September 20, 2011 – Catechism 1042-1050

Taking care of the Earth is something that is not usually associated with being Catholic. But here we see, in our Catechism, that we are to be aware of what we are doing to the world because in some way it relates to the Heavenly world that is to come. We do not know how they relate, but our actions and treatment of the world figures into our treatment and placement in the world to come. It seems to say that advancements and growth in material knowledge are also beneficial as long as they stay within the limits that God sets forth because they promote more stability in the world. Many times Catholics are seen as old fashioned or opposed to science and growth, but that just isn’t the case. All that a Catholic would say is that we are limited by a moral standard and that stepping outside that moral boundary for the sack of progress should not be allowed. In fact, I would go as far to say that any “progress” made outside those bounds is actually a step backwards in the scheme of human development. Nuclear weapons, abortions, birth control, cloning, are things that many would label as “progress”, but have left us as a human entity in sadder shape than before they were around.