Marist Sisters Woolwich
Christian
Environmental
Ethics
Booklet
– Part 2
Studies of Religion
Activity 105 - Ethics
1. How do Justice and Environmental Ethics connect? What does JP2 suggest?
2. Outline ecological justice.
3. What is the principal of the “Common Good” which the Catholic Church teaches?
4. What is central to Jesus’ teaching?
5. What is Catholic Social Teaching? Outline 3 examples.
6. What principals do the Earth Bible Team suggest?
7. What Biblical resistance is their to environmental ethics?
8. Where can the partnership model be found in the scriptures? Give an example.
9. What is natural law?
10. What is the problem with static notions within natural law? How might natural law be redesigned to address the environmental issues arising?
Ethics
Justice and the Environment
Justice is another virtue that recently have been connected with environmental ethics. In “On Social Concern” (1987) Pope John Paul II pointed out the injustice in both Marxism (or communism) and capitalism, lamented the growing inequity in the world, and spoke strongly for each person’s right to be seated at the table of the common banquet. The pope often singles out the environment as a special area of abuse. JPII challenges the common disrespect for nature and urges that the nature of each being and the mutual connection of all things in the cosmos be taken into consideration. John Paul has pointed out that world peace is threatened by human injustice as well as by lack of respect for nature.
James Nash (1938-2008 - was one of the first Christian ecotheologians) does extensive reflection on what he calls “ecological justice”. Nash takes the position that all things have certain rights and that justice indeed applies to all creation in some way. Nash comments “Injustice can be understood as the social form of sin – that self-centred human inclination to defy God’s covenant by grasping more than our due and thereby depriving others of their due”
(Hill, 1998, p 274)
Common God
The principle of the common good maintains that all sectors of society have a stake in the welfare and well-being of the polity. It argues that the good of the whole society takes precedence over the good of the individual or specific group will stop until recently the common good was largely clutches social and human rights but now it is also being applied to nonhumans.
John XXIII in his historic document Pacem in Terris extended the principle of the common good to global proportions. At that time in 1963 the Pope is concerned about nuclear weapons, developing nations, and the movements of refugees. Now that we have become aware of the global aspects of environmental problems, the application of the principles of the common good is quite relevant singles. Whether, pollution of the oceans and waterways, fallout from nuclear power disasters, the greenhouse effect and ozone depletion are just some global environmental problems.
Central to Jesus teaching was concerned to the outcast, the lost sheep, Newcrest person. This concern should be given special consideration in making environment decisions often it is the poor who suffer most when the environment is abuse when resources are monopolised by a few.
(Hill, 1998, p 276)
Catholic Social Teaching
The Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society.
Principle of “Care of God’s Creation”
We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of Gods creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
(United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005)
Principle of “Common Good”
Central to Jesus’ teaching was the concern for the outcast, the lost sheep, the oppressed person. This concern should be given special consideration in making environmental decisions, for often it is the poor who suffer most when the environment is abused or when resources are monopolized by a few.
(Hill, 1998, p 277)
Principle of “Solidarity”
We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice
(United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005)
Earth Bible Team
The Earth Bible Team is a collaboration of scholars from around the world who use specific eco-justice principles to foreground their reading and analysis of biblical texts. Fundamental to the studies produced by the Team is a set of six principles:
1. The principle of intrinsic worth: The universe, Earth and all its components have intrinsic worth and value.
2. The principle of interconnectedness: Earth is a community of interconnected living things that are mutually dependent on each other for life and survival.
3. The principle of voice: Earth is a subject capable of raising its voice in celebration and against injustice.
4. The principle of purpose: The universe, Earth and all its components are part of a dynamic cosmic design within which each piece has a place in the overall goal of that design.
5. The principle of mutual custodianship: Earth is a balanced and diverse domain where responsible custodians can function as partners, rather than rulers, to sustain a balanced and diverse Earth community.
6. The principle of resistance: Earth and its components not only suffer from injustices at the hands of humans, but actively resist them in the struggle for injustice.
(Horrell, 2010, p 14)
These principles set out the stance from which the biblical texts are read, a set of ethical convictions which reflect commitment to what the team call “ecojustice”. These principles effectively form a kind of ethical standard against which biblical texts are measured. Often this leads to a positive recovery of ecological wisdom in the biblical texts, a mode of interpretation. But when the texts are deemed to contradict the ecojustice principles, their anti-Earth perspective are exposed and resisted.
Biblical Resistance
Popular Christian opposition to the environmental movement is often based on appeals to biblical texts such as 2 Peter 3:10-13, which are taken to teach that real threat is not from so-called global warming, but rather form the fire of judgement which God will bring upon the earth.
(Horrell, 2010, p 17)
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home (2 Peter 3:10-13).
With such popular views in mind, Keith Dyer has suggested a “fundamentalist Christian version of the Earth Bible’s six ecojustice principles”. He calls for six Biblical Eschatological principles:
1. The principle of imminent cataclysm – Earth is headed for disaster.
2. The principles of disconnectedness – we humans do not have to share or feel responsible for the earth’s fate (salavation is for humans)
3. The principle of inevitability – there is nothing we (or earth) can do about it.
4. The principle of transcendence – that really matters is the next world.
5. The principle of sovereignty – God is an ultimate (even direct) control of this.
6. The principle of self-interest – God will rapture believers ut of this mess in the nick of time.
Dyer’s principles are both provocative and critical. They are often taken tongue in cheek. This raises questions – to what extent does the bible support a kind of human centred picture of an imminent end in which the Earth will be destroyed and the elected rescued?
The partnership model
Some suggest that in developing an environmental ethic we see ourselves as partners with nature. This means, of course, a change from seeing ourselves as being at the centre of things. Human needs and considerations have to put side-by-side with the needs of other creatures.
The partnership model can be readily be found in the scriptures. In the Hebrew scriptures God calls humans to see the divine glory Manus vested in all things and extends a covenant with the earth and all living things. The Psalms call us to bless God along with all of nature. The new Testament proclaims that the son is sent to save all of creation, and it teaches that the reign of God is nicked in all things. Jesus calls his followers to help bring about a woman of God's reign in partnership with his Spirit, with each other, and indeed with all of creation.
Revising Natural law
Since environmental ethics is concerned with nature, it is appropriate that the theology of natural law be applicable. This is not without problems however because traditional notions of natural law have tended to look at nature in a prescientific mode as static, a once and for all time reality. Ethics proceedings from this notion of nature have traditionally been absolute and legalistic.
To apply a natural environment properly mechanistic notions of nature will have to be set aside. Nature will have to be understood as being organic, dynamic, and in service as it relates with ourselves and unique ecosystems of each locale will have to be honoured. Moreover we will have to understand the limits of nature as well as our own limits and proceed with caution and foresight. In view of the incremental crisis with face we will have to listen to nature and allow you to teach us out to sustain it.
In order to address environmental issues one must recognise the open ended and dynamic character of nature science has given us an expensive dynamic and relative eyes vision of the universe and an evolutionary and ever-changing view of Earth . An appropriate ethnic will have to be compromising, adaptive, and open to change. The environment is always an process and its issues are very developing. An environmental ethic will have to deal with the complexity and unpredictability of such a process.
Activity 106 – Issues
1. Define Utilitarian.
2. How might utilitarianism be applied to resource use?
3. What does contemporary morality do?
4. Describe the contemporary culture?
5. What is the problem with the ozone layer?
6. What does what did Professor of Ethics Edinburgh Michael Northcott note in 1996?
7. What is required of CO2?
8. Outline 3 impacts of Global Warming.
Examples of Issues
Recent approaches
Until recently the environment has not been an arena for moral considerations. Lists of sins did not include polluting rivers, wasting resources, and the destruction of living things other than humans. Only in the last few decades have Christians begun to see the magnitude of environmental degradation and realise that they have serious moral responsibility to care for the earth and its resources.
Contemporary morality also can be quite utilitarian in its attitude towards nature. It equates the value of things with their usefulness to people rather than intrinsic values things may have in themselves. Material things and even people can be used enjoyed and discarded. This tends to objectify the earth and its resources and keep them at a distance in a rally that centres on personal comforts and pleasure tends to be little concerned about the conservation of the objects that bring such satisfaction. Resources can be viewed as new products or possessions, not understood as gifts from God.
Contemporary morality often stresses progress in profit at any cost. The world economy where the rich nations and individuals live off the labour and environmental devastation of the all nations can be pragmatically justified. Corporate farming which turns the land into food factories with little thought given to sustainability or the proper treatment of animals can be justified by profit. Science can be separated from religion and little heed given to the ethical issues surrounding sites procedures as genetic manipulation or cloning.
Christians living in the secular culture of today are significantly influenced by a morality that is individualised, subjective, and utilitarian a morality that bears little resemblance to the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels. Society's drive towards progress, pleasure, and accumulation leaves behind the traditional Christian values and reverence of nature, sharing with others, simplicity and compassion outcasts and the suffering stock and environmental ethic must somehow reclaim these values.
(Hill, 1998, p 270)
Ozone Layer
During the 1980s there was a widespread growth in awareness of environmental concerns, with landmark movements such as the discovery in 1985 of the ozone depletion over Antarctica - a discovery which quiet rapidly led to a series of international agreements concerning the use of CFCs, these being responsible for this ozone impact.