Christianity - Environmental Ethics short answer PDF

Preview

Summary

Christianity - Environmental Ethics short answer - received 15/15 in Christianity short answer in CSSA trials & HSC...

Description

ROS - Environmental Ethics Questions i) Outline ONE Christian ethical teaching [3 marks] The Christian ethical teaching of Stewardship is imperative in educating adherents upon environmental ethics. This ethical teaching is derived from the Christian sacred text as the Bible informs adherents upon how God is the creator of the natural world and as his disciples, adherents hold a responsibility to nurture it “God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). Stewardship prompts Christians to facilitate the proliferation of God’s creation alongside mankind as, “The environment is God’s gift to everyone and in our use of it we have a responsibility” (Pope Benedict 2009).

i) !Identify Sacramentality and its origin [2 marks] The ethical teaching of Sacramentality is crucial in directing adherents of Christianity to living an ethical life. This teaching prompts Christians to nurture God’s creation and is derived from the sacred texts “God’s eternal power and divine nature [are] clearly seen from what he has made” (Romans 1:20).

ii) Describe TWO examples of Stewardship [4 marks]

Adherents of Christianity are encouraged to live by the ethical teaching of stewardship in response to rising issues threatening the proliferation of God’s creation. Climate change is a significant issue that Christians are prompted to reduce through Pope Francis’ words “the earth was here before us, it was given to us” (Laudato Si #67) that simultaneously portrays the world as the patrimony of all humanity and educates adherents of their responsibility to protect it. Orthodox Christians are motivated to limit the effects of climate change through Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew l’s address stating, “human choices can change the tide of global warming”. This stance is echoed in the Catholic Jesuit University of San Francisco as in April 2019, the University announced that it has achieved zero net carbon emissions, otherwise known as carbon neutrality, an example of an organisation fostering an ethic of care for God’s creation rooted in Christian belief and practice. Both denominations of Christianity

recognise the detrimental impact of climate change on God’s creation, but more importantly, through stewardship, the potential of human action and belief to more effectively care for God’s creation.

ii) How does Sacramentality guide adherents in their daily living [5 marks] Adherents of Christianity are encouraged to enact Sacramentality in their daily living in response to rising issues threatening the proliferation of God’s creation. The imperative nature of the ethical teaching is echoed through Pope Francis’ statement, “Everything is interconnected, and this invites us to develop a spirituality of global solidarity” (Laudato Si). In worship Christians use physical items such as water, oil, bread and wine to represent the presence of God. This reflecting how all of God’s creation is interconnected and adherents are invited to develop a deep spirituality and global solidarity which flows from the ministry of the trinity as they demonstrate sacramentality in their daily lives by responding to the issue of the depletion of animal species. Scripture commands adherents to tend to creation in their daily lives as, “If you come to a bird’s nest… you shall not take the mother with the young” (Deuteronomy 22:6-7). This notion is reflected in the Christian Animal Rights Effort (CARE) ministry group designed to liberate animals from suffering by recognising and promoting their rights. It is further promoted by the Pan-Orthodox Concern for Animals group who aim to ‘replicate Christ’s love and compassion for all of his created beings’. Through a variety of programs and online tutorials, both groups reflect the teaching of Sacramentality and how adherents are able to minimise their personal effect on the environment in their daily lives.

2...