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. Christian Information Ministries is a non-profit ministry and is dependent on gifts from God's people in order to operate. If you receive a benefit from our materials would you consider giving a tax-deductible gift to CIM. We suggest $25. a year minimum. Send to: Christian Information Ministries 2050 N. Collins Blvd. #100 Richardson, TX 75080