what this means

By Phil Shapley (White Wolf)

Mans Dominion and Dominance

In Genesis 1:28-30, Man is given dominion over the Earth, including the charge to subdue it, and the implication that all things are given to Man. This is being fulfilled by Man's obvious domination. But is the way Man is using his dominion, the way God intended it?

The Relationship Between Man, His Creator and the Creation

The Creation came into existence because of the Creators love and reverence for all the spiritual elements (intelligences or awareness's (defined elsewhere)) that became part of the Creation. Because of His love and wisdom, these elements voluntarily obeyed the Creator and the Earth and all on it came into existence.

How does the Creator ask Man to use his dominion, that is, how does He ask Man to treat Mother Earth and all on Her? The Creator in the two great Commandments, asks Man to love Him, and his, Man's, neighbour. The Natives know that in its broader meaning, neighbour includes plants and animals and all the spiritual element in Nature. Also, the Creator tells Man to become perfect over time like He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). It follows that Man should treat the Creation like our Maker treats it, with love and respect.

Treating the Creation with love and respect does not mean that Man is denied the use of the Creation, including trees, animals, etc. for his, Man's, benefit. Man is told to subdue it. Man has the need of food, shelter, clothing, heat, some comforts, beauty and pleasures. An example is my wife who greatly enjoys her flowers and they benefit by her cultivating them. In addition, the flowers enjoy our appreciation of them.

As pointed out in other papers, the role of much of the Creation is to be of benefit to other parts-- prey as food for predators, plants to feed animals, herbs to heal the sick, mud to make bricks, marble for beautiful statues, etc. God teaches that one of the greatest things a person can do is to sacrifice for others. Much of the Creation is willing to give itself for the benefit of others, such as a moose to the needy hunter.

Why is this so? Sacrifice on the part of some is necessary for the existence of others, for example, many animals must consume plants. But also there is joy and love in giving. Our most beautiful emotions can come from giving. As pointed out elsewhere, all of the Creation has awareness and can experience positive and negative energy, including likely joy and love. Thus, plants can experience good feelings by giving themselves including joy which can also be felt in the post-earth spirit world. And one who is willing to give, can live at a more beautiful level in the after life spirit world.

How is Man to exercise Dominion?

When Man uses plants and animals for a good purpose and he, Man, respects them, he would be exercising dominion in a way acceptable to the Creator. In such situations, plants and animals who all possess awareness, can have a positive experience, even joy, though it may be in their post-earth life. This experience comes because they have been of benefit to another.

Whether Man is using dominion properly, depends much on his attitude and the purpose of his use. If there is greed and little respect, dominion is being abused.

In many ways, modern man has been destructive. This has had negative consequences:

1) environmental degradation;

2) plants that are less nutritious and herbs that are less potent;

3) declining populations;

4) etc.

When Man treats the Creation with love and respect, positive energy is generated and some of the following benefits are realized:

1) plant and animal populations thrive;

2) larger harvests can be obtained;

3) populations are more stable;

4) the environment is protected;

5) food is more nutritious and herbs more potent;

6) Man lives at a higher spiritual level and is happier.

Given the modern world that we live in, it may seem almost impossible to live in love and respect for Nature. However, good attitudes and desires can generate much benefit. As individual people, we can do the best we can in our circumstances. We can still live the Commandments, love, forgive others, recycle, be grateful, be moral, and practice as much respect as possible. We can support environmental causes. God realizes that we still need to drive our car but we can own a fuel efficient vehicle. If you live in this way, God will not condemn you and the Creation will realize that we are trying-- you are generating some positive energy. For more on this, see the papers entitled Practical application of spiritual principles and The necessity of being spiritually connected.