3.5

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3.5 How can the Earth survive?
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C.C.C 1846 -1869

• Sin is an offence against reason, truth and right
  conscience it is a failure in genuine love for
  God and neighbour.
• While sin is a personal act, we have a
  responsibility for the sins committed by others
  when we cooperate in them by participating in
  them by ordering, advising, praising or
  approving of them not stopping sin when we have
  an obligation to by protecting the evil-doers.

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C.C.C 1846 -1869

• Social sin arises from personal sin and the
  structures of sin which together lead others to
  sin.
• The Gospel however is the revelation in Jesus
  Christ of Gods mercy to sinners. This is our
  hope - that we can be restored to grace by
  cooperating in Gods loving plan and confessing
  our sins.

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• As humans, God has given us the ability to
  distinguish between good and evil.
• We are called to recognise the good of creation
  and uphold this good.
• Justice and respect for the balance in creation
  go hand in hand.
• In many ways, we sin when we turn our backs on
  this balance in creation.

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How Can The Earth Survive?

• Natural Law refers to the proper order and
  balance of creation that God intended for the
  universe. It is considered natural because it is
  in our human nature to recognize it.
• Procreation
• Not polluting
• Stewardship
• Preservation of life
• Scientific laws and principle

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Procreation

• Males produce sperm, females produce eggs
• Sexual reproduction requires a sperm (23) and an
  egg (23) to combine to for a zygote (46)
• Sexual reproduction is only possible with a male
  and a female
• Males and females also need to reach an age of
  sexual maturity to be able to sexually reproduce
• Males and female have different specialized
  organs to help them carry out there roles in
  reproduction as part of natural law

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Not Polluting

• The world is a balanced closed ecosystem which
  contains all of creation. When we upset that
  balance, changes occur to restore balance in some
  other way.
• We have to be conscious of how our species
  pollutes our environment as some of these changes
  cause our Earth to no longer be inhabitable for
  us (CO2 emissions and global warming, CFCs and
  ozone layer depletion)

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Stewardship

• We are the guardians of creations. God has
  entrusted us as stewards of the Earth for
  generations to come.
• 3 Rs Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
• 4th R Refuse refuse products with unnecessary
  packaging
• We also need to consume resources in a
  sustainable manner so we dont use them up faster
  that they are replaced

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Preservation of Life

• We have an obligation to preserve the life that
  God gave us.
• We should avoid any lifestyle choices that may
  put our life in danger.
• We also should respect all other human life and
  do what we can to preserve it.
• We should also respect animal life, only
  consuming animals in a sustainable, humane way.
• We must preserve the environment to sustain
  creation

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Natural Laws of Science

• Law of Gravity Any 2 objects with mass are
  attracted to each other (earth and an apple)
• Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy matter
  and energy in a closed system are constant
  (cannot be created or destroyed, only converted)
• Law of Inertia objects in motion remain in
  motion and objects at rest remain at rest
• Law of Electrostatic Attraction opposite
  charges attract, like charges repel

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How Can The Earth Survive?

• Justice is both a demand and an outcome of
  natural law.
• The basic principle of natural law is that the
  demands of God are present in the nature and
  order of creation.
• Nature teaches us that all things are
  interconnected and exist in a delicate balance.
  We are to be just and respect this balance.

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How Can The Earth Survive?

• The Earth is our common heritage and God intended
  that the fruits of the earth be used for the
  benefit of all people.
• We have a duty to respect and care for creation
  (as stewards) to preserve this gift for future
  generations.
• We also have an obligation to see that all
  peoples are receiving the benefits of the earth
  so that their basic needs are being met.

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How Can The Earth Survive?

• We are called to be meek and change our
  lifestyles in order to find the solutions to our
  problems in nature and the environment.
• This means using resources conservatively and in
  a sustainable way.
• Respecting natural law and the complex balances
  in the universe.
• Using the SEE, JUDGE, ACT, EVALUATE model to
  recognize injustices and work for change.