Caring for Earth is a Christian duty

As island people, known for our reverence for this bountiful island land and the pure ocean water that surrounds us, can we become conscious to what might await our children and us in the next decade or so?

When we hear of the widespread pollution that results from overdependence on the automobile, for example, are we challenged to carpool, take TheBus or be realistic about the need for the mass transit plan being considered? This month, there are 60,000 more automobiles on our highways and roads, just because school is back in session. H-1 is stop-and-go, not just in morning and afternoon commuter times. Why is it that every time I'm frustrated with people, it is usually their driving skills that I curse? I finally put a small bell hanging from my rearview mirror to ring when I feel that urge coming on.

Are we willing to make small changes in our lifestyle to help save our peace of mind, our overall health and our island home for future generations?

Our shorelines are lined for miles with massive extravagant hotels that serve the richest of the world. They are too expensive for the average local family to enjoy. Our mega-malls are ugly, with warehouse-style shopping, with no native culture, no charm and little comfort in mind. Attached to these malls are miles of parking lots with spaces too small to park the jumbo SUVs. How does this inconsideration happen?

The eye-opening film "An Inconvenient Truth" has had a long theater run, and many have been enlightened to concerns about global warming. Save the whales and polar bears, save the native birds, save the precious land, save our beaches from a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina. Because of our carelessness, our whole planet is in danger of weather changes that will disturb nature's balance.

Today, we are being called as never before to reappraise how we view and value the natural world. God asks us to care for and tend to the land. This piece of lava rock that God created in the middle of the blue Pacific Ocean needs special nurturing. We are small in comparison to other land masses and can only benefit from careful utilization of what we have.

In the life of the church and in the area of Christian concern, we've seen a rising tide of interest and commitment to the causes of peace and social justice. Celebrities are even jumping aboard and making a difference in their own way in raising awareness of horrific world social concerns. There is a dimension of spirituality that weaves all of us together in active work and draws us out to feeding the homeless, marching for certain causes, planting trees, picking up aluminum cans in parks, whitewashing graffiti and especially in voting booths. More dialogue is needed in schools, universities and churches.

Our current global interest in environmental issues is seen as an essential challenge to this generation of Christians. The call is to take care of and protect the earth. As people who have enjoyed the gifts of the land up to this point, we now must take action to preserve it for others.

Let's consider an unwritten 11th commandment: Thou shall not despoil the earth nor destroy the life thereon. This commandment expresses a simple idea that the earth belongs to God. God made it and sustains it. He lives in it and can be encountered through it. God is the source of all life, not just human life. As Al Gore has written in his book titled "Earth in Balance," we seem to have lost contact with this fact.

Our best hope lies in unleashing the spiritual wisdom at the heart of our religions.

The Rev. Nancy Conley is director of the Spiritual Life Center.

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