Theology and Action
“We alone cannot save nature, but we might be able to stop contributing, as we have done for centuries, to its objectification and degradation and begin to see it as God’s beloved—as we claim people are—as having intrinsic worth in God’s eyes and in ours” (McFague, 14).
The Environment needs Stewards
Sallie McFague notes that we as a people must respect nature and all that it entails as the sacred like the Chosen People. Pesticides should be limited as their use can be damaging to the environment. The New American Bible, Book of Genesis says, “Then God said: ‘Let us make man in our image, after out likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground’…God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good” (1:26, 31). God did not mean for humans to be superior and take matters of nature into their own hands but he meant for humans to life in harmony with nature. It is true that humans may possess more intellectual power and capability than that of an ant, but it gives the humans no right to treat creation as if it were beneath them. After all, God created everything else and then decided to add humans. When humans try to play God with nature, there is usually a downside. By trying to rid our selves of pests, we are upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. There must have been a reason behind all of God’s creations. Everything is interconnected and as we must be a part of this balance. If it is offset by trying to control or rid ourselves of a component of this nature, we are going against God’ wishes to respect all creation. We must be stewards for the environment so we also must take action. Ecojustice pushes us to make smart sustainable decisions to preserve the environment. Liberation theology from an ecological standpoint calls us to take action against the injustices done upon creation, as part of us.
To do this we can:
- Use pesticides sparingly if need to use them at all.
- Develop an Integrated Pest Management System in which prevention is key.
- Join the Green Shield Certified group which certifies environmentally sound companies.
- Planting multiple crops on the same land can reduce the number of crops.
- Use safe agricultural needs.
- Find alternate ways to manage without pesticides
- Appeal to larger corporations to change their ways to those that are more environmentally stable.
- If pesticides need to be purchased, do so with the knowledge that the most toxic and potent pesticides are labeled with lower Roman numerals such as I and II rather than III and IV.
- Be an active steward for the environment and protect God’s creation.
