The Value of Non-Human Life Genesis 1:26 … “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” The Bible forces us to reconcile our carnal feelings and desires with the reality of God’s order. Today’s verse from Genesis explains that God has placed the earth and its natural resources under our dominion. God’s plan requires that we be conservationists: to use the resources of his creation as we need but not to excess; to enjoy but manage those resources against misuse or extinction. The riches of the sea, the sky, and the land were created for our practical use and, to a lesser extent, our visual enjoyment. Animals: for food, skins (clothing), transportation, and labor (pulling plows and carts). Fish: for food. Plants and trees: for food, clothing fibers, shade, wood (housing, furniture, firewood) and to produce oxygen. Minerals: for construction materials, to produce metals and glass, oil and coal for fuel, precious metals and gems for bartering, uranium for power. Solomon used open-pit mining to produce the gold that God REQUIRED for his temple (and the pits are still there). Environmentalism should be a remedial step to repair the damage of men who misuse a resource. A ban on timber harvesting allows reforestation and recovery, which should be followed by conservationism (proper management) so the new timber can once again be used as needed. Environmentalism goes awry when it attributes to plants and animals a place higher in God’s order than he ordained. I enjoy watching Whale Wars on television, and support their protection of nearly extinct species. But attributing human-like intelligence to whales exceeds God’s order. There is no practical application for oil and coal, other than for fuel and manufacturing; God created it for that purpose. There is no practical application for uranium than for power; God created it for that purpose and expects man to use it wisely. As population increases, so does the need for natural resources — including gold. Our challenge is to strike a balance between our needs and our wants. Our needs are to be supplied by the resources God has placed under our dominion. Our wants are irrelevant if they threaten our natural resources with misuse or extinction. Copyright © 2013 Datu Wali Mission Foundation
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 23:50:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015