If I belonged to a community of belief that considered all life to be sacred and believed that the world and everything in it were under my stewardship, what would be my response to the news that many species of previously common creatures — not those on endangered lists — were in possibly irrecoverable decline due to human activity?
Would I be able to consider myself a good steward of the planet? Would I be able to look my Creator in the face and tell Him I had done my best to preserve His gifts to me and my brothers and sisters?
So why isn’t conservation and wildlife protection a religious issue? Why aren’t people of faith on the front lines in the few wild places we have left? Why does it always seem to be the godless non-mainstream types who put the health of the planet at the top of their list, while those who claim to be in regular communication with the force they think created it don’t seem to care?
CNN.com – Study supports new mass extinction theory – Mar 18, 2004:
A detailed survey of birds and butterflies in Britain shows a population decline of 54 percent to 71 percent, a finding that suggests the world may be undergoing another major extinction.
Researchers said the study helps support the theory that the sixth big extinction in Earth’s history is under way, and this one is caused by humans.