The Church Responds... The Environment PDF

The Church Responds… The Environment Prepared by: Vincent Eric E. Comiso, LPT Objectives At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Recall the circumstances leading up to the Church’s stance on the environment Objectives At the end of the lesson, students will be able t...

The Church Responds… The Environment Prepared by: Vincent Eric E. Comiso, LPT Objectives At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Recall the circumstances leading up to the Church’s stance on the environment Objectives At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Understand the Church’s stance on the environment Objectives At the end of the lesson, students will be able to: Apply the Church’s teaching on the environment to their daily life Gods and Goddesses Name some examples of technology. Given these examples, what can be said of technology? Gods and Goddesses Name some of the important gods and goddesses from mythology. Gods and Goddesses What do these gods and goddesses have in common? Why do you think the ancient peoples worshiped them? Situation Report Most gods and goddesses in the ancient world represented natural phenomena, e.g., the sun, moon, sea, etc. People worshiped these gods because they were afraid. Situation Report People were (are) afraid of these natural phenomena because they cannot control them. This drive to control nature is called the technologizing stance. Those who insist on the technologizing stance are called technocrats. Situation Report The technocrat’s house The pagan’s house The Church’s Response Genesis was written to challenge both the technocratic and pagan mindsets about the environment. The world was made by Someone. The world was made for us men. The world was made as a gift. The Church’s Response Genesis was written to challenge both the technocratic and pagan mindsets about the environment. The world became fearsome because man saw it not as a gift, but as a piece of technology. Laudato si’ Italian for “Praise be to You” Authored by Pope Francis in 2015 Laudato si’ Condemns both the technocratic and pagan view of the environment. Throwaway culture “experimentization” of life and society Laudato si’ The climate is a common good. Promotion of ecological conversion and an integral ecology Synthesis The Church’s stand on the environment aims to refute both the pagan and the technocratic view of the environment. According to the Bible, the world was made for man as a gift. Synthesis A major document in the Church’s stand on the environment is Laudato si’, which emphasizes human dignity and ecological conversion of Christians and an integral ecology.