It’s just wonderful seeing religion starting to realize that the environment is worth protecting. It makes sense to me. If our world is indeed a gift from God (any God), do we think he means for us to exploit it to its ruin? Or should we make the most of it more respectfully?

Pope Benedict XVI is the most recent religious leader to call for the protection of the environment. This truly is encouraging, even though some others groups take it as a matter of faith that global warming is a part of God’s plan. For the Christian groups that say so, I don’t quite see how they get that.

The Holy Father invited everyone to adopt “a way of living, models of production and consumption marked by respect for creation and the need for sustainable development of peoples, keeping in mind the universal distribution of goods, as is so often mentioned in the Church’s social doctrine.”

So it’s not just good for the environment, but good for all people.

I rather like the logic that if humans were given dominion over creation, that we are responsible to use it responsibly. And it doesn’t matter to me whether global warming is caused by humans or a natural cycle – there are more to the issues facing our planet than that one. It’s a biggie, though, especially if we can do something.

I look at it this way – if we are supposed to help the good side of the world, what is the point of ruining the world so that there is more negative, or if you prefer, evil? Global warming, a shortage of resources… do we really think these things will bring out the best in the world as a whole?

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