CATHOLICISM & ECOLOGY“In Jesus all things in heaven and on earth were created; things visible and invisible…; all things have been created through him and for him. In him all things hold together."
(Col 1:15-17)from Paul's First Letter to the Colossians in the Christian Scriptures
“We are concerned about the negative consequences for humanity and for all creation resulting from the degradation of some basic natural resources such as water, air and land…. A solution…can be found only if we undergo, in the most radical way, an inner change of heart which can lead to a change in lifestyle and unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.” from "Roman Catholic-Eastern Orthodox Joint Declaration on the Environment,” by Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. |
Christians affirm that God is the creator of all and that all of the earth community is valuable to God, who continues to create, sustain and redeem the whole.
“The good news treasured by Christian Faith proclaims that God graciously approaches us and bids us approach, enfolding us in an ultimate and radical love. This love experienced at the ground of our being is nothing other than the gift of God’s own self….Jesus and the Holy Spirit articulate the one single mystery drawing intimately near to the world in loving self-communication. Herein lies the specific character of the Christian concept of God. “
Source: Quest for the Living God, by Elizabeth Johnson
LEARN MORE ABOUT CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY:
Alliance of Religions & Conservation
Forum on Religion and Ecology at Harvard
The National Religious Partnership for the Environment
CEJ Guide to Catholic Social Thought & Ecology