12 January 2007
"Ecochristians"
So I've started tagging my posts. I don't remember this option being available in the old version of Blogger, so I didn't really think about it when I started this thing. I kind of like the ability to filter out the posts based on the category.
The first tag I made is called "ecochristians", referring to posts about christians who have taken up the cause of environmentalism, or claim that they have. As you may surmise, I tend to be critical of this. Now, why, you may ask, would I even be opposed to this sort of merging of ideologies? I think they're incompatible. I think that there is so much baggage that goes along with organized religion and religious dogma that tends to work against the mind set required to make positive, sustainable changes to the way we live.
Allow me to take this opportunity to share my opinion about one of these ecochristian organizations and really break in this new tag. I recently stumbled across Interfaith Works:
There's that "stewardship" word again. This is one of the problems I see about linking christianity and environmentalism. The baggage is the idea that we are unique and special creatures on this earth with the obligation to exert our dominion over other species in some kind arrogant benevolence, mimicking that of some god's dominion over us. Not present is the reality that we are just an small (well, except for the damage that we do) part of an intricate biological machine, no more and no less important than the other parts. What is important is the complex interrelationship between those insignificant parts that make the whole system healthy, sustaining the whole. The support this machine gives works much better when biodiversity is maintained. Once we define ourselves as special and unique, the rest become less important and consequently endangered.
Another problem I have with ecochristians is that by tying their magical thinking to a cause that more and more terrified people are taking up, they work to propagate the ideology that is partially responsible for getting us into this predicament in the first place. After going through Interfaith's site, The only thing that they appear to do is to help some organizations save some money on energy costs by retrofitting their churches. But they also have some educational materials that seem to draw on the Garden of Eden myth to educate about what, I'm not sure (emphasis mine):
It sounds a bit like self promotion to me. Many serious environmental groups provide downloadable educational material right on their site. Still, at $125 a pop, there must be something of value in there, right?
Note the session titles though. They suggest a creationist theme, don't you think? Embrace the young earth myth and you tend to squeeze out more rational, scientific ideas. Evolutionary science is the linchpin to the vast body of knowledge that will help us to better understand what is happening to the planet, and hopefully, to stop the destruction. Those willing to discard that in favour of creationism can't really provide much help.
One last item though. Note that I emphasized "Prepare for Change" in the snippet above. Mind you, I may be jumping to conclusions about the meaning of that, but I'm not going to shell out $125 dollars to find out. Recent polls suggest that about a quarter of all Americans think that Jesus will return this century, destroying the earth. How can anyone who takes that kind of apocalyptic claptrap seriously have any desire to fix the environment?
</rant>
The first tag I made is called "ecochristians", referring to posts about christians who have taken up the cause of environmentalism, or claim that they have. As you may surmise, I tend to be critical of this. Now, why, you may ask, would I even be opposed to this sort of merging of ideologies? I think they're incompatible. I think that there is so much baggage that goes along with organized religion and religious dogma that tends to work against the mind set required to make positive, sustainable changes to the way we live.
Allow me to take this opportunity to share my opinion about one of these ecochristian organizations and really break in this new tag. I recently stumbled across Interfaith Works:
Interfaith Works is a non-profit organization that partners with religious organizations to do good works by integrating environmental stewardship with community outreach.
There's that "stewardship" word again. This is one of the problems I see about linking christianity and environmentalism. The baggage is the idea that we are unique and special creatures on this earth with the obligation to exert our dominion over other species in some kind arrogant benevolence, mimicking that of some god's dominion over us. Not present is the reality that we are just an small (well, except for the damage that we do) part of an intricate biological machine, no more and no less important than the other parts. What is important is the complex interrelationship between those insignificant parts that make the whole system healthy, sustaining the whole. The support this machine gives works much better when biodiversity is maintained. Once we define ourselves as special and unique, the rest become less important and consequently endangered.
Another problem I have with ecochristians is that by tying their magical thinking to a cause that more and more terrified people are taking up, they work to propagate the ideology that is partially responsible for getting us into this predicament in the first place. After going through Interfaith's site, The only thing that they appear to do is to help some organizations save some money on energy costs by retrofitting their churches. But they also have some educational materials that seem to draw on the Garden of Eden myth to educate about what, I'm not sure (emphasis mine):
Exploration/Expression is an eight session curriculum that examines the connection between faith, religious spaces and our environment. Participants explore religious text and then express their thoughts and ideas artistically. The curriculum was designed to take place in conjunction with the Sanctuary Exchange program to facilitate making connections between faith and environmental stewardship and to create advocates for implementing program energy recommendations. Exploration/Expression can also be used as a stand alone curriculum.
The Eight Sessions:
- Creation
- Keeper of the Garden
- God’s Blueprint
- Identify Habits
- Consequences
- Strength in Faith
- Prepare for Change
- Community Celebration
It sounds a bit like self promotion to me. Many serious environmental groups provide downloadable educational material right on their site. Still, at $125 a pop, there must be something of value in there, right?
Note the session titles though. They suggest a creationist theme, don't you think? Embrace the young earth myth and you tend to squeeze out more rational, scientific ideas. Evolutionary science is the linchpin to the vast body of knowledge that will help us to better understand what is happening to the planet, and hopefully, to stop the destruction. Those willing to discard that in favour of creationism can't really provide much help.
One last item though. Note that I emphasized "Prepare for Change" in the snippet above. Mind you, I may be jumping to conclusions about the meaning of that, but I'm not going to shell out $125 dollars to find out. Recent polls suggest that about a quarter of all Americans think that Jesus will return this century, destroying the earth. How can anyone who takes that kind of apocalyptic claptrap seriously have any desire to fix the environment?
</rant>
Labels: ecochristians
// posted by Parge @ 9:53 AM
Comments:
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Hey vjack! I hadn't seen that before. But it reinforces my opinion nonetheless.
I followed the link to the ECI page and had a look at their "Action" page. The basic advice they give is to pray, burn less fuel, and listen to what the authorities tell you to do. There's nothing about petitioning the government or writing to representatives. There's nothing about eating locally. They don't advise reduced consumption, but rather different consumption. They also bring up the stewardship thing. It's a frigging disease, man.
Thanks for the link though. I needed a little chuckle :)
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I followed the link to the ECI page and had a look at their "Action" page. The basic advice they give is to pray, burn less fuel, and listen to what the authorities tell you to do. There's nothing about petitioning the government or writing to representatives. There's nothing about eating locally. They don't advise reduced consumption, but rather different consumption. They also bring up the stewardship thing. It's a frigging disease, man.
Thanks for the link though. I needed a little chuckle :)
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