"If human beings were to treat one
another’s personal property the way they treat the natural environment,
we would view that behavior as anti-social and illegal. We would expect
legal sanctions and even compensation. When will we learn that to commit
a crime against the natural world is also a sin?"
"The way we respond to the natural
environment is directly reflects the way we treat human beings. The
willingness to exploit the environment is revealed in the willingness to
permit avoidable human suffering. So the survival of the natural
environment is also the survival of ourselves. When we will understand
that a crime against nature is a crime against ourselves and sin against
God?"
"We have traditionally regarded sin as
being merely what people do to other people. Yet, for human beings to
destroy the biological diversity in God’s creation; for human beings to
degrade the integrity of the earth by contributing to climate change, by
stripping the earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands;
for human beings to contaminate the earth’s waters, land and air – all
of these are sins."
"We are treating our planet in an
inhuman, godless manner precisely because we fail to see it as a gift
inherited from above. Our original sin with regard to the natural
environment lies in our refusal to accept the world as a sacrament of
communion, as a way of sharing with God and neighbor on a global scale.
It is our humble conviction that divine and human meet in the slightest
detail contained in the seamless garment of God’s creation, in the last
speck of dust."
"It should not be fear of impending
disaster with regard to global change that obliges us to change our ways
with regard to the natural environment. Rather, it should be a
recognition of the cosmic harmony and original beauty that exists in the
world. We must learn to make our communities more sensitive and to
render our behavior toward nature more respectful. We must acquire a
compassionate heart – what St. Isaac of Syria, a seventh century mystic
once called a heart that burns with love for the whole of creation: for
humans, for birds and beasts, for all God’s creatures.
"The fundamental criterion for an
ecological ethic is not individualistic or commercial. It is deeply
spiritual. For, the root of the environmental crisis lies in human greed
and selfishness. What is asked of us is not greater technological
skill, but deeper repentance for our wrongful and wasteful ways. What is
demanded is a sense of sacrifice, which comes with cost but also brings
about fulfillment. Only through such self-denial, through our
willingness sometimes to forgo and to say “no” or “enough” will we
rediscover our true human place in the universe."
"This sacrifice for the sake of sharing
means learning to give, and not simply to give up. It is learning to
share and to connect with others and with the natural world. It is a way
of loving, of moving gradually away from what I want to what God’s
world needs. It is liberation from fear, greed and compulsion. It is
regaining a sense of wonder, being filled with a sense of goodness,
seeing all things in God, and God in all things."
"If we are guilty of relentless waste,
it is because we have lost the spirit of worship. We are no longer
respectful pilgrims on this earth; we have been reduced to careless
consumers or passing travelers. This spiritual vision of worship guides
us to a life that sees more clearly and shares more fairly, moving away
from what we want individually to what the world needs globally. Then,
we begin to value everything for its place in creation and not simply
its economic value to us, thereby restoring the original beauty of the
world, seeing all things in God and God in all things."
"We have been commanded to taste of the
world’s fruits, not to waste them; we have been commissioned to care for
the world, not to waste it. When Christ fed the multitudes with a few
loaves and fish on a hill in Palestine, he instructed his disciples to
“gather up all of the remaining fragments, so that nothing may be lost.”
(John 6.12) This instruction should serve as a model in a time of
wasteful consumption, where even the refuse of affluent societies can
nourish entire populations."
"It is a qualitative element of our
faith that we believe in and accept a Creator, who fashioned the world
out of love, making and calling it “very good.” Tending to and caring
for this creation is not a political whim or a social fashion. It is a
divine commandment; it is a religious obligation. It is no less than the
will of God that we leave as light a footprint on our environment."
"It is never too late. God’s world has
incredible healing powers; and human choices can change the tide in
global warming. Within a single generation, we could steer earth toward
our children’s future. With God’s blessing and help, that generation can
begin now. For the first time in the history of our world, we recognize
that our decisions and choices directly impact the environment. It is
up to us to shape our future; it is up to us to choose our destiny.
Breaking the vicious circle of ecological degradation is a choice with
which we are uniquely endowed, at this crucial moment in the history of
our planet."
"Ecology cannot inspire respect for
nature if it does not express a different worldview from the one that
prevails in our culture today, from the one that led us to this
ecological impasse in the first place. What is required is an act of
repentance, a change in our established ways, a renewed image of
ourselves, one another and the world around us within the perspective of
the divine design for creation. To achieve this transformation, what is
required is nothing less than a radical reversal of our perspectives
and practices."
"Poverty is not caused by the lack of
material resources. It is the immediate result of our exploitation and
waste. There is a close link between the economy of the poor and the
warming of our planet. Conservation and compassion are intimately
connected. The web of life is a sacred gift of God -- ever so precious,
yet ever so delicate. Each of us dwells within the wider ecosystem; each
of us is a part of a larger, global environment. We must serve our
neighbor and preserve our world with both humility and generosity, in a
perspective of frugality and solidarity."
"All of us have to work, each from his
or her own place in the world; indeed, we must work together,
irrespective of religious conviction, racial origin, and professional
discipline. Our efforts will remain meaningless and fruitless if they
remain fragmented and isolated. For, the protection of the world’s
natural beauty is one consideration, one concern, one song, to the glory
of God and all creation.
"Climate change is much more than an
issue of environmental preservation. Insofar as human-induced, it is a
profoundly moral and spiritual problem. To persist in our current path
of ecological destruction is not only folly. It is suicidal because it
jeopardizes the diversity of our planet. Moreover, climate change
constitutes a matter of social and economic justice. For, those who will
most directly and severely be affected by climate change will be the
poorer and more vulnerable nations (what Christian Scriptures refer to
as our “neighbor”) as well as the younger and future generations (the
world of our children, and of our children’s children)."
"Indigenous peoples throughout the world
are the stewards and guardians not only of the forests and the seas, as
well as of a vast store of knowledge about the natural world, which
they regard as the “library of life.” They know the properties and
potential uses of every living thing around them. The rest of the world
is sometimes jealous of that knowledge, and indigenous peoples are
understandably, and often justifiably, cautious about sharing it."
"The word “ecology” contains the prefix “eco,” which derives from the Greek word oikos,
signifying “home” or “dwelling.” How unfortunate, then, and indeed how
selfish it is that we have reduced its meaning and restricted its
application. This world is indeed our home. Yet it is also the home of
everyone, just as it is the home of every animal creature and of every
form of life created by God. It is a sign of arrogance to presume that
we human beings alone inhabit this world. Moreover, it is a sign of
arrogance to imagine that only the present generation enjoys its
resources."
"Whenever we narrow religious life to
our own concerns, then we overlook the prophetic calling of the Church
to implore God and invoke the divine Spirit for the renewal of the whole
polluted cosmos. For, the entire world is the space within which this
transformation is enacted. When we are transformed by divine grace, then
we discern the injustice in which we are participants; but then we will
also labor to share the resources of our planet; then, we realize that
eco-justice is paramount -- not simply for a better life, but for our
very survival."
"As Orthodox Christians, we use the Greek word kairos
to describe a moment in time, often a brief moment in time, which has
eternal significance. For the human race as a whole, there is now a kairos,
a decisive time in our relationship with God’s creation. We will either
act in time to protect life on earth from the worst consequences of
human folly, or we will fail to act. May God grant us the wisdom to act
in time. Amen."
[Source: John Chryssavgis, Cosmic Grace – Humble Prayer: The Ecological Vision of the Green Patriarch Bartholomew I, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids MI, 2008.]
