9.2.1 Religious Teachings & the Duty to Protect the Planet (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Role & Place of Humans

The role of humans in protecting the planet

• The world is important for humans both now and in the future because there is only one planet Earth and it cannot be replaced

• Religious people believe that they have been given a significant role in ensuring the planet is maintained for future generations

• Religious people believe they have a duty to look after it (Stewardship) and treat it with respect

• They also believe that humans have dominion (power) over nature by permission of God

• Christians believe that God has given humans the privilege of living on planet Earth but with the responsibility of caring for it and preventing it from being ruined

• Christians believe that everything is Interdependent and so harming the planet or driving animals to extinction will harm people 

Stewardship

The importance of stewardship

• Stewardship is the belief that God appointed humans to be his stewards (caretakers) of his creation

• Stewardship is a belief that impacts the behaviour of many religious people including Christians and Muslims

• Christians may believe this due to a number of reasons

  • The bible says, ‘The Earth belongs to the Lord and everything on it’ (Psalms 24: 1) meaning that the natural world does not belong to humans to treat as they wish

  • In the story in Genesis 2, Adam was given the task of looking after the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15) and this responsibility passes on to other humans

  • As stewards, Christians believe that people have been appointed by God to respect the world, working with nature to preserve what God has given

  • As a result of this we are able to use what is provided in a Sustainable way for our survival

  • The world is complex and fascinating and it inspires a sense of awe in humans and is evidence of God’s creative power

  • The world has value to Christians and therefore should be preserved

  • Many Christians believe that they will be accountable to God concerning how well they looked after the Earth

• Muslims have a similar belief to Christians and value the principles of stewardship

  • All Muslims are members of the Ummah, this includes future generations who need a healthy environment to live in

  • Islam teaches that God created Adam as his Khalifah (viceregent) someone who looks after things for you

  • All Muslims are God's Khalifahs who have to keep the balance of creation and look after the Earth for God's in the way set out in the Qur'an and the Shari’ah

  • Islam also teaches that people will be judged by God on the way they have looked after the Earth

  • Islam teaches that this life is a test from God and part of the test is looking after the Those who fail the test will be punished

  • Islamic teachings on stewardship affect Muslim attitudes to the environment and they should therefore reduce pollution and preserve resources

  • Muslims believe they will be judged on their behaviour as Khalifahs means they have a duty to help maintain the planet

Dominion

The significance of dominion

• Christians teach that humans have the power and authority to rule over the world. This is having dominion

• This means that human beings occupy a special place in creation

• They have been appointed the rulers of creation

• There are many reasons why Christians might hold this viewpoint.

• Christians believe that:

  • The Sanctity of Life teaches that humans are more important than other parts of creation

  • Humans have souls and this sets them apart from animals and plants

  • Made ‘In God’s image’, humans are unique amongst all of His creations

  • God ‘breathed life’ into Adam. This means that God has a personal relationship with humans that sets them apart from animals

  • God instructs humans to “‘Fill the earth and subdue it’ Genesis 1:28

• The dominion view means that the interests of humans will take priority over the interests of animals

• Although humans have dominion over animals, they have a responsibility to ensure that animals are looked after