If you like the Painting you'll Love the Painter;

A Christian View of Ecology

Philip G. Ney, MD, MA, FRCP(C), FRANZCP, RPsych

© 1998

A friend of mine paints wonderfully detailed historic scenes.  He carefully researches from old journals, diaries, and early sketches to create a dramatic, pictorial account of marine history.  I liked his paintings, but when I got to know him I liked him even better than I liked his paintings.  I found the paintings were only a small portion of what he knew and what he was. 

This evening four small deer pranced across a small field in front of me.  Their heads and tails were held high, but they stopped to look intently when I whistled.  The dark fir, the bright yellow of the broom, the grey and light blue of an evening sky, I thought whoever painted this scene must be truly wonderful.

Because of our concern over a burgeoning population, so much is said about the disastrous effect of clearcutting forests, ruining the ozone, and creating the greenhouse effect.  Listening to children, I find they blame themselves for the "over population"  They are beginning to think they are the cause of it all.  After all, the latest arrivals on the scene in a crowded situation are the ones who are most likely to feel unwelcome, especially if they realize they are disturbing the peace and the harmony of those upon whom their lives depend.

In a competitive view of ecology we can only have people OR trees, farms OR houses, people and their pollution OR untracked, unseen wilderness.  The net effect of this is to make people, particularly children, question their worth.

When people don't value themselves they do not value their family, neighbours, friends or environment.  Thus the end result of a competitive view of ecology is people who have diminishing self respect and therefore less respect for how they treat others and how they look after their world.

The Universal Ethic of Mutual Benefit states we cannot gain at the expense of our neighbour.  If anything we do or acquire is not good for others it is not helpful to ourselves.  Unless it is good for black it is not good for white.  Unless it is good for men it is not really good for women.  If it is not good for children it is not good for parents.  When we welcome and cherish children they care for us in similar fashion.  When they are welcomed they feel worthy of respect.  When who they are and what they do is worthwhile they see their environment as important and make great efforts to care and conserve it for themselves and for the next generation.

In parts of the world I have seen there is a drastically diminishing population because of the low fertility rate.  In these places there is a desperate attempt to find enjoyment and promote an ailing economy, but it all seems hopeless.  Where there is no hope there is a diminishing desire to have children.  Yet children create hope by making us plan for the future, conserve our resources, and resolve destructive conflicts.  Thus where there are children there is hope.  When there is hope people desire to have children.  Conversely, as the number of children being welcomed to the world diminishes so does hope for the future, and thus a decreasing desire to have children.

Whenever we besmirch, distort or destroy a painting we insult the painter.  The greatest insult to the Great Painter of everything is to destroy those tiny people that He created using Himself as the model.  It says in Scripture if we welcome a child in Christ's name we welcome Christ, and if we welcome Christ we welcome God and, logically, all the resources of the universe.  A competitive view of ecology is bound to be destructive.  A cooperative attitude welcomes every child who then cares for him/herself and the world.

The next time you see four deer in a meadow, three crows on a tree or two rabbits at the side of a road, stop for a minute and look at that wonderful painting.  If you like the painting you'll love the Painter.  Because you love the Painter you will want to carefully maintain everything He paints and welcome all the tiniest humans for which He is a model.