WHEN THE EARTH RECEIVES THE BLOOD OF "A BROTHER": READING THE STORY OF CAIN AND ABEL (GENESIS 4:1-10) IN THE LIGHT OF ECO-SPIRITUALITY

This article proposes that eco-spirituality is not just about the protection of the environment from denigration. It is far more than that as revealed in the story of the first brothers, Cain and Abel. This story of fratricide suggests that man is only a breath. To continue to exist, man must be accepted in the community of brothers. The subsistence of the human species lies in our recognition of the fact that we are one another's keepers. Hence, eco-spirituality is the response of the human species to the divine imperative to be one another's keeper so that together, the human species can care and protect the environment. Thus, this article argues that ecological spirituality is about how man's relationship with his fellow man can affect the environment. Creation reveals God's love and generosity; this divine generosity beckons on human beings to have a new attitude towards creation in general.

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