Lyn White Religion

Hill would make a distinction here from just perspective to one of attitude, if one sees themselves as part of nature and yet would still destroy it then they are making the value judgment that humans are more important than nature.

I believe that as a Christian we should be as concerned, if not more so, than any other concerned non-believers. We as Christians, have been given the truth about God, His creation and His will. When it comes to His creation He is very detailed about His plans in creating the earth for His people and His purpose (HCSB. Genesis 1:26-30). Sadly, many Christians have fallen into the category quoted by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., “Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." Their time here on earth has been fogged by the aspirations of glory. The contributors of this wasted life is ignorance, greed, and selfishness. Furthermore, our environment suffers for the cause. Nonetheless, this is a major topic of conversation

With the Taker mindset, we commit mass deforestation and pollute the earth with greenhouse gases, toxic byproducts, and garbage. The true perversion lies in the Taker mindset justifying these atrocities as necessary for the greater good; the good of humanity. I observed Mother Culture’s influence in my own worldview, as I saw the earth as a tool for our own advancement, rather than a precious environment worthy of protection. By elevating humanity to such a regal position, we have fooled ourselves into believing that we exist outside the laws of nature, and that we are immune to the consequences of our actions. Quinn compares humanity to someone trying to fly a plane that does is not designed in accordance with the laws of aerodynamics; even if he believes he is flying, he will eventually crash into the ground. I have realized that in the same way, we are not living in accordance with the laws of nature and that our arrogance will only result in the destruction of all of nature, ourselves included. That is unless we challenge or our beliefs and ideas until we live in a way beneficial for both human life and the

Rachel Carson’s Man and the Stream of time possesses enlightening perspectives of nature that have been marinating in her mind for ten years. Her writing reflects upon the effects that man has on nature and the role he plays in the ever changing environment. Her sole observation is that it is man’s nature to want to conquer the world, but nature is not one to be conquered. The writer affirms that nature is an entity that must be dignified, Like English poet Francis Thompson said, “Thou canst not stir a flower without troubling of a star.” Most environmentalist would agree that nature is not stationary, we cut the trees now today, its not just the trees that disappear ten years from now. As humanity advances, we create a multitude of

Christians believe that the natural world was formed by the spoken word of God (Genesis 1:1). Paul writes in Romans, that God has revealed His existence to everyone by His creation. Every person, therefore, has a choice to either accept or reject God. God has shown us that He is a God of love, order, beauty and forgiveness. One day all will be judged and because of His revelations to us, we have no excuse for rejecting Him (Romans 1:20). Paul warns Christians of the dangers of falling into worship of the creation instead of the creator (Romans 1:25). The Israelites did this also when they were led out of captivity and they were worshiping the image of the golden calf. We can see this in today’s use of astrology as the guide to life and problems. It is an honor that God created man in His image; Christians must not dishonor God refusing to glorify Him and falling into idolatry (Romans 1:22-23). All are condemned by sin and

A good example that support the theory that “Western Society assumes that humanity and nature are disconnected and that the environment is subordinate to human needs.” are first, Puritans belief that they had the God given right to subdue both nature and any Native Americans they saw, which was all for the glory of expanding the Christian society. A second example is the key beliefs of d’Holbach’s and other philosophers that “humanity towers above nature because of humanity’s capacity for thought and rational decision making. With these abilities, people could decode nature’s laws and more efficiently tame it for the betterment of society.” Colonist believed that the environment existed solely to support human needs.

These can be simple activities such as turning off the water while brushing your teeth or simply walking to work. We can also be more mindful about how much trash we make in a week and to always recycle. Although no amount of recycling will forestall the end that God has planned for the earth, we are still called to preserve earth’s natural resources to the best of our capability. Psalm 24:1 (New International Version) states, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” This passage teaches us that although God gives people the power to utilize elements of the environment, God is still the ultimate owner of all of his creations. Therefore, we are called to respect his creations because they are not ours but God’s.

The sad injustice to nature is that man has forgotten the biotic connection between the natural world and humanity. Whether protecting nature is a spiritual experience or simply a means for survival, nature is as much a part of human life as the human themselves. The separation created by modern environmentalism between human and non-human entities can only be reunited if people learn to view life as a part of nature. The scary part about that thought, however, is will that be enough now? Only time can

When it comes to nature everyone has their own personal experience that either made them appreciate the worlds beauty a little more or transformed them from the inside out, yet humans have long been blamed for the destruction of everything wild. What is it about nature that William Mckibben describes in his book End of Nature which makes us “think of people as small and the world as large” and how did this change to where “the opposite has become the truth.” (Mckibben XV) Humans have put their fingerprints all over the natural world and made it to where they demand control of it all, instead of nature demanding to control man. This inclination for humans to think they can make nature whatever they want it to be becomes an issue that must be tackled at a global scale, starting with each individual’s treatment of nature. The end of nature predicted by Mckibben occurs when we ignore the warning signs that are glaring right at us, and choose to not

Christian voice is correcting them or proclaiming the biblical model of man’s relationship to nature which: is unique and superior to the dominant free-market and environmentalist models. . According to Gardner and Stern (1996), in that place are exclusive approaches that have power to be implemented in companionships search to defend the environment. One like approach may take a closer look at holy and regarding duties beliefs and the effects of these beliefs on the environment. The idea to create values and beliefs in environmental issues are important components of having a safer and enjoyable world for its people and the world they live in. Christian and non-Christian, at hand, must see the environment and the shortcoming of business by reason of a proper conversion to an act or purpose of and preservation of the wealth the planet has to support life. Christians as the Bible originate directing the eye to what has to be published by word force in reference to human natures dependence and bounden duty to the nature and its resources. As Christians we should do what ever it takes to make sure this earth glorify God. If we are careless about science and economics — not caring about how they work and what they describe, creation’s economy will suffer (Christians Research Institute).

If we keep taking from nature, without giving her something back, we will be left without motion or water to drink.  I can't help but think about the oil crisis.  We rely so much on nature's oil, that once it's gone, we will be motionless (no cars, no electricity, no jobs).  Our society is built around nature's resources and without them, we would crumble.  If we keep polluting her water and wasting her water, we will be without a drop to drink.  Coleridge is almost a kind of prophet trying to get everyone to understand how wonderful the earth is and if we keep abusing it, we will sufferfor nature will be avenged.

White’s thesis in The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis states that in order to confront the expanding environmental crises, humans must begin to analyze and alter their treatment and attitudes towards nature. The slow destruction of the environment derives from the Western scientific and technological advancements made since the Medieval time period. “What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them” (RON p.7). Technology and science alone will not be able to save humans until we adjust the way of thinking and suppress the old ideas of humans power above nature. Instead, we need to learn how to think of ourselves as being

Nature is merely our instrument of conquering one another. By manipulating what already exists, we create everything from nuclear warheads to high speed internet. The continuous competition between men feeds off of our technological advancement—none of which would be possible without the resources Nature provides for us. And rather than being grateful for the unequivicable power so generously offered us by our environment, we instead mock its existence. We distract from the cunningness and cruelty of our efforts toward mankind by relabeling our target ‘Nature’ rather than ‘each other’. By convincing ourselves we are somehow beginning to have Nature within our control and understanding, we forget that Nature is really only the means, not the end of our conquest. We will not be satisfied until we have defeated ourselves. As Lewis puts it, “Human nature will be the last part of Nature to surrender to Man. The battle will then be won… But who, precisely, will have won it?” (The Abolition of Man, 421)

The connection between humans and nature is very weak. Due to future advancement we are basically losing our grip on reality, which brings up the point of destruction to nature that we are not aware of. At one point in time nature was the most beautiful thing you could ever witness. Now people exploit it for money. They are selling land, resources, even water for a profit. They don’t think twice or blink an eye at the damage they cause. The disconnect is so huge the debate of protecting the earth is treated as a forbidden topic. “Second, environmental injustices critics challenge the mainstream environmental idea of what environmental problems are in the first place. They say its focused on the beautiful outdoors, it has anti-urban bias, it isn’t engaged enough with artificial human environments like neighborhoods and workplaces” (Purdy 4) That just baffles me how you can turn the place we call home and the wellness of it to a political debate when all we should want to do is preserve it.

Animals of all kinds have inhabited this earth far beyond humans have. Is it wrong to take over the land that was once home to God’s other beautiful creatures? Forster struggles with the concept of expanding his “wood” in order to give the animals living there more space. Forster claims, “Something seemed grossly amiss here, something that would not have occurred had the wood been larger” (247). However, if he was to develop his wood he would, in turn, take over other animals' homes as well. The feeling of guilt overwhelms Forster when the realization hits that his own home disturbs nature and all its creatures. He does not view himself as above or more important than these animals and hence wonders what gives humans the right to invade and conquer the land beyond. We have become a race that craves land because with land comes wealth, authority, and power. When Forster voices, “I could not suppose that my wood was the destined nucleus of the universal domination” (247), he acknowledges the typical notion society would express when validating their actions for expanding its wood. When