God’s gift of Nature and man’s responsibility
God’s gift of Nature and man’s responsibility

Summary/Abstract: Both man and nature are the work of the same Creator. Although we distinguish man from Divine works, we know that man is also an element of nature and cannot be considered independent of it. The human task is to read God’s plan as it is contained in nature and prudently participate in the work of God. The use of God’s gifts should therefore be characterized by responsibility and moderation. However, greed, stupidity, and irresponsibility lead to the destruction of nature. The pride in instrumental reason leads to technocratism, detachment from nature, and the replacement of nature with artificial products. This involves a number of threats (such as the damaging of relationships: with God, with nature, with other people). People’s attitude towards nature affects not only its, but also their, condition. Man’s degradation of nature and his turning away from it contribute to his own degeneration. The threat to nature is also a threat to man. The Christian attempt to respond to the ecological crisis is the vision of integral ecology. The human being’s current causative power demands a revision or extension of ethical reflection so that we will be obliged to be more responsible for our common home. Responsibility is man’s answer to the Divine gift of creation. A prerequisite for the spreading of such ethics is dialogue, which enables one to meet others, to be able to understand them, and to be able to help them (and himself) in enacting the implementation of God’s plan for the world.

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