Frederick Burroughs wrote:
Frank Bell wrote:

There's the Garden of Eden, from where man was banished. There's
dominion over the earth and its creatures, ranking the environment
subordinate to man. There's the idea that Jesus can multiply fish
and
bread from thin air to feed the masses. Jesus was a carpenter and
hung
on a wooden cross, placing forest products in a strict utilitarian
context. There's raising the dead and reincarnation, which implies
a
spiritual violation and divorce of spirit from the natural order of
things. There's the whole famine, plague, flood thing of
environment
as antagonist.

Then there's the idea of hell being a volcanic, subterranean realm
in
earthly bowels made of fire and brimstone. I don't know if that
last
idea is in the bible, but it is certainly popular among Christians.
The point is the earth is not a happy place for Christians, and
their
ultimate goal is to reach somewhere better. For Christians, the
earth
is a stepping stone, a place of trials and tribulations, and in
whose
bosom lay the fire and brimstone of eternal damnation. The Bible,
as
used and interpreted by the majority of Christian fundamentalists,
is
not a model of environmental stewardship.




OK, I'm gonna debate ya on this a little, although I certainly
don't share
Larry's perspective. I think you're stretching with your "Bible as
Anti-Environment" thesis. For starters, while the Bible does
assign man the
role of master over the creatures and lands of the Earth, it
explicitly
charges him to PROTECT creation, not destroy it. And harvesting it
for
man's use does not equate to destruction; I don't think anybody
would say
that fishing or hunting equates to environmental destruction. Of
course,
like any activities, you have the good along with the bad- for
every kid
with a fishing pole on a quiet northern lake, there's a trawler
with a drag
net wreaking havoc on marine environments. I'm not sure how you
can say
that Jesus as a carpenter is a sign that the Bible is
anti-environment; one
of my best paddling buddies is a finishing carpenter. For that
matter,
aren't his wooden canoes just as "utilitarian" as a wooden cross?
Famine,
plague, and antagonists? Remember the tsunami thing that several
of our
friends in Asia recently dealt with? I suspect they would agree
that nature
is indeed an antagonist at times! Treating nature as antagonist is
one
thing; destroying it to further your own interests entirely
something
different.

Is earth a place of trials and tribulations? Sure. If you're
leading a
life *without* trials and/or tribulations, please share your
experiences- I
bet you're the only one in that position :-) Why is Earth as a
place of
trial a bad thing? I endure the "trial" of whitewater whenever I
can, and
believe me, there are many rapids that I view as being
antagonistic, almost
malevolent! But trials and adversity are not bad; they give you
the chance
to stand tall. I believe that is the true function of creation as
described
in the Bible- a place to rise above trials and tribulation, a place
to meet
those challenges and succeed! If others view the trials and
tribulations of
life on earth as an enemy rather than a spiritual refining process,
that
would be their failing, IMO.

I certainly agree that there is some movement in the Christian
right to
treat the enviroment like a big cookie jar, but that really isn't
the fault
of the Bible or it's writers. I would opine that that is more
indicative of
Christian fundamentalists failure to understand God's desire that
man act as
a steward of the environment. Personally, I believe that Christian
fundamentalists fail to understand God's instructions in more areas
than
just environmental stewardship, but that's a whole different story.


The examples I used illustrate the idea of man's subjugation of
nature. Many Christians believe in a spiritual hierarchy; man is
above
the animals (nature) and God and the angels are above man. Indeed,
Satan, who was God's favorite angel, upon thinking himself the equal
of God was cast from heaven into hell (earth?). Or, so the story
goes.

The contention isn't that the Bible is anti-environment. Rather, the
Christian belief of earth/nature as a couple notches below some
lofty,
heavenly ideal is not pro-environment. It's as if earth/nature is a
kind of waiting room, or queue or elevator before entering into the
kingdom of heaven.

Jesus multiplied fish and loaves. This doesn't happen in the real
world without serious consequences. I recently posted a story about
the environmental effects of fish farming. You can see satellite
photos of rain forest deforestation by slash and burn to clear cattle

pastures. Old growth forest continue to decline, other forested lands

have been replaced with commercial monoculture forests. The natural
environment can indeed be antagonistic, but the Bible uses these as
examples of God's wrath and punishment for man's digressions.

There was a brief, almost tenderly naive period of popular
environmentalism during the activist '60s. Joni Mitchell, in her
dedication to the times, says in "Woodstock," "We've got to get
ourselves back to the Garden." The sentiment that we can get back to
the Garden has been misplaced and forgotten.

Some of the writings of Naturalists, Thoreau, Abbey, Craig Childs,
etc. are among the most beautiful, evocative and inspiring writings I

have ever read. Nature is a place of deep spirit. Our boats may be
wood or petroleum based, but they express a sense of conservation. A
river can evoke a timelessness. Nature comes across, through and
reflected back upon us. We see through fresh eyes and breath moist
air, like being born again.





--
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me

- From "Ballad of Serenity" by Joss Whedon

After the rancor of the day, your post is almost as refreshing as a
good time at the lake. I spend most of my boating time in a local
reservoir here in Denver, far from pristine, but tell that to the duck.


I was down there one evening, just paddling along, and here comes a
mother duck with her little ducks stretched out behind her. I just fell
in line and followed, and they did not seem the least bit bothered.
Maybe even seemed to adopt me. A very spiritual experience as the
daylight faded! TnT