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Can anyone tell me where this verse is found ?

In her April 22 Earth Day news release, Pelosi said, “The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, ‘To minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.’ - Can anyone tell me where this verse is found ?

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Answer #1

that verse is not found in the bible, which I am sure that you already know… I also believe that pelosi was paraphrasing…

we are guardians of the earth. Shomrei Adamah in Hebrew. it was first given to adam by god. just as god created the first human being, god placed him in the garden “to till and to tend it.” according to one early midrash, god said to Adam, “look at my works, how beautiful and praiseworthy they are! everything that I created, I created for you. take care that you do not damage and destroy my world, for if you damage it, there is no one to repair it afterwards.” Keep (Hebrew shamar) means “to exercise great care over.” In the context of Genesis 2:15, it expresses God’s wish that mankind, in the person of Adam, “take care of,” “guard,” or “watch over” the garden. A caretaker maintains and protects his charge so that he can return it to its owner in as good or better condition than when he received it.

I believe what pelosi meant was that we maintain that divine role of guarding and caring for the world.

Answer #2

It seems to me a good paraphrase of most of Isaiah. Most of the times that the people are castigated for ignoring God they are also castigated for ignoring the poor and their Promised land. They suffer the effects of this in terms of foreign invasions and in environmental disasters - the land stops producing for them.

And if we turn the verse around to make it negative, I’m sure it wouldn’t accurately sum up your Christian beliefs: ‘To ignore the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To minister to those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.’ I’m sure you wouldn’t subscribe to that view. So it seems an OK paraphrase to me, although she should have stated that it was a summing up, not a Biblical quotation.

Answer #3

Catechism is too far away, and besides in hotels in Switzerland, I’ve never read the Bible.

Answer #4

I think Pelosi was paraphrasing. I’ve read the whole Old Testament and don’t remember that.

But it’s a basic Christian principle. Help the needy. Love each other.

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