Care for the Earth (Junior Cert Religious Education): Revision Notes
Care for the Earth
Why the Earth is important in religion
Religious traditions across the world share similar beliefs about our planet Earth. Most world religions teach three important ideas about the Earth:
Three Core Religious Beliefs About Earth:
- Sacred - The Earth comes from God or a higher power, making it holy and special
- Gift - The Earth has been given to humans to use, enjoy, and protect
- Responsibility - We have a duty to act with care and responsibility towards our planet
This religious approach to caring for the Earth is known as stewardship. Stewardship means being responsible caretakers rather than owners of creation.
Christianity and the environment
What the Bible teaches
The Christian understanding of environmental care comes from important Biblical passages that establish the foundation for how believers should relate to creation:
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:31)
This passage shows that creation itself is valuable and blessed by God, not merely a resource for human consumption.
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (Genesis 2:15)
This demonstrates that humans have been given the role of caring for creation from the very beginning.
Core Christian beliefs about creation
Christians hold several key beliefs that shape their approach to environmental care:
- God's creation - Since God created the world, it is holy and has great value beyond just human use
- Stewardship role - Humans are called to be stewards (caretakers) of creation, not owners who can do whatever they want
- Future generations - Christians believe they must protect creation and live in ways that respect and preserve the environment for people who come after them
The concept of stewardship is central to Christian environmental ethics. It emphasises that humans are trustees of God's creation, responsible for its care and preservation rather than its exploitation.
Christian environmental actions
These beliefs lead Christians to take practical steps to care for the Earth:
- Recycling and reducing waste - Making conscious choices to minimise harm to the environment
- Campaigning for climate justice - Working to address climate change and its effects on the most vulnerable people
- Supporting environmental charities - Contributing to organisations like Trócaire that work to protect the environment and help communities affected by environmental problems
Ecumenism and care for the Earth
Understanding ecumenism
Ecumenism is the movement that encourages unity and cooperation between different Christian denominations. While churches like Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox have theological differences, ecumenism focuses on what they share in common:
- Belief in Jesus Christ
- Shared values including love, justice, peace, and care for others
- A desire to work together for the common good
Connecting ecumenism to environmental care
Christians from all backgrounds believe the Earth is God's creation and that they have a responsibility to protect it. This shared belief creates opportunities for churches to work together through oecumenical environmental action.
Example of Oecumenical Environmental Cooperation
During Climate Action Week, Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches in Dublin came together to organise a joint tree-planting event in local parks. Despite their different worship styles and theological emphases, all participating churches shared the belief that caring for creation is a fundamental Christian responsibility.
Examples of oecumenical environmental cooperation
Different Christian churches collaborate in various ways to care for creation:
- Joint prayer services - Churches come together for special environmental prayer events
- Supporting global campaigns - Christian groups work together on initiatives like Laudato Si' (Pope Francis's letter about caring for our common home)
- Collaborative projects - Churches cooperate on practical activities such as tree planting, community clean-up days, and climate justice protests
Why oecumenical environmental action matters
Working together on environmental issues is particularly important because:
- Global problems require global responses - Issues like climate change, pollution, and deforestation affect everyone regardless of their religion or beliefs
- Stronger impact - When Christians work together through oecumenical efforts, they can have a much greater positive impact than working separately
- Shared responsibility - Unity makes environmental efforts more effective because it demonstrates that caring for creation is a universal Christian value
Key Points to Remember:
- Stewardship means being responsible caretakers of God's creation, not owners who can do whatever they want
- The Earth is considered sacred in most religions because it comes from God or a higher power
- Christians believe they must protect creation for future generations based on Biblical teachings
- Ecumenism allows different Christian churches to work together on environmental issues despite their theological differences
- Unity makes environmental action stronger - when Christians collaborate, they can have a greater positive impact on caring for our planet