Bad Stewardship

I was watching this video about big cats and catnip, produced by Big Cat Rescue of Florida, and there's something I really, really don't get: how can anyone look at an animal like that and think it's better off as a coat-- or an aphrodisiac?? That's such a waste of what God has given us.

I think as Christians, we make big mistakes about what being a steward of the earth means. Remember all those stories in the Gospels about bad stewards who mistreat their master's stuff when the master is away? I have to wonder what we'll say if and when God asks us what we did with his stuff-- "Where are my big cats?"-- and all we have to point to is a pile of skins and some poached meat. "Where are my rhinoceroses? Where are my thylacine? What did you do with the wetlands I created to beautify the planet, purify the water, and nurture the young sea animals?"

I live in a city. I am not anti-progress. I'm not advocating that we all go live in grass huts-- clean water and window screens have saved millions, if not billions, of lives. But, when God made the planet and gave us dominion over the creatures on it, it didn't have any skyscrapers, malls, concrete parking lots, or oil spills. Why are we trying to make the planet over in our image? Why are we playing God?