The biblical image of man’s primordial home is not a wild place, but a Garden. God gave the natural world to humans as a trust—to be tended, maintained, and shaped into a garden of abundance.
The ethic of stewardship is described by the passages in this section. They exhort kindness to animals in distress, the proper management of natural resources, preservation of endangered species, responsible fishing practices and sustainable development.
They teach us to respect nature’s balance, not to overfish the seas, cut down the forests, or pollute the water and air. We should avoid over-consumption and generating excessive waste, but live in harmony with nature’s capacity to provide.
However, there is a precondition for good stewardship of nature: we must learn to live in harmony with other human beings. The biblical promise that “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb” is predicated on people living peaceably with one another according to Heaven’s principles.
1. Care for All Creatures
“He that is wise, wins souls” [Proverbs 11.30]. The rabbis said, “This refers to Noah, for in the Ark he fed and sustained the animals with much care. He gave to each animal its special food, and fed each at its proper period, some in the daytime and some at night. Thus he gave chopped straw to the camel, barley to the ass, vine tendrils to the elephant, and grass to the ostrich. So for twelve months he did not sleep by night or day, because all the time he was busy feeding the animals.”
Tanhuma, Noah 15a (Judaism)
According to Abu Hurairah, the Messenger of God said, “A man traveling along a road felt extremely thirsty and went down a well and drank. When he came up he saw a dog panting with thirst and licking the moist earth. ‘This animal,’ the man said, ‘is suffering from thirst just as much as I was.’ So he went down the well again, filled his shoe with water, and taking it in his teeth climbed out of the well and gave the water to the dog. God was pleased with his act and granted him pardon for his sins.” Someone said, “O Messenger of God, will we then have a reward for the good done to our animals?” “There will be a reward,” he replied, “for anyone who gives water to a being that has a tender heart.”
Hadith of Bukhari (Islam)
May no living creatures, not even insects, Be bound unto samsaric life; nay, not one of them; But may I be empowered to save them all. Milarepa (Buddhism)
At the openings of ant hills Please have trustworthy men Always put food and water, Sugar and piles of grain.
Before and after taking food Offer appropriate fare To hungry ghosts, dogs, Ants, birds, and so forth. Nagarjuna, Precious Garland 249-50 (Buddhism)
Confucius fished with a line but not with a net. While fowling he would not aim at a roosting bird. Analects 7.26 (Confucianism)
To you did the soul of the ox complain, “For whom did you create me? Who made me? Fury and violence oppress me, and cruelty and tyranny. I have no shepherd other than you: then obtain good pastures for me.”
Then the Creator of the ox asked Right, “Have you a judge for the ox, That you may give him, with the pasture, the care for the raising of the cattle? Whom did you appoint his master who shall put to flight Fury together with the wicked?” As Righteousness, reply was made, “No companion is there for the ox That is free from hatred. Men do not understand how the great deal with the lowly. Of all beings he is the strongest To whose aid I come at his call…
“With hands outstretched we pray to the Lord, We two, my soul and the soul of the mother-cow, Urging the Wise One to command that no harm shall come to the honest man, To the herdsman, in the midst of the wicked who surround him.”
Then spoke the Wise Lord himself, he who understands the prayers in his soul: “No master has been found, no judge according to Righteousness, For the breeder and the herdsman has the Creator fashioned you… “Whom hast thou, as Good Mind, who may take care of us two for men?” “I know but this one, Zarathustra Spitama, the only one who has heard our teaching; He will make known our purpose, O Wise One, and that of Righteousness. Sweetness of speech shall be given to him.” And then moaned the ox-soul: “That I should have to be content With the powerless word of a man without strength for a guardian, I who wish for a strong master! Will he ever be, he who shall help him with his hands?”12 Avesta, Yasna 29.1-9 (Zoroastrianism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Loving God starts from below your own feet. It means to love the things you possess and the natural environment. You absorb the things that you love as your life elements. Love all things equally.
The entire universe exists in love, and you are part of it. Therefore, if you live for the universe, it will return to your bosom. (290:129, February 15, 1998)
There are languages in the animal world. If you sing to your plants, they will grow better and their flowers will generate more fragrance. Even flowers appreciate music and art. (262:127, July 23, 1994)
In the old days when people drove oxen to till the soil, they might whip the animal’s butt, hollering, “You rotten beast! Why are you so lazy? I raised you for this time of the year, you good-for-nothing!” Instead, you would do well to speak gently to the ox, “I am very sorry that I have to use you like this after a long winter of inactivity and poor feeding.” Have a heart more tolerant and patient than the animal, and God will draw near to you. (127:89, May 5, 1983)
Human beings, the center of the creation, want love. Animals also want love; so do plants. Animals want human love. Plants want love from animals. Humans, as the masters of creation, should love animals; those animals should love plants and other creatures. True love thus links everything in a hierarchical order, with God on the top, then human beings, then animals, then plants and finally minerals. (166:51-52, May 28, 1987)
When I go fishing, I release the first fish I catch. When I release it, however, I ask it a question based on the Principle: “You were born through love, so you should die for love; that is the way. Wouldn’t you like to live and die for the sake of human beings who love you?” (93:189, May 29, 1977)
Animals, male and female, should be liberated. Even fish should be liberated. We should build a world where people prepare food for the animals as their owners rather than kill them and eat them. (388:270, August 2, 2002)
2. Conservation and Sustainable Development
Never does a Muslim plant trees or cultivate land, and birds or men or beasts eat out of them, but that is a charity on his behalf. Hadith of Muslim (Islam)
The earth feels happy in the place where one of the faithful cultivates wheat, grass and fruit, where he waters ground that is dry, or dries out ground that is too wet. Avesta, Vendidad 3.1.4 (Zoroastrianism)
If you do not allow nets with too fine a mesh to be used in large ponds, then there will be more fish and turtles than they can eat; if hatchets and axes are permitted in the forests on the hills only in the proper seasons, then there will be more timber than they can use… This is the first step along the kingly way.
Mencius I.A.3 (Confucianism)
One day Honi the Circle-Drawer was journeying on the road when he saw a man planting a carob tree. He asked him, “How long does it take for this tree to bear fruit?” The man replied, “Seventy years.” He then further asked him, “Are you certain that you will live another seventy years?” The man replied, “I found ready grown carob trees in the world; as my ancestors planted these for me, so I too plant these for my children.” Talmud, Taanit 23a (Judaism)
The sacred hoop of any nation is but one of many that together make the great circle of creation. In the center grows a mighty flowering tree of life sheltering all the children of one mother and one father. All life is holy. People native to this land have long lived by the wisdom of the circle, aware that we are part of the Earth and it is part of us. To harm this Earth, precious to God, to upset the balance of the circle, is to heap contempt on its Creator. Therefore, with all our heart and mind, we must restore the balance of the Earth for our grandchildren to the seventh generation. Black Elk (Native American Religion)
The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.’” Leviticus 15.1-4
There is a type of man whose… aim everywhere is to spread mischief through the earth and destroy crops and cattle. But God loves not mischief. Qur’an 2.205
When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them; for you may eat of them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field men that they should be besieged by you? Deuteronomy 20.19
The destruction of vegetable growth is an offense requiring expiation.13 Pacittiya 11 (Buddhism)
Rajah Koravya had a king banyan tree called Steadfast, and the shade of its widespread branches was cool and lovely. Its shelter broadened to twelve leagues… None guarded its fruit, and none hurt another for its fruit. Now there came a man who ate his fill of fruit, broke down a branch, and went his way.
Thought the spirit dwelling in that tree, “How amazing, how astonishing it is, that a man should be so evil as to break off a branch of the tree, after eating his fill. Suppose the tree were to bear no more fruit.” And the tree bore no more fruit. Anguttara Nikaya 3.368 (Buddhism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Nature always seeks balance and has been doing so unceasingly for billions of years. What about you Americans: are you in balance or not? You waste excessively.
Once when I went to a public restroom, I saw someone tear off a long strip of toilet paper and use only the end of it, leaving two-thirds unused on the floor. (339:165, December 20, 2000)
Wasting anything is a sin, from the principled viewpoint. When we were born, we are allotted only a certain amount of material for our use. If we use more than the allotted amount, we are committing sin. We should conserve resources for our posterity. (June 13, 2000)
How to solve environmental pollution is one of the biggest problems facing humanity. According to scientists, once the ozone layer is depleted, humankind will not be able to survive the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Pollution is even changing the climate. We should, therefore, change our lifestyle. We should live a simple life in nature, as people did in ancient times. We should even go to the bathroom in nature, which recycles human waste as fertilizer, rather than causing pollution to the environment. (203:56, June 14, 1990)
We should not allow animal species to become extinct. We should nurture them and then set them free. Zoos should not just exhibit animals; they should breed them to set free in the wild.
We should likewise protect insect species. We should protect and nurture all the species of plants, which are food for animals. We should protect the seeds of the world, that no plant species becomes extinct. (324:118, June 17, 2000)
Already, some species of insects, fish and animals have become extinct. If this phenomenon continues unabated, then in 600 years, or even 300 years, human beings will also become extinct. (326:152, July 7, 2000)
We should raise fish in farms and then let them loose. We can hatch them from eggs like we raise chickens. After letting them loose, we love them, then catch and eat them. The things of creation serve as living offerings to compensate their owner for the love they have received: thus does the creation provide food for people.
Now, instead of just catching fish, we should first farm them… Krill is high in protein; it is a good resource that can be food for animals. This foodstuff exists for the sake of humanity. By supplying the world with krill, we can solve the world’s food problems.
We can lay water pipelines to the desert and create fish farms. Just as petroleum is brought to the American mainland from Alaska, it should be possible to pipe seawater or freshwater to any place in the world. Amazon River water can be piped to the desert.
Then it can be developed for fish farming. We should breed and grow fish with a loving heart, before we eat them. By creating fish farms in the desert, we can also use the water to irrigate the land to grow vegetables and grass. Every year, more land is turning into desert.
Through human ingenuity, by establishing fish farms, the desert will become a place of marshes and trees. I am not just thinking small-scale; I envision transforming a huge desert into fish farms that will produce an infinite supply of food. (324:114-15, June 17, 2000)
Solutions to the world’s environmental problems cannot be arrived at through the efforts of scientists alone, or by the efforts of any one individual, organization, or nation…
They call for sacrifice and cooperation among all peoples of the world, transcending the interests of any one community or nation.
Such a spirit of cooperation will be attained only when all people view themselves as members of the same human family. This revolutionary change in human consciousness has long been needed and is vital to humanity's survival today. (74:108-09, November 21, 1974)
3. To Restore the Garden of Eden
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. Genesis 2.15
When God created the first man, He took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden, and said to him, “Behold My works, how beautiful and commendable they are! All that I have created, for your sake, I created it. Pay heed that you do not corrupt or destroy My universe; for if you corrupt It there is no one to repair it after you.” Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.13 (Judaism)
In the days when natural instincts prevailed, men moved quietly and gazed steadily. At that time, there were no roads over mountains, nor boats, nor bridges over water. All things were produced, each for its own proper sphere. Birds and beasts multiplied; trees and shrubs grew up.
The former might be led by the hand; you could climb up and peep into a raven’s nest. For then man dwelt with the birds and beasts, and all creation was one. There were no distinctions of good and bad men; being all equally without knowledge, their virtue could not go astray.
Being all equally without evil desires, they were in a state of natural integrity, the perfection of human existence. Chuang Tzu 9 (Taoism)
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.14 Isaiah 11.6-9
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Our planet Earth faces serious environmental problems. Environmental pollution and injury to nature show contempt for the beautiful and holy world that God created.
People without true love abuse the natural world; they take it as merely something to be used. One serious consequence of the Fall is that Adam and Eve could not inherit God’s true love. As a result, people are unable to love their fellow human beings, and they are unable to love the creation.
All creatures still yearn to receive true love from human beings. I would like to build an ideal community in South America, one that demonstrates the appropriate relationship of love between human beings and nature. (271:75-76, August 22, 1985)
Live in the countryside rather than in the city. Embrace, nurture and protect the natural world with the same love that God had when He first created it. You and I have the responsibility to protect endangered species from becoming extinct. Only when we love all creation and all people in God’s stead can we return to our rightful positions as owners. Love nature.
Love the sea, the mountains and the fields—all three. Love all living things, so that they may grow. As the descendants of Adam and Eve, you have the responsibility to love the water, the air and the earth in God’s stead, restoring them to their original condition before the Fall. They will supply nutrients for all things to grow, and all creation will return to the blessed world of Eden. (May 10, 2003)
This planet Earth is becoming barren. Year by year, the deserts are growing, and plants are disappearing. Therefore, we should collect all the varieties of seeds that God created and sow them.
With the loving heart that God had when He created all things on earth, we should increase the trees and plants, transplanting them and propagating their cuttings. We should protect the land.
The land should contain a balance of plants, animals and human beings. If the plants die away, then human life and civilization will inevitably perish. We are now faced with a situation in which the purpose of creation is being trampled.
Therefore, as we love God, His nation and His sovereignty, we should also love and protect His people and His land. By restoring the entire creation, we should create a lush and prosperous natural world where animals roam free, as God originally intended us to build. (304:254-55, November 8, 1999)