So Earth day is this coming Sunday. It isn't something that I've celebrated in the past, and quite frankly in the back of my formerly ultra-conservative mind I've always been inclined to resort to name calling. I mean only damned "hippies", "earth worshippers", and "tree huggers" would celebrate something so foolish. Idiots. Of course my resorting to this makes me the fool.
While there are many sides to the environmental debate (greenhouse gases/global warming/pollution/etc), as Christians we believe that God is the "Maker of Heaven and Earth". And if we believe the Word we must also understand that we've been made stewards of this incredible creation. Unfortunately time and time again I've had friends, "conservative" friends, who in their distrust and dislike of liberals have basically thwarted our stewardship responsibilities in favor of bitterness. They purposely go out of their way to drive gas-guzzling trucks and if they could get away with it they'd pour oil in a creek just in spite of the tree huggers (and pretty much everyone).
This makes me incredibly sad to see. Not only are they angry but they have forgotten how much of a gift our earth is. It's the only one we have. God could just as easily created the earth as a barren wasteland which was hardly survivable, yet He gave us this place that is teeming with beauty and abundance.
I don't have time today to pour over the Bible, and research quotes from famous figures, but caring for our world should be a priority regardless if you believe in climate change or not. What this looks like is going to be different for each of us. But I don't recommend chaining yourself to a tree or sabotaging a whaling ship. We all care for the home that we live in, and our earth is just our larger home.
This is an incredible place. We should be amazed, captivated and inspired by its complexity and astounding beauty. So get out there, ride a bike, take a hike, breathe deeply. Each and everyday should be an Earth Day celebration!
I would venture to say that an evolutionist wouldn't have any justification to be an environmentalist. Like, if after millions of years of "the survival of the fittest" we have arrived at the top of the heap, species-wise, why not exterminate the fringe-toed lizard, the snail-darter and any other critter that gets in our way?
ReplyDeleteBut if on the other hand we accept that the creation is the handiwork of God, and that humankind was given the responsibility to take care of it, then of course we need to seek some kind of equitable balance between human needs and the rest of the things that God created.
I do object to an environmentalism that basically becomes its own religion (Gaia worship) that worships the creation instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25).
And, yes, I recycle, reuse (empty peanut butter jars make great containers for storing leftovers in the frig) and try to stay away from disposable products if possible. It's just common sense. But I don't recommend becoming a slave to the environment or environmentalism.