As with many other nations, Poland is pondering the future of its forests. The supporters of the logging of ancient forests, as well as the removal of protections for trees on private property, such as Environmental Minister Jan Szyszko, have justified their position with reference to Creation’s story found in the Bible.
The English Standard Version of the passage in question, Genesis 1:28, says:
And God blessed God blessed them. Then God told them, “Be fruitful and multiply, to fill up the entire earth, and subdue it and enjoy control over the marine fish, as well as over birds from the sky and overall living thing that walks on the surface of the earth.’
For some, this call to scriptures of religion may appear odd; however, in nations where the majority of people are Christian, for instance, like Poland, Scripture has a significant social-political significance.
But how does this interpretation stack against the others? Does Genesis encourage us to keep Lorax-like, cutting and cutting until the tree is cut down?
Nature is overwhelming
The main words of the book of Genesis include subduing and dominion.
In the ancient Hebrew Text, these terms are the Hebrew words kabash (KHabaSH), which is often described as “to subdue” or “bring into bondage,” and the word radar (radar), which means “to rule over” or “dominate.” When combined, subduing and dominating may suggest humans are able to conquer the Earth to achieve our own goals.
The environmental historians who study the subject have certainly reacted to the account of Creation that is in Genesis.
In 1967, the Professor of history from the Middle Ages, Lynn White Junior, wrote the famous piece in which she argued that Genesis 1:1 is the story of Creation:
Not only did they establish a dualistic view between man and nature, but they also stated that God intends to allow man to exploit nature for his purposes.
According to White, the attitude of supremacy of humans and ferocious dominance was the main cause of the current environmental crisis.
In his book of 1994, The Domination of Nature The Domination of Nature, the renowned scientist William Leiss agreed with White’s belief the idea that Genesis was the primary cultural source that shaped the concept of man’s supreme power over nature. However, he disputed this assertion by pointing out that Christian beliefs also attempted to regulate the behavior of humans by making them responsible to God.
A Christian eco-theology
Not surprisingly, Christian people who have environmental inclinations have been adamant about White’s argument. Over the past 30 years, the concept of an alternative eco-theology has emerged, thanks to initiatives like The Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale and The Earth Bible series.
The philosophical and theological bases of the concept of Christian eco-theology are vast and diverse, ranging from an account of St Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226) to the writings of Late Pope John Paul II (1920-2005). However, at the heart of it all is the changing of humankind’s relationship with nature, from one that is ruled by a monopoly of power and control to one of stewardship and accountability.
In 1986, The Christian Declaration on Nature was a part of the multi-denominational Assisi Declarations briefly summarized the position of this group:
It is clear, therefore, that because of the responsibilities that come from his dual citizenship, man’s authority cannot be interpreted as a right to squander, abuse, and destroy what God has created to reflect his glory. The dominion of God is nothing but a stewardship of the symbiosis of all creatures.
Theology in this context, God the Creator has supreme power over all creatures. Any act that is unresponsible and causes destruction is an offense against God’s Creation.
This theological solution of replacing dominion with stewardship has been condemned by some scholars as ” exegetical cherry picking” by simply locating scriptures that support the notion of nature as God’s Creation sacred to Him and human beings as its stewards.
