In every faith tradition, there is a spirituality that holds the Earth sacred; sacred because God created it. If the Earth is sacred, then it should be treated with respect. Using God’s creation as a garbage dump is no way of showing respect!
Every faith tradition teaches us that the Earth doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to God. We humans are called to be “stewards of creation”. We are to care for the Earth so that it can be passed on, intact, to future generations.
Ask yourselves, “What kind of Earth are we passing on to the children of today?”
We are passing on a world that is being slowly poisoned by the dumping of toxic waste into our land, water and air.
In biblical times, God sent prophets to warn us when our behavior was becoming self-destructive. God continues to send prophets. But just like in biblical times, we are ignoring the prophets.
Today’s prophets are the environmentalists. And their message is very simple. We cannot continue to live the way we have been living.
Earth care is then most pressing ethical, moral and spiritual issue of our time.
If churches have nothing to say about how we have been abusing God’s creation, they are nothing but an obsolete distraction.
Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, is an opportunity for churches to speak out. But will they use this opportunity?
David Dranchuk
Volunteer for Eco-Justice
Justice and Peace Center