The Judeo-Christian religions have operated based on the divine command theory, the main command is noted in the Genesis story in which God gives humans dominion over the Earth.

About 40 years ago it was almost as unpopular to be a self-proclaimed environmentalist as it was to be an open atheist. I have read and heard about many instances in which individuals were either ostracized or decided to leave their congregation on their own, for the simple fact that they believed we should be much better stewards in taking care of our environment.

So being gay is not the only reason people have been chased away from these non-judgmental,kind spirited, belief systems.

Today there is still a deep divide between the monotheistic beliefs as to whether of not the Earth’s environment can be destroyed by human behavior, taking any number of life forms to extinction including our own.

A recent campaign propaganda was delivered to my door by the Jehovah Witnesses Titled:



I started thinking about how many people still believe in the Dominion of Humans and what that means as far as human ability to destroy the Earth without divine intervention.

Do you think religion is the reason so many people don’t care about global warming or perhaps don’t believe humans could bring it about?

Do you think we are finally seeing the worst of all possible dangers that fundamental religious beliefs can bring about: the destruction of humanity itself?

we humans need to learn some humility me thinks. the earth has lasted what, some four and a half billion years, taking fire from comets, asteroids, meteorites and who knows what else??? and we, who've been around a mere few hundred thosand years have the gall to even ask the question, 'will humans ruin this earth???' if we reign even half as long as the dinasaurs managed to i'd call us one lucky species.

Humans won't ruin the earth..we have certainly added some garbage with our pollution levels, oil spills, obscene amounts of energy wasted...
just vegas itself is an obscene waste.

Mother earth will be here well after us...we are a virus on the planet and she will shake us of before we cause her to cease to exist.

I believe that most are terrible stewards to the planet...this mentality that jesus is a coming and we are just to go on living as usual. Nothing we can do, these things must come to pass...it's a weak excuse for not caring more, about alot of things.

As one who does believe in a collective consciousness, yes, i believe that if a enough people put enough energy into their thoughts...we can create our own demise. Can't have jesus without the apocalypse.

Do you think religion is the reason so many people don’t care about global warming or perhaps don’t believe humans could bring it about?

Do you think we are finally seeing the worst of all possible dangers that fundamental religious beliefs can bring about: the destruction of humanity itself?




No and No

could be and could be.

probably and probably

We have done a pretty good job of ruining a lot of it... at least as it affects us. We have killed much of the fish and wildlife and we are dumping poisons by the ton. We are changing wild crop species by mixing genetically engineered species for crops. The list goes on ...

i think the better question "will they stop ruining the earth"...

I believe natural disasters will be so bad someday that humans will wish they would just die and get it over with.. like starvation from say a super volcanoe erupting and starvatuion is probally the worth death you could have and then watching your little ones go through it will be the toughest of all.. that maybe why people will want to end thier lives but won't because of thier children..it will be bad..IMO..Blessings..Miles

Nope!

- Josh

The Earth won't kill humans. Humans will kill humans. Famine is the most expected future problem.

Yes I do believe that the religious do not care about this planet. It is as if they "wish" for a dooms day so they can have the proof they need of gods vengeance. Or maybe they are tired of all the people doing all the things that they believe are wrong and not seeing anyone "pay" for their wrongdoing and if the world ends by man's hand then they will finally pay for their bad behavior.....

If you listen to them well, every year any "different" weather or changes are talk about with that tone of reverence.

As to man ruining the planet, yea, but we will ruin for ourselves to live on it. Other things will out live us on this planet when we are gone.

those daggone religious folks,,,,it would be such a paradise without them,,,,lol

AH - the very post and you have made me see a grievous error in my explanation.

Please allow me to correct the error here.

I think it may be possible that humans could actually bring about the destruction of the Earth - but not at this point and that was not what I meant to refer to.

What I'm speaking about here is the destruction of the environment to such a degree that what has taken millions of years to evolve (a biosphere with countless dependent and interrelated lifeforms including humans)could parish at the hands of humans.

I happen to think the Earth has the ability to continue long after every species perishes. I have no doubt that other species would eventually spring forth.

But there is absolutely no reason why our environments should be in the state it's in except fot he actions of humans.

My concern in this post is with the many millions of individuals who don't believe that humans can cause their own demise through environmental ruin - Specifically becuase god will intervene or at the very least, he will put Earth back to being the perfect habitat for all those who recieve eternal life.

I'm thinking that's a very dangerous stance for believers to take.

thanks for your reply, and I admit I did not explain myself well. I agree with you that the Earth will survive without us no matter what shape it's in when the last human dies.

Although I do not believe in a collective consciousness, I do understand about the power you give to that collective and the end result is one we both see as a possibility and I don't like it because I don't think it's necessary and it seems we both agree on that.

But that's the issue. If people hold the belief that humans have been granted dominion over the Earth they may also believe that they can do nothing irreversable bad to the environment.

Whether it will god who reverses it ro whether we simply don't have the power to destroy ourselves doesn't matter, it's the belief that gets us into trouble because it provides an excust not to care or to change our behavior.

Thanks Miles, but can you expound a bit on why we are or would be subjected to these natural disasters?

Do you think it could be part of something we have done or didn't do that changed the environment?

OR perhaps you think that nothing we could ever do would make a difference because God hold reigns and will bring these natural disasters in his own good time?

Or maybe you have another opinion, I'd like to hear it.

Yes, I agree but it's how humans will kill humans that is the issue. Is there a reason we should lack clean water supplies? Is there a reason so many are suffering the ill effects of air particulates? Will the genetic altering of seed kill necessary species, like the honey bee, and thus cause a greater food shortage?

You see it's all connected. How we treat the environment will have an affect in how the environement treats us. Don't you think?

I'm not sure about all your attributions but I do worry about people outright denying science, or even their own senses, just because they might believe that God would never allow humans to destroy their own environment. Or worse, that humans may actually be following some plan of God's in which they bring about the demise of humanity in accordance to prophacy. Those end times would necessarily lead to judgment day and God would restore the Earth for his immortal chosen.

Sounds like science fiction but it's much more frightening when the beleifs are real.

Well, it was a Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve took over.

What is your opinion about God granting dominion over all the Earth? Do you think that gives humans a pass on environmental responsility?

I know many people of different faiths who are greatly concerened for the environment and they believe that we were given a great responsibility when granted dominion. But not all do. Where do you stand?