God is the creator of all. 'God's spirit swept over the face of the waters.' (Genesis 1:2) All of God's creation is good. (Gen 1:31) Jesus Christ lived in harmony with God's creation. 'In Christ all things in nature hang together.' (Colossian 1:16) Humans are created in God's image and likeness (Gen 1:26). This immediately implies the innate dignity of each person. Human beings, endowed with intelligence, must respect the laws of nature, care for and use earth's goods responsibly.

Humans take their place within the midst of creation. Human beings are not outside of creation as if superior to creation. All of God's creation is sacred. Land and animals alike need a chance to rest, rejuvenate and recover. It is a distortion for humans to claim that they are more important than the rest of creation. Humans do not have dominion over creation, rather they are called to be stewards of creation.

Dominion: A Catholic perspective on human caring for the earth can depend significantly on the way the 'dominion' in Genesis has been interpreted. In the past, the way dominion was interpreted suggested that humans had power over all of creation. In this context, dominion can be interpreted as unbridled exploitation and manipulation of creation. This is not a correct interpretation of 'dominion'. Being created in God's image does not give humans the right to exploit the earth and its people. Instead the role of people is to build on the goodness of God's creation and restore broken relationships with the earth and others, to end selfishness or self-centredness and turn greed around to the sharing of resources. Christians should be carers of our common home; to till, keep and protect the earth (Genesis 2:15) and its people. Building on the goodness of God's creation, nurturing it and creating beauty is true dominion and care for creation.

Human life is grounded in three close relationships. We relate to God, to our neighbour and to the earth itself. When humans do not acknowledge their limits, that they are not masters of the universe, the three close relationships are broken. Human progress and change are not always aimed at human dignity or ecological sustainability.