Sorry its long but it is really good! A
christian scientist. And I don't mean like Tom Cruse!
Environmentalism: The Deification of Nature
by
Dave Miller, Ph.D.
The year was 1970. It was the year of the Kent State shootings, the advent of fiber optics, "Bridge Over Troubled Waters," Apollo 13, the Beatles" last album, and the death of Jimi Hendrix. That year also marked the birth of the modern environmental movement, with the observance on April 22 of the first Earth Day (see "How It All Began," 2003). By July, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed. Various pieces of federal legislation, designed to protect the environment, were quickly forthcoming, including the Clean Air Act (1970), the Clean Water Act (1972), and the Endangered Species Act (1973) [see "Major Environmental Laws," 2003]. Since 1970, it would be safe to say, the American way of life has been drastically altered. The environmental movement has forever changed the way Americans view the world around them. Even the otherwise environmentally insensitive citizen possesses heightened consciousness about littering, recycling, global warming, and "going organic." But things have gotten out of hand.
Fringe environmentalist groups, in collusion with liberal politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and the mainstream media, have conspired to unleash a flood of environmental propaganda and eco-myths. They have inundated the public with their alarmist claims that global pollution, ozone depletion, and environmental contamination due to technological progress and American affluence mean that life on Earth is facing inevitable and imminent extinction. They insist that humans are inflicting widespread damage on the environment, destroying the forests, and causing the extinction of animal and plant species. The general charter of For Mother Earth International states: "[T]he Earth is a creation to be honored and respected
as our Mother" (see "General Charter," 2003, emp. added).
Many environmentalists and animal rights activists hold to the same philosophical presuppositions as atheists, evolutionists, Buddhists, Hindus, New Age mystics, and all other forms of humanism, animism, and paganism"from antiquity to the present. Their perspective is embodied in
pantheism. To them, the material realm is all that exists. There are no metaphysical realities. The Universe is here by accidental, non-purposive, non-intelligent happenstances. "Deity" resides in all
natural phenomena"from inorganic rocks and dirt, to plants, animals, and humans. "God" is not the Personal, Supreme Being of the Bible, Who is transcendent of the Universe. Rather "god" is an impersonal force embedded in nature, in the physical realm, and in all life forms.
You see, environmentalism posits an
eternal Universe and the absence of
supernatural origins. Since there is no Creator Who created and sustains the Earth, it is up to
humans to protect and preserve the environment. Renowned Cornell University astronomer Carl Sagan held this view: "I believe we have an obligation to fight for life on Earth"not just for ourselves, but for all those, humans
and others, who came before us, and to whom we are beholden, and for all those who, if
we are wise enough, will come after" (1997, p. 75, emp. added). He also insisted that "[o]ur capacity to cause harm is great" (p. 97). In other words, the future of the planet"and all life on it"lies completely in the hands of
we humans. Are we humans really so arrogant as to think that the future of the planet rests with us? Talk about an inflated sense of one"s own importance!
If environmentalists believe that human beings are the product of the chance, mechanistic forces of nature working over millions of years through non-intelligent, evolutionary accidents, one can understand why they might think that we must preserve the planet at all costs"even at the expense of humans. To them, human beings are simply one more rung on the evolutionary ladder, with each prior life form being of comparable value. From this perspective, the
environment in which evolution occurs is far more important than any one species that may happen to arise within that environment. The comparative worth of one species is based upon how large a danger that species poses to other species. Since humans have greater capability to harm the environment and to destroy lesser species, humans constitute the greatest threat to the well-being of the planet. To the environmentalist,
humans are the natural enemy of nature.
Sagan also stated: "There is no cause more urgent, no dedication more fitting than to protect the future of our species." No social convention, no political system, no economic hypothesis, no
religious dogma is more important" (p. 75, emp. added). Such statements betray a purely materialistic outlook on life. Religious and spiritual concerns are secondary"or altogether nonexistent. The "number one concern," according to Sagan and the environmentalists, ought to be
preservation of the physical realm. Though Sagan and his fellow evolutionists disavow any allegiance to religion"Christian or otherwise"the dedication and devotion to the environment that they enjoin bears a striking resemblance to the devotion advocated by those who profess
religious belief. The only difference is the
object of the religious devotion. While manifesting hostility toward the Christian religion, it is apparent that environmentalists
have their own religion:
the worship of nature and the environment. This explains why Sagan would say: "The Earth is a tiny and fragile world. It needs to be
cherished" (1980, p. 103, emp. added). To say that the Earth needs to be "cherished," i.e.,
loved, suggests distorted sensibilities that are unaided by divine insight. God has instructed humans to love Him, each other, His law, and truth. But He has never told us to love rocks, dirt, plants, and animals"or to hug trees.
Those who embrace this belief system are passionate"even militant"in their advocacy of the preservation of the environment. After all, if there is no Supreme Governor of the Universe and no afterlife, it is up to humans to protect the Earth so that physical life forms may be preserved as long as possible. Hence, they refer repeatedly to the "
vulnerable planet Earth" and "our
fragile atmosphere" (Sagan, 1997, p. 97, emp. added). However, the Bible asserts two crucial affirmations that should shape our understanding of the environment. First, God created the Earth for a specific purpose:
to provide human beings with the appropriate environment in which to decide their eternal destiny. Humans were created by God to be free moral agents, to experience earthly life as their one and only probationary period, with their fate in eternity being determined by their response to God during this
earthly life. Hence, the Earth is as good (for the purpose God had in creating it) as any possible world, in that it was created to be a "vale of soul-making" for human beings (Warren, 1972, p. 19).
God created the planet to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18). God declared His intention that human beings were
to rule and have domination over the Earth"s resources. Referring to humans, He stated: "[L]et them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle,
over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26, emp. added). He instructed humans to "fill the earth and
subdue it" (Genesis 1:28, emp. added). The Hebrew term for "subdue" (
kah-vash) means to bring into submission by force (Oswalt, 1980, 1:430). The psalmist echoed these very directives when he praised God by saying, "You [God"DM] have made him [man"DM] to have
dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things
under his feet" (Psalm 8:6, emp. added). God stressed human domination in even stronger terms after the Flood: "[T]he fear of you [humans"DM] and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that moves on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you
all things, even as the green herbs" (Genesis 9:2-3, emp. added). God obviously intended for humans to make use of Earth"s natural resources, including animals and plants, in order to live, survive, develop, and progress"all in preparation for eternity.
Second, not only did God initially set up the environment to fulfill its divinely designated purpose, placing within it all necessary variables for sustaining it until He decides to terminate the physical realm, but He also
continues to sustain and maintain it. The Bible has a great deal to say about the role that Jesus played at the Creation (e.g., John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2). He continues to have a relationship with the physical Universe by ensuring that it remains intact and functional. Paul referred to the "one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom
we live" (1 Corinthians 8:6, emp. added). Paul also stated: "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth". All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him
all things consist" (Colossians 1:16-17, emp. added). The psalmist insisted that when God spoke the physical Universe into existence, the constituent elements of the created order "
stood fast" and "
were established," God having "
made a decree" with them (Psalm 33:9; 148:5-6, emp. added). The Hebrews writer claimed that Jesus is "
upholding all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3, emp. added). Peter said that "the heavens and the earth which now exist are
kept in store by the same word" (2 Peter 3:7, emp. added). The terms in these verses connote the notion of preserving, governing, regulating, and superintending the created order (Nicoll, 1900, 4:251-252; Thayer, 1901, p. 650; Weiss, 1974, 9:59). In other words, deity continues to maintain the order, harmony, and well-being of the whole creation"the vast Universe as well as planet Earth (Barnes, 1972, p. 29; Milligan, 1950, p. 55). After all, with God is "the fountain of life" (Psalm 36:9). "He gives to all life, breath, and all things" (Acts 17:25). "[F]or in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). We can be assured: the environment will remain intact and suitable for life for as long as God intends.
The environmentalist viewpoint is actually fraught with self-contradiction. We are being told that due to human interference, global warming and the "greenhouse effect" are occurring, and that the Earth"s temperature is
increasing (e.g., Sagan, 1997, pp. 105ff.). Yet we also are being terrorized with the idea that our actions are "
lowering the surface temperature of our planet" (Sagan, 1980, p. 103). We have been harangued with the notion that Western man"s technological advancements are responsible for depleting resources and damaging the environment, and that we should return to the "environmentally sensitive and harmonious" ways of the primitive peoples who preceded us. Yet, evidence exists to suggest that perhaps our predecessors did not live "in harmony with nature" as we supposed. Primitive cultures and poor nations also have inflicted damage on the environment. For example, farming techniques of many primitive societies caused extensive land erosion"unlike the modern farming techniques developed in America that are responsible for greatly
increasing the world"s food supply.
The absurdity of the environmentalists" claim"that humans are harsh and insensitive in their treatment of the environment"becomes especially apparent when one simply observes
nature"s treatment of itself. For example, the Katmai National Park is home to the world"s largest grizzly bears, commonly referred to as the Alaskan Brown Bear. Because of their rich salmon diet, they grow to over 1,000 pounds in weight, making them the world"s largest land predator. Philip Greenspun gave the following eyewitness report of this bear"s eating ritual in the Brooks River:
[blockquote]
Dominant bears occupy prime positions on top of the part of the falls where salmon jump every few seconds. When the salmon are running well, every five minutes a bear will catch a fish in his teeth and hold it firmly enough that blood begins to flow as the fish flops around. If there are plenty of salmon, the bear goes after only the fatty skin, brain, and roe, removing these parts during a gruesome minute or so. The salmon may remain alive for much or all of its consumption. Why do you think they call them animals? (1993).
[/blockquote]
Notice the carnage, the waste, the brutality, the selfish competition between bears, and the flagrant insensitivity to both the salmon and the environment. But this one example is typical of the phenomena inherent throughout nature.
Examples of humans tampering with nature are legion. In 1876, the introduction of Kudzu, a fast-growing vine from ***an, ultimately led to the destruction of valuable forests by preventing trees from getting sunlight. The vine, which can grow as much as sixty feet each year, and which has blanketed the South, is virtually impervious to herbicides. Yet, many positive benefits have been forthcoming, including remarkable soil erosion control, a nutritious food source for Angora goats, the creation of products like baskets, paper, jelly, syrup, and hay bales, and even work on the development of new medicines (see "Amazing Story"," 2002). In 1859, Thomas Austin brought twenty-four rabbits from England to Australia, where they multiplied out of control, causing considerable ecological ramifications (see "Environmental Damage"," 2001). Many other non-native plants and animals have been introduced into non-indigenous habitats, with a variety of consequences (see "Non-Native Species," 2002).
No one knows how many plant and animal species have gone extinct since the beginning of Creation. No doubt, the number would be staggering. The obliteration of the dinosaur population alone would account for the eradication of large numbers. Just in the past 2,000 years, it is estimated that more than a hundred kinds of
birds and more than a hundred kinds of
mammals have disappeared from the Earth (see "Extinct and Near-Extinct"," 1966). Included are the Dodo Bird of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, the Tasmanian Tiger Wolf of mainland Australia, and New Zealand"s giant, flightless bird, the Moa (see "Endangered Species," 2003; "Extinct Animals," 2001). These estimates do not include the extinction of species of reptiles, fish, and insects. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains the Threatened and Endangered Species System (TESS) for both plants and animals. Presently, within the United States alone, 388 animal species and 598 plant species are listed as "endangered" (see "Threatened," 2003). While humans sometimes are blamed for causing certain species to diminish, no one knows in every case of animal or plant extinction whether humans or nature"s own agents were responsible. One fact is clear: the extinction of plants and animals through the centuries has not upset the realm of nature and the environment to the extent that the human race has been endangered or threatened with extinction itself"
we"re still here! (Interestingly, many new species of both plants and animals have come into existence by humans implementing ingenious breeding procedures).
On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling an estimated 11 million gallons of oil, which impacted 1,300 miles of shoreline. Exxon claims to have spent $2.1 billion on a cleanup effort that included 10,000 workers, about 1,000 boats, and 100 airplanes and helicopters. "It is widely believed, however, that wave action from winter storms did more to clean the beaches than all the human effort involved" (see "Questions and Answers," 2002). In 1992, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) studied the diffusion of the oil and concluded that "the great majority of the oil either evaporated, dispersed into the water column or degraded naturally" ("Lingering," 2003). In fact, the National Marine Fisheries Services reports that "the vast majority of the spill area now appears to have recovered" ("NMFS Office," 2002). Though touted by environmentalists at the time as an ecological disaster of catastrophic proportions, the Valdez spill does not even rank in the top fifty internationally.
Similarly, think of the release of oil into the Pacific Ocean by damaged and sunken battleships and aircraft carriers during the great naval battles of World War II. Think of the Nazi U-boats that disrupted Allied activities in the Atlantic Ocean by sinking large numbers of tankers and supply ships, causing large quantities of oil and hazardous substances to be spilled, creating slicks and coating Caribbean beaches. No cleanup crews, with their hard hats and bright yellow HAZMAT suits blasting coastlines with high-pressure hoses and detergent guns, were mobilized to rectify the mess. What happened to all
that oil?
Salmon-grabbing bears, forest-gobbling vines, grassland-grubbing rabbits, oil-glutting humans"destruction by animals, destruction by plants, destruction by man. Where will it all end? Should we not view our world and the environment as being in a state of crisis? Please listen carefully: God created the Earth to be self-sustaining until it has served its purpose. It is self-healing. It is resilient and restorative. It actually rejuvenates itself. The Earth is not fragile when it comes to human interference. Humans cannot
destroy the Earth (let alone the Universe). Humans cannot deplete the ozone layer. Humans cannot cause permanent global warming. Human ability to pollute, contaminate, and destroy the environment cannot begin to compare with the destructive forces of nature itself: volcanoes, tornados, hurricanes, drought, typhoons, earthquakes, and floods. One volcanic eruption"like the 1991 explosion of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines that introduced
20 to 30 megatons of sulfur dioxide and aerosols into the Earth"s atmosphere, with those materials completely encircling the Earth in some three months (Sagan, 1997, p. 107)"
generated more ozone-depleting chemicals than humans have been able to generate in all of human history. We humans have an inflated sense of our own importance if we think that
we determine whether the world goes on after we are gone.
The evidence indicates that God, Himself, has inflicted vengeance upon wicked civilizations in the past"to the point of wreaking complete destruction and devastation on the land itself (e.g., Genesis 13:10; 19:24-25; Deuteronomy 29:22-24; Psalm 107:33-34; Isaiah 34:8-15; Jeremiah 19:8; Ezekiel 30:7; Zephaniah 2:13-14). God has not chosen to reveal to us
all of His dealings with the civilizations of history. We likely would not know about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah if Abraham"s nephew had not moved there (Genesis 13:12; 19). Could humans possibly inflict as much damage to the Earth as God did when He flooded the
entire planet to a depth higher than the highest mountains of that day (Genesis 7:19-20)? The history of humanity and planet Earth has been one of
catastrophism"not uniformitarianism or gradualism.
Yet the Earth is still here, and life goes on!
The Bible certainly teaches the principle of stewardship and being wise in the use of resources allotted by God (Matthew 25:14-30; 1 Corinthians 4:2). God, Himself, provides care for His nonhuman creatures (Job 38:41; Psalm 147:9; Matthew 10:29). He included animals in His injunction to the Israelites, enjoining one day per week for cessation of work (Deuteronomy 5:15; cf. Leviticus 22:27-28; Deuteronomy 22:6-7,10). He instructed the Israelites to allow their farmland to lie uncultivated every seventh year (Leviticus 25:1-7). We ought not to be needlessly wasteful, greedy, cruel, or reckless in our handling of Earth"s resources. Christians will not go out of their way to inflict damage or harm. However, from a biblical perspective,
the environment must not take precedence or preference over humans. A balanced and proper perspective must be maintained by realizing that the environment is purely physical and temporary. Plants, animals, air, water, and the rest of "mother nature" are not human, and are not to be regarded as such. Animals, like the rest of the created order, render divinely mandated services to humans as sources of food and clothing, as well as transportation and other work-related performance (e.g., Mark 11:7).
People who think that humans are the enemies of Earth, and invariably destructive to the environment, who think that animals deserve to be protected and preserved more than people, who think that humans are above other life forms due to an unfortunate Darwinian accident since humans are carnivorous, wasteful, and harmful to the lesser species"have an incorrect view of reality and a devalued view of human life. They feel that humans do not possess inherent value and worth that surpasses the rest of the created order. But this passion to preserve the Earth and animal life is essentially the same idolatry that has plagued humanity throughout most of history. In fact, this propensity sounds distinctly familiar in light of Paul"s summary of the long-standing human rejection of the Creator:
[blockquote]
Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man"and birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and
worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen" (Romans 1:22-25, emp. added).
[/blockquote]
Billions of dollars are being spent serving the creature!
The facts of the matter are that humans are incapable of destroying the environment on any sort of a large scale. The vast majority of the decline of the environment that we see is due to the normal operations of the laws of thermodynamics which mandate depletion, breakdown, dissolution, and the ultimate demise of the Earth and the Universe.
That is how God set it up! The material, physical realm was not intended to last forever. It is
temporary"by divine design. In the meantime, God will see to it that our environment remains intact until it has served the purpose for which He created it. Then, He, Himself, will bring not only the Earth, but the entire Universe, to its grand and climactic conclusion by means of cosmic meltdown and dissolution (2 Peter 3:7,10-12). "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth [i.e., Heaven"DM] in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13).
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your opinion on global warming
