Ok, so in reality i'm probably not the best person to talk to if you want to start re-evaluating how you think about all things environmental. However we do need to start thinking about how we can have a positive influence on the good earth that God has given us. The truth is we are doing a pretty good job at wrecking it, and many just dont really care, or if we do care we do very little (other than re-cycling our used milk cartons from time to time) about it. So i asked my very good friend and sustainable genius John Martin (pictured to the right, checking out Ulster Bride) to write something for the blog every few weeks to get us thinking positively towards the environment. Himself and some other pals also write for ajustlife.org, so check that out, this is actually a little extract John has adapted from one of the posts......
I know it's Thursday but please come back every other Wednesday for musings on the environment and other such things...
As I sit here leafing through the Guardian, eating fair-trade organic handcrafted-by-Buddhist-monks-in-Tibet chocolate, in my Moses sandals, with the whirr of a wind turbine in the background, I’m also thinking about when I will next get my chance to embrace my nearest tree and tell it how much I love it. Ok, this is maybe slightly tongue in cheek. However, this stereotype is often generated when we hear the word sustainable.
I’ll tell you no lie, there is nothing quite like embracing the nearest Quercus robur (Oak), but besides this guilty pleasure what does sustainable living mean for followers of Jesus and why should we bother?
“In the beginning, when God created the universe”, are the first words uttered in Genesis. As we read on we discover what God had made (the earth) “was good” and he placed humans on it to have “Dominion” over it. This word Dominion, I think, has been misunderstood, leading to a human centred view of the earth. The essence of this anthropocentric approach is often related to a domination theory found in religion (fundamentalist Judeo-Christian). Such views are entwined with the secular: the scientific-rationalist concept, grounded in the ideas of Bacon, Newton and Descartes, that planet Earth exists for the benefit of, and exploitation by, the human race. The human race is seen as something separate from the rest of life- and superior to it (Richardson 1997).
This has, in part, lead to a situation where we are destroying the natural systems on which our lives depend. Many believe the attempt,through materialism, to eliminate personal insecurity has failed; while a higher standard of living is worth striving for, frustration has resulted because the pursuit of material wealth has been pursued for its own sake, often not for the good of others. Further, because everything else has been relegated to a position of secondary importance, severe environmental problems have arisen which may threaten to force us back to a lower standard of living. The issue of Global Climate Change for example has shown us that we can and do effect others by how we live, and it is the poorest who suffer most.
However, this does not have to mean things have to stay this way. If we believe we are living on Gods earth, something in all his divine wisdom he seen as “good”, then it is our responsibility to treat it in a manner that is fitting with this remark. When it comes to analysing the concrete problems of society, contrary to western know how, Biblical faith suggests that ways of justice, solidarity, love of one’s neighbour, reconciliation, peace and care for the earth are not human ideas. Rather, their origin lies in a loving Creator and the Creators own design for life in all its fullness. Therefore the function of the physical world is not just to provide the environment in which men can live; it is also to declare Gods glory (Psalm 8:1, 19:1; Jeremiah 5:22; Romans 1:19-20). Any time a species goes extinct, a habitat is destroyed or a person dies from malnutrition, are we losing the opportunity to learn of the glory of God through his creation?
It is too easy to get over whelmed and do nothing as the problems seem insurmountable. However, we all must start where we are. A good place is the Tearfund 'for tomorrow too' hand book which gives neat handy tips on how to reduce your impact. We can also calculate our carbon footprint to see how many planets are needed to sustain our affluent western lifestyles:http://www.carbonfootprint.com/. We can all do things individually, however collective action will have the greatest impact. A good example of this is the UK Climate Change Bill (first of its kind in the world) that was advocated by Stop Climate Chaos through the work of concerned citizens like you! Find out the environmental pressures that are effecting your local area and ask your local politician what he/she is doing about it… Better still, go outside and find out what they are for yourself and start being part of the change!
"Charity is no substitute for justice withheld." St Augustine
John
4 comments:
hey tim,
good to stumble across your blog. hope things are going well your end!
will look forward to reading more of your thoughts here. looks good so far.
and even john makes an appearance!!
take care,
rick
I'm all for sustainability, but the history isn't so simple. It's misleading to label Bacon, Newton and Descartes as 'secular' - Bacon and Descartes were Christian, while Newton was trying to be. In fact, Bacon's understanding of nature explicitly came out of his theology. Maybe he was wrong, but it's got nothing to do with modern secularism either way on that front.
Peter Harrison is a good person to read on the history of the relationship between Christian theology and science
James C
I have to be honest, i dont know too much about Bacon, Newton and Descartes.
I have been reading some of Chestertons 'Orthodoxy' recently which poses some interesting questions on what is secular and what is sacred. Promoting questions on whether its up to the world to bend and adjust in order to fit in with the church, or the church to do the bending - how high a value should be placed on cultural relevance. Can you just be sacred, or secular, or both, or none of the above, lots of interesting questions. I think i'd love to be thought of as sacred but here i am typing on a keypad looking at a computer, listening to a podcast on of Chicagos underground indie music.
Bacon - again, who i don't know too much about seemed like an interesting man. Writings such as 'The New Atlantis' (even though it is 'utopian fiction') seems to seek out lots of positives such as enhancing womens rights, abolishing slavery and freedom of religion (although i'm still not sure how you plan to 'conquer' nature). His reasoning was one though that seemed to turn like the wind, especially with the whole Lord of Essex saga. Essex broke his back for him, then to gain favour with the Queen, Bacon severed ties with Essex, and puts the boot in by writing a declaration on Essex's bad practices highlighting how he committed treason. Then when James the first becomes king (because of the relationship between Essex and James) Bacon turns round and writes in Essex's defence. So i'm not so sure if he was sacred or secular, or both, or neither.
However i do think that the root of the problem, or where it comes from (and im gooing to have to get a read at that Peter Harrison book), for me, is in no way as important as trying to fix the problem regarding being crap at the environment. I think i just need to think more about how my actions effect the world in which i live.
John thank you for your post and James, thanks for your comment, both have made me think about things i wouldn't have bothered to yesterday.
Thanks for your comments James. I must admit I am no philosopher. Agreed, the history is not simple at all. However, I think the dominion theory came from a combination of Christian thinking on the environment and the secular understanding of science. The fact that Bacon, Newton and Descartes were Christians or 'trying to be' promoted the anthropocentric approach, as this was the dominant theroy of the time?
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