CIM Briefing Papers

C.I.M. Outline #18

                    THE CHRISTIAN AND ECOLOGY

I.   Introduction

     It has been stated that the root cause of the ecological
     crisis is religious, and only a change in orientation will
     bring about the needed changes.

     Lynn White, a historian, said back in the '60s:  "What we do
     about ecology depends on our ideas of the man-nature
     relationship.  More science and more technology are not
     going to get us out of the present ecological crisis until
     we find a new religion or rethink our old one."  (from: "The
     Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis", SCIENCE.  155,
     1967. p. 1203-1207).

     Paul Sears said,  ". . . hope for the healing of this
     injured planet lies not in device but in design, not in
     technique but in the realm of the intangibles--the values
     and sanctions of our cultures.  If ever the custodians of
     religious faith have been challenged, they are challenged
     today."

     Ecology must be related to political and economic balances,
     and these in turn are connected to the beliefs and values of
     man.  Therefore, ecology is a religious and philosophical
     issue. 

II.  The Alleged Culprit of the Ecological Crisis

     A.   The Judeo-Christian Worldview

          1.   Tertullian, an early Church father of the 2nd
               Century, said: "If the Tiber floods or the Nile
               fails to flood, if the skies darken, if the earth
               trembles, if famine, war or plague occurs, then
               immediately the shout goes up: `The Christians to
               the lions.'"  (THE HORIZON HISTORY OFF
               CHRISTIANITY, p. 89.

          2.   Arnold Toynbee, the historian said: ". . .when the
               Greco-Roman world was converted to Christianity,
               the divinity was drained out of nature and
               concentrated in a single, transcendent God.  Man's
               greedy impulse to exploit nature used to be held
               in check by his awe, his pious worship of nature. 
               Now monotheism, as enunciated in Genesis, has
               removed the age-old restraint." ("The Religious
               Background of the Present Environmental Crisis",
               INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, 3,
               1972, pp.141-146.)

          3.   Lynn White says, "Christianity, in absolute
               contrast to ancient paganism and Asia's religions,
               not only established a dualism of man and nature,
               but also insisted that it is God's will that man
               exploit nature for his proper ends."  (SCIENCE,
               155, 1967, pp. 1203-1207.)

                  White also says, "The crisis will not abate
                  until we reject the Christian axiom that
                  nature has no reason for existence save to
                  serve man."  (Emphasis ours) (THE
                  ENVIRONMENTAL HANDBOOK, p. 25.)

               He therefore, advocates a democracy of all
               creatures.

     B.   An Analysis of the Charge

          1.   Christianity teaches a dualism of
               Creator/Creation.  Critics charge that since man
               no longer see nature as divine, he feels free to
               exploit it.

               Answer:  Christianity does teach that God is
               transcendent (apart from nature) but not as in
               Deism which teaches that God is in no way involved
               in His creation.  The balancing factor is
               immanence.  Historic Christianity has always
               taught that while God transcends His creation, He
               is also actively involved in conserving and
               sustaining it (Col. 1:17).  What better example is
               there than His incarnation.

          2.   Christianity has a mandate from Scripture to
               exploit nature.  Genesis 1:28 . . ."be fruitful
               and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it;
               and rule over the fish of the sea and over the
               birds of the sky, and over every living thing that
               moves on the earth."

               Answer:  "Subdue" does not mean "exploit' but
               rather has the sense of "do not allow it to get
               the upper hand."  Man's dominion, or sovereignty
               over nature, brings with it a responsibility.  Man
               is to superintend what belongs to God.

     C.   Conclusion:  

          1.   When the church historically emphasized God's
               transcendence to an extreme, the church did not
               contribute positively to social change.

          2.   When immanence was over-emphasized, it led to a
               romanticizing of nature and pantheism  (e.g. St.
               Francis of Assisi and Albert Schweitzer).

          3.   Transcendence and immanence must always be held in
               balance.

III.  The Proposed Alternative

      Those who believe Christianity is the enemy of the
      environment want to replace it with the pantheistic
      religions of the East and forms of animism.  They
      collectively seem to advocate a nature-centered religion. 
      Just such a religion was proposed by Aldous Huxley in his
      last novel, ISLAND.  Paul Erhlich says, "Before the
      Christian era, trees springs, hills, streams, and other
      objects of nature had guardian spirits.  These spirits had
      to be approached and placated before one could safely
      invade their territory.  As White says `by destroying
      pagan animism, Christianity made it possible to exploit
      nature in a mood of indifference to the feeling of natural
      objects.'"  (From THE ENVIRONMENTAL HANDBOOK.). 

      In the light of these proposals, the question must be
      asked:  Can adequate values for the ecological crisis be
      derived from these monistic, pantheistic religions?  We
      think the answer is an overwhelming no!  One only has to
      look at Asian countries (India) to see that they have not
      preserved the ecology.  The reasons are as follows:

      A.   In a monistic worldview you have unity but no
           diversity.

           1.   With monism all is of one essence.  Without any
                distinction (diversity) you cannot have right
                and wrong, good or bad, or true moral values.

           2.   Alan Watts, the Hindu poet likens morality to a
                stage where you see good and evil, but after the
                show the good guys and the bad guys are friends.

           3.   Yun Men, a Bhuddist, says, "The conflict between
                right and wrong is the sickness of the mind."

           4.   Charles Manson, the convicted killer, and
                convert to eastern religions, rightly observed
                that "if God is one, what is bad?"

           Conclusion:  Without diversity you would be in a
           position of fighting God if you oppose injustice or
           fight the abnormalities of nature since all is of
           equal essence.  This is exactly what Camus wrote of
           in THE PLAGUE.  Such a worldview leads directly to
           the fatalism the East is famous for.  Under this
           system one could not logically deny that genocide
           might be a valid answer to balance the ecological
           cycle.

      B.   The East denies the reality of the material world.

           1.   This is the reason why the East has not
                developed science and technology to the degree
                the West has.  

           2.   If the material world is an illusion what
                grounds are there to distinguish fact from
                fantasy?  Law-Tse said:  "If when I was asleep I
                was a man dreaming I was a butterfly, how do I
                know when I am awake I am not a butterfly
                dreaming I am a man?"
                
           3.   The question remains unanswered.  "If nature
                isn't real why should it be deemed important?

      C.   The absence of a personal God de-personalizes man.

           1.   Eastern religions see personality as man's
                ultimate problem, hence dissolution of self-hood
                is its ultimate goal.

           2.   In eastern religions man disappears into the
                woodwork and has no more dignity than the
                animals, and in practice man ends up lower.

           3.   Conclusion:  In the direction of the east there
                is no exit!

IV.  The Christian View of Nature  (Biblically and Historically)

     Main tenets:

     A.   The Christian God is personal and infinite in contrast
          to the gods of the East and the Greco-Roman world.

     B.   The Christian God is both transcendent and immanent; He
          is involved in his creation but not part of its
          essence.

     C.   Nature bears witness of God (Ps. 19:1).  Nature is not
          antagonistic to God (Ps. 104:24).  Matter is not evil. 
          God pronounced His creation "very good" (Genesis 1).

     D.   God is the owner of the natural world (Ps. 24:1); man
          is the stewardor vice-regent (Gen. 1:26 ff.)  Man was
          created in God's image in order to rule.  God gave man
          dominion over the earth.  This was not negated by the
          fall (Gen. 9 and Ps. 8:6).  The natural resources of
          the earth are tools for man's dominion (Gen. 1:26ff.). 
          Man is not free to exploit nature.  Genesis 2:15 says
          man is to replenish the earth.  We take this to mean
          man is to be careful not to interfere with the
          ecological cycles.  He is to "superintend" it.

     E.   The Bible has much to say about ecology.  The Hebrews
          were to bury their waste (Deut. 23:13).  Soil
          conservation was to be practiced (Lev. 25:1-23).  They
          were to conserve trees (Deut. 20:19-20).  They were to
          rest animals (Ex. 23:12).

V.   The True Culprit of the Ecological Crisis

     It is man's heart that is polluted!  God cared enough for
     His creation to become part of it (the incarnation) in order
     to redeem man.  Christianity offers a real basis for morals
     and a solution to the nature of man. Personal reconciliation
     to God, the Creator, affects changes in the soul of man and
     His relationship to nature.
 
 
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