Kristendommen og Pave Frans: det religiøse sprog og naturen

The present article analyses ways of speaking and writing about nature in the Judeo-Christian tradition that help to explain and understand the dominating, conquering and exploitative conceptions and behaviors that Western civilization has had of nature. These, are by many researchers consider to be some of the current ecological crisis. The present Pope, Francis, has elaborated an alternative discourse and vision of the relationship between God, human beings and nature in his encyclical Latudato Si, in which he advocates for an attitude of respect, protection and safeguarding of nature that requires a different way of life. To understand the meanings and consequences of these differing discourses of nature the article uses the philosophy of language and especially of the religious language of Wittgenstein. One of the main reasons is the claim of the Austrian philosopher regarding the importance of religion as a game of language, different from that of the science. Religion enable us to value everything that exists, and together with ethics and art, provide us with guidelines as of how to live and relate to the world.