God's Creation Man's Dominion

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18 September 2018

God’s Creation, Man’s Dominion

There are many people around the world who abuse animals through unnecessary and painful methods, because they believe that man can exercise dominion over all living creatures in this world. If society could go back to killing animals in the wild for food instead of having factory farms, then society could be better off because they will not be using artificial fattening’s in their livestock in order to get them ready before their prime for slaughter. 1[Society has to see Dominion not as the power to rule, but as a moral responsibility. For they in the church nowadays tend to shy away from God’s more specific call of Dominion. This is somewhat understandable because as a society it tends to gravitate towards the most negative meaning of dominion and do not take their time to look for a better explanation that can fit God’s teachings. For many of them in this current society/generation, the word “dominion” has gotten a bad reputation as it implies some sort of aggressive or violent destruction] for as Stewardship can be related to what God had in mind for mankind.  2[In Genesis verse 1:26, the passage says that God created mankind in his image and likeliness, so that they may rule over all creatures in the land, the sky and the ocean.] Society can conclude that God wants them to use every animal that moves along the ground for their benefit, and they should treat all animals with dignity. 3[According to Genesis 9:3 God said everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. For, he now has given us everything.] God did not intend for all animals to be treated as pets, as he created livestock for human consumption and to kill only the necessary amount to sustain them.  Dominion does not mean destruction but responsibility. Society has a responsibility towards their natural world, and future generations to come. It is important to avoid unsound and flawed convictions about the right and power of humankind in relation to the natural world. According to Francis Shaffer, in his article “A Right View of Dominion,” Fallen man has dominion over nature, but uses it wrongly. Christians are called upon to exhibit this dominion, but exhibit it rightly; treating the thing as having value itself, exercising dominion without being destructive. According to Justin Holcomb, in his article “Biblical view of Dominion: Stewardship,” is true that a false view of dominion has played a role in the mistreatment of creation, but a correct understanding of the concept can lead to service, responsibility, and stewardship. To fulfill this role, society must be prepared to understand that this work of dominion should be expressed as stewardship. Since God gave them the job to take care of everything he created and allowed them the use of green plants and animals (livestock) for food, society also have the moral responsibility to treat every animal with dignity.