Environment And Bible
June 5th is the
‘International Environmental Day’. When
we see phrases like this infiltrate to spiritual matters, we wrinkle our
forehead; especially when we discuss Bible. The reason is that we believe Bible
and faith have nothing to do with such social and environmental problems
because those are out of the domain. But it is our prejudice or we like to run
away from the facts and lead a comfortable life using the Bible as a device for
the same.
Most of us believe Bible is to read and to understand the
content, but it is not like that. We
have nothing to do with the knowledge that we build up from Bible until and
unless it provides us with a clear outlook. And if we have an outlook based on
the Bible, we will see all the social phenomena; political, economical or environmental;
through that outlook and approach facts accordingly. So, if anybody has a
Biblical outlook, certainly he/she will not only have clear vision about
environment and environmental problems but also have an approach accordingly.
OK, if it is so, Shall we have any concern and opinion
about the 1200 people who died in north India because of blistering heat, in
last month, means in may 2015? Shall we think about the reason of this climate change?
Of course we would have thought about this calamity. But many of us believe
prayer is the only way according to Bible. No; it is a big lie, run away or hides
things for selfish achievements. If anybody has a Biblical outlook, that person
will not support any activities which exploit nature and environment like
anything that results in such calamities as mentioned above. Do we have any
incidents from Bible to point out or to justify this view? Yes, let us look
some verses from Bible.
Genesis 3:
6 So when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the
tree was to be desired to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who
was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew
that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves
loincloths.
Actually the greed, the lust
for more, drives us to encroach and exploit nature and natural resources beyond
the limits. The above mentioned verses, from Genesis chapter 3, point out this
fact. Eve crossed the limit in utilizing environment and it was not a necessary
but greed. Encroachment of Adam and Eve lead them to more and more needs or cravings,
like the need for covering bodies. That resulted in further encroachment on
nature for the fulfillment of new needs. In that intense encroachment and
exploitation we neglect the righteousness that we have to maintain in relation
with nature, from there begins the unrighteous life of human beings. Every one of us, whether we have Biblical
words in our mouth or not, like to have many luxurious facilities in our homes
that really helps to accelerate environmental problems. We are praying for it,
we are believers because God has to provide this kind of facilities for us
(Nowadays I cannot make out who is spiritual and who is materialist). We become
the victims of consumerism which is the out come of greed or lust for more.
One of the most dangerous
tendencies is the extensive use of vehicles. Most of them are not needs, but desire
and craving for luxury. What is the result? We run to find out more and more
places to mine petroleum and coal, that has lead us today up to Arctic, a
dangerous mission by the company “Shell”, to drill there in arctic that spoil
the ice covering and will result in other environmental problems .By burning
petroleum products, we contribute to carbon and carbon dioxide emission to the
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which absorbs light reflecting
from surface of the earth and increase the atmospheric temperature. This
temperature has its own influence on echo systems and on ice layers that cover
Polar Regions and the tops of high mountains. It will provide a high flood in
future like one happened in the period of Noah, by melting ice coverings. Actually
this is what happened in the time of Noah. People were extremely greedy and
sinful that resulted in flood. Look into the verses:
Genesis 6:
12And God saw the earth, and behold, it was
corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13And God said to Noah, “I have determined to
make an end of all flesh for the
earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with
the earth.
Genesis 7:
17 For behold, I will bring a
flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of
life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
These verses clearly point out
the activities of man is the one and only cause of environmental problems those
lead him to extinction. So do we need to stand against the causes of
environmental problems according to Bible? Should we stand in favor of
environment according to Bible? Yes, no doubt! But what do we actually do?
Don’t think that there is a
covenant of God with Noah so there will not be again a flood. Examine the
covenant very carefully; there is something in it like this,
Genesis 9:
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and
you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my
bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the
earth. 14 When I bring
clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will
remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of
all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all
flesh.
What it is? When he sees clouds and rainbow
only he remembers the covenant, means there will not be a flood by clouds and
rain. If there is possibility to have a flood without cloud and rainbow he will
not remember the covenant.
What is Jesus’ environmental
approach? Most of those who read Bible think Jesus doesn’t have an
environmental vision. Is it true? No. A lot of incidents can be pointed out. At
present I point out only one instant. Read the below verses.
Mathew 6:
25“Therefore
I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you
will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than
clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather
into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value
than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span
of life? 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil
nor spin, 29yet I
tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30But
if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31Therefore
do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or
‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them all. 33But
seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will
be added to you.
What does Jesus teach us in these verses?
He teaches us that nature is a divine book from which we can read every divine
principle we needed to lead our social life. He sees nature as another copy of
Bible. He tells us to follow the way of nature or the laws we see in nature.
But what we do? We try to make the nature follow our laws and regulations that
spring up from our selfish greed. We attack nature and environment instead of
obeying the principles they bring forth. Is it spiritual life? Jesus abstracted
principles from material environment and used it in spiritual plane to enrich
the spiritual life. But what we do now?
We destroy the resource that enriches our spiritual plane, to enrich our
material life. How long can we enrich our material life like this?
Jesus loved nature and environment. He
was also a good environmentalist. He was a good friend of nature that is why
nature and natural phenomena like storms obeyed him. What’s our stand now? Whether
believers should be environmentalists or should not be?
