HOST: Halo, warm viewers, and welcome to Our Noble Lineage. On today’s program, we visit Father Yohanes Dwi Harsanto, the priest at the Semarang Archdiocese in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

A devoted representative of the Roman Catholic Church, Father Harsanto is also the Secretary of Commission for Youth for the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference.

This kind, compassionate, and concerned religious leader believes that all Christians and other religious faithful must play an important role in halting climate change.

Father Harsonto explains that although the first page of the Holy Bible clearly states that humans are to act as good stewards and protectors of the Earth, these script-xures have frequently been misinterpreted.
He also offers a very viable solution for humanity and the survival of our planet.

Father Harsanto (m): Theologically, there should be reinterpretation for the Holy Bible texts that, so far, have made humans exploitative towards the Earth.

For example, the Book of Genesis Chapter 1 verse 27 and so on: “So God created man in His [own] image.” In the image of God He created him; male and female, He created them. So God created them. God blessed them, and God said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion
over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every animal that crawls on the earth.”

Well, right here, the texts are often misinterpreted literally that we must exploit nature. Actually, the essence of that text is not exploitation, like modern human interpretation, but preservation of the Earth. All the plants, all animals in the air, all animals in the sea, everything on the ground – care for it. Actually, this is the [correct] interpretation.

HOST: Father Harsanto believes that, according to the Holy Script-xures, it was God’s intention that humans adhere to a lifestyle which is in harmony with the Earth.

Father Harsanto (m): And verse 29 would be strange if it is interpreted as exploitative. Because God said this: “Then God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb [that] yields seed which [is] on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed.

To you it shall be for food.’” So it is very obvious that biblical texts must be reinterpreted and my interpretation is like that. And indeed, according to Catholic theology it is like that. We have a good tradition. Both religious traditions as well as local traditions support preservation of the Earth.

In terms of religion, we know there is a culture of fasting, asceticism, abstinence. It’s a tradition for preservation of the Earth, Creation, including the closest creation, that which is our own body.

Our own body is a living environment. We must preserve it through fasting, asceticism, and reducing foods that disturb the metabolism of our bodies and so on. Well, fasting and the tradition of abstinence are very good.

All religions have it. In the Catholic tradition, for example, there is the tradition of abstaining from meat, and it is observed, for example, every Friday or another day that is set personally.

That’s a good tradition to keep the balance of nature and our own bodies. In the other religions I think there are many examples too. And then from local cultural traditions. I mention culture, for example, Javanese culture.

I, myself, am Javanese. I feel that the fasting tradition, a tradition which is very close to Javanese culture, also has a good saying: “Mother Earth” and “Father Sky.”

Our Mother Earth and our Father Sky are our own parents, yes. They embody us, they gave birth to us, on whom our own life depends.