Ok, if you are a science buff, then you are going to expect to see this site die with ecology.  The reason is that ecology, according to Wikipedia, "is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment."  As you can already see, ecology and environmentalism are related, but ecology is an enormous field of study, where environmentalism is only a small portion of that study.

However, there are branches of ecology, such as wetland management and urban planning, that are very closely tied to environmentalism.

For the sake of simplicity, the term ecology in this article is related to the interactions between organisms with each other and the environment.  Namely, human interaction with both animals and the natural environment.

This is not a scientific dive into how everything works.  Instead, it is a call to thinking outside of the boxes we live in and to broaden our sense of life and the world we live in, the world that God created.

Most people have a certain sense of empathy, or the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes.  When you make the effort, it means you do not have to have the experience another person has to be able to live as that person.  In fact, it usually means you throw your experience out the door and imagine what it is like to have the other person's experience.

People tend to have empathy toward their friends and family, but fewer people have empathy when it comes to animals, and very few have empathy relative to nature.  Putting yoruself in the "shoes" of an animal is not such a great stretch, but putting yourself in the "shoes" of a tree?  Do what?

The purpose of this article is not to influence anyone to try to empathize with a plant.  That would be ridiculous.  Instead, the purpose is to encourage people to think about where all this...the plants, the ocean, the animals...where it all came from.  If you are Christian, then you believe God created everything.

So what about walking in God's shoes?  Please don't get me wrong...we could never dream of comiing anywhere close to being God...so walking in his shoes may not make complete sense.  But look at it this way, He is creator of all things.  God also loves us unconditionally...more than our parents or families, more than our spouses.  So if you were walking in God's shoes, and you designed this beautifully intricate and infinately complex system of organisms and environments, wouldn't you want the people you created with the intention of enjoying creation...wouldn't you want them to take care of the work of your hands?

Edward Brown, in his book Our Father's World, described the priceless artwork he has in his house.  Mugs, drawings...creations that his children made when they were young.  He describes his love for these works of art because he knows who created them, and he loves who created them.  Drawing the connection, Brown asks why it's not the same with God.  If we love the creator, why do we not love his creation and take care of it?

The challenge is to change your point of view.  Caring for the environment is not just for treehuggers and environmental activists.  Caring for creation is for you and for me...for all of us that use it's natural resources, that interact with animals and nature, that love the Creator who designed it all.

Ecology is not just about science.  It's about interaction with all of Creation!

• GoVeg.com - Meat and the Environment - A great summary on how the meat industry contributes to harming the environment.

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