Ecotheology: A New Approach

Some say that we live in the “era after writing”.¹ All the more astonishing seems to be the creation of an infinite number of texts aimed at describing our reality, the condition of modern civilization or producing a futurological vision of what is to come. The multitude of interpretations, views, negotiations, ways of argumentation, accepted or questioned principles, paradigms or laws is certainly a manifestation that a comprehensive vision of the world has disappeared. This can be expressed by controversial yet catchy statements that change has become a sole constant,² or: “life in the era of liquid modernity reminds us every day of the general transience of everything without exception. There is nothing permanent in this world.”³ However, since man is constantly renewing his effort to describe mental subjugation of the surrounding reality, it is a clear sign that he still has an unswerving desire to know and understand. The contemporary civilization – with its historically unprecedented pace of development – raises new challenges in all areas of life. Having created them, man wants to see them and stand up to them, and certainly also eliminate emerging threats or negative, previously unforeseen, consequences.

Among the multitude of topics and problems, ecology, and more specifically the ecological crisis, seems to be the most widely discussed one. The famous Report of the UN Secretary General Sithu U Thant Problems of the Human Environment (1969) initiated in the global community the discussion concerning the real threat to humanity, that is the disturbance of, and even loss of balance between the environment and human cultural and economic activities. The sixties of the 20th century became a time of awakening ecological awareness in the face of progressing degradation of the world of nature, manifestations of which can be seen in contaminated rivers, polluted air, devastated land, dying forests, ozone holes, acid rain, global warming, the threat of extinction of more and more animal and plant species. People started to realize ever more clearly the fact of a global crisis ultimately leading to endangering human existence.

In our world, the relation between culture and nature – between man’s activity in the world and his identification and solidarity with the natural world – has been upset. Among the causes of such trends, one should definitely identify modern anthropocentrization of thinking about man. Combines with dynamic technological development, it resulted in the vision of man dominating the world indivisibly and unrestrictedly.⁴ Such approaches have become a basis for legitimization and approval of wasteful anthropopressure demanding approval for all human activities without minding their more or less far-reaching consequences for the realm of nature. The development paradigm of technical civilization presented as a measure of growth and progress, as well as lifting onto a pedestal pervasive consumptionism, which unceasingly formulates a postulate of multiplying and using goods,⁵ are contemporary effects of the anthropocentric vision of the world and at the same time a factor causing escalated degradation of the realm of nature.⁶

Noticing the existence of borders, the crossing of which endangers the functioning and, consequently, the existence of individual ecosystems, makes humanity increasingly aware that furthering global growth in this manner threatens life on Earth and may mean that future generations will find it impossible to live in. In other words, the current ecological crisis – unless radical steps are taken, opposing the dominant forms of using the world’s resources – may lead to the devastation of the natural environment and annihilation of Homo sapiens. The image of our planet as a small spacecraft (Spaceship Earth), in which we all travel, and whose fate – regardless of our status or tasks – will be shared by everyone in the event of a catastrophe, seems to be extremely down to the point and eloquent here.⁷

The importance of ecological problems is noticed by the Catholic Church’s Magisterium, which understands the interest in these issues to be one of the vectors of the realization of its mission: “To carry out such a task, the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other. We must therefore recognize and understand the world in which we live, its explanations, its longings, and its often dramatic characteristics.”⁸ The issue of ecology should be considered as such a sign of times, which is in particular confirmed by the teaching of post-Council popes.

Inspired by their teaching, theology takes up ecological problems, having perceived its competences in that area. Having been developed since the 1970s, it intensifies its presence in the theological discourse to such an extent that we may speak about ecological awakening of theology.⁹ First of all, it feels predisposed to create a philosophical and theological basis for environmental issues. Realizing the role that the Creator has set for man in the world and towards the world, it wants to arouse not only “a sense of responsibility for God’s entrusted good of the created world, but it directly makes this responsibility the most appropriate ethical criterion that must be applied to assess the stewardship of what has been created by God’s hand. Of course, Christian theology and philosophy can and should boast of the merit of placing reflection on ecological topics in the context of the currently discernible crisis of values, or more precisely – of the moral crisis, whose full understanding is not possible without methodical reference to anthropological issues.”¹⁰

Theologians emphasize the specificity of their approach to ecological issues as well as the significance of their contribution in that matter. In their opinion, this problem cannot be left to the exclusive research of natural science, economics or politics. This issue is also a theological problem. Man’s relation to nature remains in close relation to God as well as another man. In the industrialized world, in the context of the disappearing symbiotic harmony between man and natural environment, theology is an essential factor creating a cohesive ethical worldview, unifying the good of man and the good of nature, indicating the duties and responsibilities of man to the world in the spirit of Divine Revelation.¹¹ Thus it tries to broaden the redemptive perspective by departing from the so far dominant anthropocentric conception in favour of the understanding embracing all creation.