- God invites humankind to be God’s Co-Creators.
- Stewardship involves working on God’s behalf to care for the rest of creation and to use it wisely.
- In our own time, as in the past, there are many individuals and groups who are examples of good stewardship.
Sources from the Catholic Church that help us make moral decisions:
- Scripture: Words from the Bible.
- Tradition: Teachings from people within the Church ie the Pope, Bishop, Clergy
Scripture References that will help you:
Genesis 1:26 – “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle and all the wild beasts and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth“
Genesis 2:15 – “to cultivate and take care of [the Garden of Eden]”
A Teaching from tradition that will help you:
Letter from Pope John Paul ll addressed to the whole Catholic Church:
“We even have to respect the natural world around us. We cannot use the different kinds of beings – animals, plants minerals – simply as we wish. We have to take their nature into account. We should realize that our natural resources are limited. We should be aware of the consequences of the use of those resources, the pollution of our world, with its serous consequences for our health“
- All living things and the earth itself are signs of God’s presence. – TRUE
- Humans have the right to use the earth’s resources however they want. – FALSE
- Only those responsible for damaging the earth need to work to improve the earth’s environment. – FALSE
- All creatures and the earth itself are gifts from God. – TRUE
- Respect for human life and respect for the rest of creation go hand in hand. – TRUE
- The poor have the same right to the earth’s resources as the rich. – TRUE
- Respect for nature is different from respecting other people. – FALSE
- What happens to one small part of creation affects the whole of creation. – TRUE
- Caring for the earth requires co-operation with others. – TRUE
- People who work hard deserve to have more of the earth’s resources than those who don’t. – FALSE
- People are always happier if they have more of the earth’s resources. – FALSE
- The resources of the earth are to be shared for the good of the entire human family. – TRUE
- Rich people have the right to more of the earth’s resources than the poor. – FALSE
- Caring for the earth is only an individual responsibility. – FALSE
- Human happiness does not depend on gathering more and more material things. – TRUE