God's Creation in Danger: A Chrstians Call to Action

God's creation is so intricate and majestic that one cannot help but to acknowledge that a higher authority has a hand in its existence. Over the course of the world's history, mankind has been responsible for destroying the earth God created for them to take care of. Christians need to understand their role in preserving the environment because mankind's negligence has had a negative impact; therefore, it is important Christians do their part by taking action.

Many Christians are confused as to what their role in preserving the environment is. The answer is as simple as looking in God's word to see what he commands them to do. The author of the Book of Genesis describes mankind's role in taking care of the earth. Genesis Chapter 1 reads that after creating man and woman, God commanded them to subdue the world and have dominion over all the earth from every tree to every bird of the air. According to Webster's online dictionary, subdue, when speaking about land, means "to bring (land) under cultivation". God never intended for man to destroy or pollute the earth. Instead he commanded man to take care of the earth and to rule over his creation. Christians are supposed to strive to honor God in all their actions. God describes his feelings for creation throughout his word. For example, in Genesis after speaking everything into existence God looked at everything he made and saw it as good. He looks at his creation much like an artist would a masterpiece. God is proud of what he created and wants man to enjoy creation but also have a responsibility to preserve his masterpiece. Jesus stated in the Book of Luke that God cares and provides for his creatures, so, as part of God's creation Christians must follow his lead. Some misconceptions of a Christian's role in preserving the environment is created from statements made by self proclaimed Christians like James Watt, former U.S. Secretary of Interior, who made the statement, "The earth was put here by the Lord for His people to subdue and to use for profitable purposes on their way to the hereafter." However, the Bible makes it clear that mankind should have respect for God and be good stewards of his creation.

Part of being a good steward is looking at the effect mankind's negligence has had on the environment. Deforestation, household pollution and misuse of energy are three issues many have abused without regard to how it effects God's creation. Forests cover approximately 30% of the earth and that number is rapidly decreasing. It is estimated that in one hundred years the earth's rainforests could cease to exist. The effects of deforestation range from loss of habitat for millions of animal species to drastic climate changes due to the trees no longer returning water back into the atmosphere. Household pollution and misuse of energy are often ignored. Many people are spoiled by the convenience of household products like aerosols and cleaners; yet they fail to realize what some of these products do to the environment. Aerosol pollution from manmade sources such as hairspray, are responsible for 10% of the earth aerosol pollution with the other 90% caused by natural resources. This figure may seem miniscule, but around and downwind of cities this can really affect human's health and the environment by causing climate changes. Also in the household, failure to monitor energy use has a negative impact on the environment by depleting the earth's non renewable resources. Once those resources are gone they cannot be duplicated.

Knowing the impact mankind's negligence has on the environment; it is important Christians do their part to help preserve God's creation. Most people work hard to have nice homes and create a good environment for their families. That is what God has done for mankind. No one wants to see everything they have worked hard for destroyed by carelessness or negligence. Likewise, God does not want to see his earth destroyed at the hand of man. Some would say that God is going