Littering

Dear Victorious,

My sister has a saying that true Christians don't litter. I say it doesn't matter. Who's right?

Virginia T. - Navarre, OH

Dear Virginia,

Your sister is right. While the Bible does tell man to take dominion over all the earth, there are several Biblical principles and standards that tell us not to be foolish about that. Being a good steward, for example, of the resources that God gives us, is a strong Biblical principle that all Christians should follow.

Another Biblical principle that would guide things like littering would be the concept of loving your neighbor as yourself. When we litter or pollute, we spoil the land for others. Those "others" include future generations for example. So if we squander resources God has given us now, that's not a very loving thing for our future neighbors.

Finally, you may be surprised to know that there are places in Scripture that tell us not to litter. Numbers 35:33 tells us, "Do not pollute the land where you are .... Do not defile the land where you live ..." While this contextually speaking wasn't addressing the modern day concept of litter or pollution, the intent is the same. We are to consider the land where we live as a blessing from God and to regard it that way.