Environmental Responsibilty (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

What is stewardship?

• The world is important for humans, both now and in the future, because there is only one planet Earth, and it cannot be replaced

• Many religious believers think that God has given humans a special duty to care for the world he created

• This duty is called stewardship

  • A steward is like a caretaker; they are responsible for looking after someone’s property while that person is away

• Stewardship of the world means responsibility for:

  • Caring for every created thing

  • Treating the world with respect

  • Ensuring the planet is maintained for future generations

• Enjoying the benefits of living in the beautiful world that God created comes with these responsibilities. Because everything is interdependent, harming the planet or driving animals to extinction will harm people as well

Christian attitudes to stewardship

• Christians believe in stewardship

• They see all life as a gift from God and consider themselves to be stewards of God’s creation

• Genesis 1:26 teaches that men and women were made “in the image” of God, and in Genesis 2:7, God “breathed life” into Adam, the first human

  • Both these teachings show that humans were created with a special status

• The book of Genesis also says that God gave people the task of “ruling” over every living thing

• The idea that humans have the responsibility and authority to rule over the world and every created thing is known as dominion

• Christians believe they have dominion over nature, and the book of Psalms says:

• Part of having dominion is the responsibility of looking after all of God’s creation. In Genesis 2:15, Adam was given the task of looking after the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15), and this responsibility passes on to other humans

• The book of Psalms says, “The Earth belongs to the Lord and everything on it” (Psalms 24:1), meaning that the natural world does not belong to humans to treat as they wish

• As stewards, Christians believe that people have been appointed by God to respect the world, working with nature to preserve what God has given

• This means treating the world’s resources in a way that promotes environmental sustainability for the survival of generations to come

• Christians believe in global citizenship, which means:

  • They take collective responsibility for addressing environmental issues that affect the whole planet

  • All people are citizens of the world and therefore have to think globally about the issues that affect their neighbours across the world, not just their local communities. For example, they should:

    • Support charities that work worldwide to end poverty and protect the environment

    • Buy Fairtrade products to help farmers across the world

    • Live sustainably themselves to support the health of the whole planet

• Many Christians believe that they will be judged when they die based on how they have treated the world

Muslim attitudes to stewardship

• Muslims have similar beliefs to Christians and value the principles of stewardship

• Being a steward is also known as being a khalifah, or trustee, of the world

• Islam teaches that God created Adam as his khalifah

• Muslims believe that they are all commanded to be khalifahs or stewards in the Qur’an

• The Hadith also teaches this

• Islam teaches of a pattern and balance in the universe, an idea known as fitrah. The survival of the world depends on this balance being maintained

• As khalifahs, humans must look after the Earth for God and keep the balance of creation in the way set out in the Qur'an and the Shari’ah

• This means living responsibly and using the planet’s resources fairly to ensure environmental sustainability

• As a result, Muslims must do their part to care for the environment

  • They should reduce pollution and preserve resources

• Many Muslims become involved in conservation or recycling projects to work for environmental sustainability

  • For example, a UK-based scheme called Muslims for Humanity plants trees throughout the country to improve the local environment

• They believe that their actions are putting into practice the Hadith teaching that all actions that care for the natural world are seen as a charitable gift for Allah

• Islam teaches that this life is a test from God and that part of the test is looking after the earth. People will be judged by God on the way they have looked after the Earth 

  • Those who fail the test will be called to account in the akhirah (afterlife)

• All Muslims are members of the Ummah, and this includes future generations who need a healthy environment to live in

Humanist attitudes to stewardship

• Humanists base their thinking on reason and evidence rather than belief in a supernatural being (God)

• They believe that humans have a responsibility to protect the planet and live sustainably

• Humanists agree with the idea of stewardship but for practical, not religious, reasons

• They think that all humans should use their ability to reason and think logically to:

  • Live in an environmentally sustainable way

  • Find scientific solutions to the problems and challenges facing the planet, such as climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss

  • Find innovative ways of protecting natural resources and habitats

  • Address the challenges by working together to ensure rational policy-making and collective action

• They believe caring for the environment makes sense because all life is interconnected and humans are part of a larger web of life

  • The health of the planet is directly connected to human wellbeing

  • Therefore, the destruction of the environment leads to negative consequences for humans

• Humanists are concerned with future generations

  • This is not because God gave humans this role, but because of the practical consequences on future generations of failing to care for the planet

  • Living sustainably and addressing issues such as pollution and climate change will secure a healthier planet for the future

• Humanists believe in the power of collective action and consider that all humans should address environmental issues since they are global issues

  • They think there should be international respect and cooperation to address the environmental issues facing the world

  • To address these issues, Humanists for a Better World was launched in 2011 to campaign on social and environmental issues. This was changed to Humanist Climate Action in 2021 and continues with its work