a Bible translation that provides the sense of stewardship and care that I felt had to be the spirit of Genesis 1. Taken from the original languages of the Bible, It reads,
“God created human beings;
He created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
For every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth.”
(from The Message)
What I love about this sense of responsibility is the implied harmony of man with his environment. It encourages respect and careful planning for use of resources. If we think of the creator of the universe as a mighty intelligence, as Mind who relates to His/Her creation intelligently, then that same Mind provides solutions for wisely managing these resources, for restoring and renewing abused lands, for practical steps that contribute to a healthier planet to benefit all mankind. And it is man's nature to look to this Mind for good ideas.
Over the centuries the domination and destruction of natural environments has sometimes been justified by referring to Genesis 1 where various Bible translations say God gave man dominion/ power/mastery/authority over all the earth and its creatures.
What a joy it was to discover a Bible translation that provides the sense of stewardship and care that I felt had to be the spirit of Genesis 1. Taken from the original languages of the Bible, It reads,
“God created human beings;
He created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
For every living thing that moves on the face of the Earth.”
(from The Message)
What I love about this sense of responsibility is the implied harmony of man with his environment. It encourages respect and careful planning for use of resources. If we think of the creator of the universe as a mighty intelligence, as Mind who relates to His/Her creation intelligently, then that same Mind provides solutions for wisely managing these resources, for restoring and renewing abused lands, for practical steps that contribute to a healthier planet to benefit all mankind. And it is man's nature to look to this Mind for good ideas.
Thanks to Doug Mayhall for this great photo!
1 comment:
I love this post! Thank you for reminding me of the beauty and responsibility our stewardship brings.
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