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Q's
& A's
What Is the Proper Place
and Role of Human Beings in the World?
People share the earth with other creatures.
But humans, made in the image and likeness of
God, are called in a special way to "cultivate
and care for it" (Gn 2:15). Men and women,
therefore, bear a unique responsibility under
God: to safeguard the created world and by their
creative labor even to enhance it. Safeguarding
creation requires us to live responsibly within
it, rather than manage creation as though we are
outside it. The human family is charged with preserving
the beauty, diversity, and integrity of nature,
as well as with fostering its productivity. Yet,
God alone is sovereign over the whole earth. "The
LORD'S are the earth and its fullness; the world
and those who dwell in it" (Ps 24:1). Like
the patriarch Noah, humanity stands responsible
for ensuring that all nature can continue to thrive
as God intended. After the flood, God made a lasting
covenant with Noah, his descendants, and "every
living creature." We are not free, therefore,
to use created things capriciously. (U.S. Catholic
Bishops, “Renewing
the Earth.”) |
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