Does God Want You to Drive a Hybrid?

Corey —  March 12, 2017

While Christianity is filled with competing voices like anything else, there are many things that I see as common sense. One of these is caring for the environment. Maybe I am naive, but I think it only makes sense that God would want everyone to care for the world that God created. Why would any creator create something and not care if anyone destroyed it? To put it simply, God DOES care whether we preserve the environment that we are responsible for.

This may sound a little idealistic to many of my readers. And in many ways, it is. It is idealistic. It is one of those “perfect world” attributes. It’s idealistic because real life is much more complicated than caring for the environment or not. Most of us probably drove to work today, emitting CO2 along the way. It’s easy for someone else to say that you need to take public transportation, live within walking distance, or bike to work, but it’s much more complicated than that, isn’t it? We obviously need to work and earn a living for our families, but at what cost to the environment. Until recently, there was no easy solution to this dilemma.

What’s changed? The introduction of the hybrid or the eco friendly car. Along with the invention of hybrid or electric cars, we have seen the fuel efficiency increased of cars and the potential for decreasing the CO2 emissions. Today, I’d like to talk about whether the hybrid is a necessity for bible-believing Christians.

Green Bible Verses

For those who don’t agree with my basic premise that environmental concern is a Christian theme, here are several passages that illustrate the green theme within the Bible.

Genesis 1:31

“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”

Numbers 35:33-34

“‘Do not pollute the land where you are… 34 Do not defile the landwhere you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.’”

 Psalm 19:1

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”

Revelation 11:18b

…destroying those who destroy the earth. 

While I don’t have time to give the context of each of the above passages, suffice it to say that each one supports this idea of preserving God’s creation. Throughout the Bible we are told to preserve that which God has given us. Why would the earth be any different?

Why You Should Get a Hybrid

Getting a hybrid car may seem like an unnecessary expense (or too costly of an expense to justify the reward), but it is well worth it. In fact, there are a number of benefits for getting a hybrid.

  • Lower Fuel Costs – The obvious savings on gas is huge. If you look at the best green cars and see that they get 50% better MPG, that means your fuel costs are 2/3 of what they used to be.
  • Less CO2 Emissions – While this may also be obvious, people fail to realize how much lower Carbon Dioxide levels benefit them. It not only means less pollution to the earth, but also lower rates of environment-caused diseases/medical conditions.
  • Increased Focus on Hybrids by Manufacturers – Another benefit of buying a green car is that it notifies manufacturers that consumers want more fuel efficient cars. Manufacturers want to make a profit, so they will target their products appropriately. Think about how big of a change the car industry could have if consumers demanded more fuel efficient cars. It is starting to move that way now with completely electric cars, but it still has a long way to go.

While it may take a few more years for hybrid cars to become popular, it doesn’t mean that you should wait. The increased affordability and instant savings in gas should be enough. If it isn’t, consider your ethical commitments to preserve that which God created.

Corey

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Corey is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in religion. While he enjoys learning and writing about Christianity, another one of his new passions is writing about personal finances in order to help others make wise decisions with their money.

9 responses to Does God Want You to Drive a Hybrid?

  1. Interesting discussion. While I definitely agree that disciples of Christ need to be concerned about taking care of God’s creation, I have several more questions about the financial savings of buying a hybrid car:

    – How many miles will I need to drive the car before the savings on fuel equal the extra money spent for the hybrid car, versus a good used non-hybrid? We drive a Scion xB that gets 32-40 mpg depending on how aggressively we drive.

    – Eventually, most hybrids will need a new set of batteries. How much will that cost for parts and labor, and how many additional miles do I need to drive the car to pay for the battery?

    Do you own a Prius? Maybe you can answer these questions for me.

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