Chrześcijańska wizja świata ekologicznego

Abstract

This article is an attempt to explain the Christian vision of man’s relationship to the world created by God. The author analyses biblical texts and the teaching of the Church, in particular Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’, in order to present the ecological trends of contemporary theology. The concern for the created world springs from the proper understanding of the biblical message, in which man is invited to assume responsibility for the created world entrusted to his care. The transformations that took place during the last two centuries show that man, immersed in the culture of possession, all too often does not take account of the need to protect the natural environment. Reckless violation of the ecological balance resulted in thousands of species of plants and animals disappearing each year, which future generations will no longer have a chance to know. Therefore, in the life of a Christian ecology cannot be a distant addition to life, but a basis allowing us to fulfil God’s command to subdue the earth. Everyone is called to embrace the ecological conversion, because in God’s magnificent design man and woman are called to live in communion with Him, in communion with each other and in communion with all creation. A Christian should be like Noah who was well aware that God will hold him accountable for every lost species, however small it be, because everything that God created is good.