Sacred Texts to Sacred Earth

A Catholic theologian once said that all the followers of the religion of the Book such as Jews, Christians and Muslims should put their sacred texts on the shelf and start looking at creation. It is a provoking statement, no Christian or member of the other religions can deny the importance of sacred scripture for personal, spiritual growth... Clearly God is at work in every form of life and is calling us to co-operate in the wonders of creation through our creativity, intelligence and passion, preserving its beauty and richness. The fact is that we human beings have not fulfilled the Creator's mandate the way we should have and are largely responsible for the rapid degradation of the earth through our economic activities.

Agreements on carbon emissions... as important as they are, do not address the root causes of the problem. The problem lies not in the ecosystems but in the human heart, in our attitudes, aspirations and orientations, in our habits, practices and institutions. What is required from us Christians, especially us in the consumer class, is a fundamental change of mind  to follow a sustainable lifestyle. We are invited to adopt a way of life that is in line with the radical message of Christ.

The crisis in creation is not a failure of nature, but a failure of the human heart—and no treaty can mend what only repentance can restore.