Recent news stories about increases in animal cruelty reports by the SPCA provoked some thoughts about our relationship to the natural world and all of its creatures.
God blessed [Adam and Eve],
and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air
and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
(Genesis 1.28, RSV)
I have a soft spot for creatures - hairy, scaly slippery, feathery, I love them all. I love them to the point of feeling deeply anguished when animals of any sort are mistreated or killed "inhumanely." I recall an event from my childhood in which I was a participant in a community summer program at a local school. This was an "arts and crafts" day program of some sort and I was entirely enjoying the games and craft projects. It must have been a particularly wet summer as I recall there being an abundance of frogs about. I have always been fascinated with frogs and that summer found me enjoying their goofy antics with unabashed enthusiasm. So it was that some of the boys in the program noticed my interest in frogs and decided to have some "fun." They began hopping about, squashing as many frogs as they could land on. I was horrified - I could not make them stop, could not get them to see the beauty of these vulnerable little creatures. That moment is seared into my memory for it taught me that there are some who seem to take delight in the intentional wounding of the planet. I have never understood this inclination.
As disturbing as that memory is, justification for such actions has a Biblical basis of sorts - Genesis 1.28. It seems humanity took that one pretty seriously - subdue and have dominion. The sad part is, the Hebrew words that were used and translated "subdue" and "dominion" are used only 23 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, all of them denoting subjugation, ruling or lording over the weak, violating or treading upon. If we look at humanity's relationship to creatures and to the earth as a whole we can find abundant evidence to suggest that we have violated, tread upon and lorded over the weak with unhindered abandon.
Unfortunately, the verse quoted above from Genesis 1 is grossly misunderstood. The 23 uses of the two Hebrew words in question occur after the Garden story and refer entirely to humanity's relationship to itself and to creation after its expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The harmony of Creator and created, of humanity to God and to the earth was broken. Consequently, our understanding of lordship and dominion was colored by fear for survival, and an unbridled lust for power and greed. To subdue and have dominion has evolved to mean only a relationship of unequal power in which the weaker (all other creatures and the environment) are mercilessly used for humanity's whim.
This is not, however, the relationship that was present between God, humanity and the earth within the sanctuary of the Garden. In their original intent, the words (poorly translated) subdue and have dominion, described a lordship which reflected the kind of care that God has for all of creation. The New Interpreter's Bible commentary states, "the [garden] world was in harmony with God’s intention of shalom. A study of the verb ‘have dominion’ reveals that it must be understood in terms of care-giving, even nurturing, not exploitation. As the image of God, human beings should relate to the non-human as God relates to them… subduing involves development in the created order… the task of intra-creational development, of bringing the world along to its fullest possible creational potential”.
The fact is, we have sorely misinterpreted our mission regarding creation. Our prime directive was not to trample it to our heart's content; it was to love it so that it could be all that its potential allows for. Humanity has been appointed Lord upon, not over, the earth. This role entitles us to live in communion with the natural world in such a way that the creative work begun by God continues through us. The use of technology, cultivation of the land, care of domestic and wild animals - all of this must be enacted in such a way that the earth thrives and grows into new ways of flowering, revealing and reveling in the glory of its Creator.
Genesis 1.28 is a challenge to all of us, urban and rural, to consider how we treat the world around us. A deeper understanding of this Biblical command reveals that we do not have authority to destroy the creatures and environment as we wish. Farming practices and urban lifestyle are obligated, by God's command, to nurture the whole earth through peaceful and loving intention. The implications of this command ripple through all parts of our lives - the production of food using GMO technology, the application of chemicals to the land, mining practices, oil production practices, urban sprawl, overflowing landfills, air pollutants... and of course the destruction of animal species for sport or commercial gain. What is acceptable, desirable, sustainable, truthful? Easy answers are not in our grasp. I do not judge our farmers or our city dwellers; thousands of years of misdirection have brought us to where we are and gentle, open conversation will be key to making changes that will bring us into alignment with the empowerment of Genesis 1.28.
We have but one earth, and one command to nurture this earth with all our heart. Begin today by loving humanity with your whole being. Then let that love flow out to the other creatures that fill your world.
I leave the last word to King David:
"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters"
(Psalm 24)
With you I struggle with the questions,
Pastor Bill
Sunrise
Brilliant light
floods the earth
a seed
germinates
a flower
blooms
God's glory
Earth's song
Humanity's cradle
Breathe
release
pray
[First published March 6, 2013]
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