I wonder how society stopped being horrified by these destructive sins/crimes. Some regarding abortion and some regarding the environment. Knowing everything we know about human beings and the environment I'm sure societies of the past would be completely shocked by the loss of horror at horrific things.
While not everyone agrees that we need to be much more concerned about our planet, no one can disagree that environmental ecology is a hot topic.
Pope Benedict XVI gave us his perspective on environmental ecology in his third and what was to be his final encyclical in 2009. While the focus of the encyclical was on economics, his teaching on right to life and the environment is profound.
“If there is a lack of respect for the right to life and to natural death, if human conception, gestation, and birth are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed to research, the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology. It is contradictory to insist that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves. The book of nature is one and indivisible: it takes in not only the environment but also life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations: in a word, integral human development. Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 51, par. 3).
A Metaphor for Understanding
A symphony is an apt metaphor for understanding the relationship between the right to life and environmental ecology. In a symphony, each instrument contributes its unique voice to the harmonious whole.
Environmentally, the myriad species on our planet play vital roles in the intricate ecological orchestra. Disturb one instrument, and the entire symphony’s harmony is at risk. Similarly, every life form has the intrinsic right to exist, and disrupting this harmony can result in the collapse of the entire ecological system.
In the book of Genesis, the Bible illustrates this harmonious relationship in the creation story. It emphasizes our shared origins and interconnected destinies. Genesis 1:28 says, ” God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth.”
From the very beginning then, humans are given dominion over other species. We should not, however, misconstrue this as a license to exploit. Instead, we should interpret this as a command calling us to be responsible stewards.
Right to Life
The ‘right to life’ is a principle underpinning many human rights discourses. It champions the belief that every human has the inherent right to live.
Analogous to the strings section of the symphony, the right to life is fundamental, setting the tone and rhythm for all other rights.
However, this right extends beyond humans to encompass God’s creations. In the Book of Job, God asks Job, ” Who provides nourishment for the raven when its young cry out to God, wandering about without food?” (Job 38:41). Here, it is clear that all creatures have the right to life and survival.
Environmental Ecology
The concept of environmental ecology is akin to the symphony’s conductor. It orchestrates the interaction of organisms with their environment. If the conductor falters, so too, does the orchestra. The same is true for our environment.
The health of each organism, including human beings, is intrinsically linked to the health of our shared environment. This environmental interdependence is a recurring theme in the Bible. In Psalms 104:14, for instance, it says, “You make the grass grow for the cattle and plants for people’s work to bring forth food from the earth . . . “
Indeed, when we pollute the air, it is not just the birds that suffer; we, too, breathe the same contaminated air. When we poison the rivers, we endanger the fish and put ourselves at risk as we depend on the same water. When we pollute the ocean, the consequences ripple throughout the delicate marine ecosystems, leading to severe ecological imbalances.
Read on https://catholicstand.com/the-harmonic- ... l-ecology/