Discuss what catholic ecotheology hopes to contribute to the survival and well being of the natural environment.

Essay by slayerccHigh School, 12th grade July 2004

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"As Christians we are co-creators of life, being stewardships for God"

Today, we realise how urgent this issue is for the whole world. The threat is to life in general. The life of the planet is endangered. The ecological crisis raises the problem of survival itself. Moreover, there is a growing awareness of the destruction of the environment in response to Catholicism. The Catholic Church's aim is to analyse the effect or the consequences of our actions in regards to how we treat our natural surroundings for all things are interconnected; when we poison the Earth we are poisoning ourselves.

"Ecotheology, guides Christian interaction with the environment. Ecotheology addresses the value of other creatures and God's intent for the cosmos." It is by the study of ecotheology that we as a community can secure the well being of our environment.

Few Catholics seem aware that there is an authoritative Catholic teaching regarding our proper attitude and conduct toward the environment.

Once better informed of the need for environmental responsibility, Catholics are often inspired to initiate practical projects or to protest against the destruction being caused. There are many powerful sources in which govern our attitude and conduct toward the created order of natures, for instance the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and the Holy Scriptures. They promote, to bring about behavior that neither exploits and misuses animals and plants nor, on the other hand, abdicates man's role as steward of creation

"Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection" and "Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness." In these two sentences we have a perfect summary of the Catholic doctrine on and attitude toward the created order of natures. Without denying that...