dominion + stewardship

• dominion = humans having power over the rest of the created world
• stewardship = responsible care for the rest of the world; humans are God's agents
• dominion as: unrestricted power over animals + environment

  dominion as: stewardship
• humans are described as having been made "little less than God"
• imago Dei: humans are made in the image of God

  • "fill the earth and subdue it" - power
• "the fear of you and the dread of you"

  "every moving thing that lives shall be food for you"

  • dominion means humans are feared by all other creatures + the earth is to be subdued
• dominion is anthropocentric + anthropomorphic

  • arguably encouraged environmental destruction
  • humans having 'power over' leads to humans abusing the environment to satisfy their needs due to belief that animal do not have souls
• dominion as stewardship:

  • idea of caretaker
  • "to work it and take care of it": Adam's role in the Garden of Eden
  • we are made in God's image, therefore need to do some of his work
  • God viewed his creation as "good": intrinsic value of the environment because God made it + it reflects God's goodness
• Augustine's Principles of Plenitude

  • a universe with many species is much better than a universe with only one
  • this influences Christian consideration of environmental issues + endangered species
  • evolution = God's plan
  • makes humans less important + environment very important - in order to maintain species