Principle 9 – As members of humanity it is necessary to live responsibly and in a manner that is beneficial to God and the rest of creation.
Genesis 1:26-28, “…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 on the Earth.”
It is in this passage from the Jewish Scriptures that we get our first example of God calling mankind to be responsible. There are countless other examples in Scripture and other places which makes it clear, as the crowning achievement of God’s creation, we, human beings, are to take responsibility for all of creation. As an interrelated whole we who have the capability to manage and care for the rest must exercise that capability.
It is through our acts of responsibility that it can be seen where we are interconnected. By developing our independence, we are then able to start working interdependently thus bringing about the greatest good.
This universe we live in is incomprehensible but by taking ownership in our little, individual piece we can affect the whole, allowing this organism to function in a healthy way.
The created order is set up in such a way that if we are responsible about how we live in relation to it, it becomes clear that it is self-sustaining. Therefore, by being responsible, we are assuring a perpetual existence. Care for each other, care for the planet, care for all of it because it is all we have, and that as a fragile commodity.