Saturday, April 24, 2021

,Sustaining the earth: what does your religion offer?


                    

On Thursday evening, about 5:30 pm, as I was preparing supper, I looked out the kitchen window and the wind hit full force against the house and trees. This is what is like to live in society today.  We are living in a time of strong social struggle. The winds are hitting us from both directions. Part of the population resists any recognition that humanity is on a race to falling off the cliff in collapse of the earth structures. The other half recognizes the change humanity must make to the ways it exploits the riches of the earth. 

 

Scientists, over the past sixty years, have been warning humanity of the dangers of global warming, the pollution of our fresh waters and the depletion of the soil and the huge plastic waste floating in the oceans. 

 

Human beings have a long history of resisting the truth because it demands that we must make some drastic changes to our way of life. Humans only embrace a new or inconvenient truth when it is advantageous to them. 

 

Of all the people you associate with, people who identify themselves as spiritual or people who identify with a particular religious tradition, ask them: And what does you religious teaching and experience offer to humanity to work to sustain the earth into the future? What gives you strength, energy and direction to keep the earth thriving? 

 

Christianity has much to offer to sustaining the earth and turning us away from collapse. 

 

First, we must repent of turning away from our attitude toward creation during these past five hundred years. Our religious belief in the value and importance of creation is not new; it was forgotten for so many centuries The firm conviction that creation is the first revelation of God’s love and compassion must be reclaimed. All our churches must return to our roots in God’s first revelation to sustain and create the world.

 

Secondly, we must regain a living sense of God’s sustaining power and love for every part of creation. Every bacteria that exists has been created, loved and sustained by God. We do not have to invent any new prayers that bring us in touch with creation. We just have to be aware of our own tradition in regard to creation. Christians do not have to invent the wheel! 

 

Christians have to recognize that human beings are not over and against the natural world. For the past five centuries we have exploited and abused the gifts of the earth. For too long we have used the earth as if it were ours to use and dispose as we saw fit.

 

We are being shaken into reality. We are kin with all creation. We are part of the great fabric of the created world. If the birds do not thrive, then we humans will not thrive. The entire web of life (from the most minuscule to the large human brain) is interconnected. In the very true sense of the word, we are all in this together.

Our Christian roots give us the tools and the energy to work towards a sustaining earth. Our faith and prayer can give us strong energy to work to sustain the earth. One of the unsung blessings is that now all who identify as the followers of Christ have something in common. We all have our religious roots to give us and empower us to work toward sustaining the earth.

 

We must reclaim what is an essential part of our religious tradition.

No comments:

Post a Comment

THE RESURRECTION IS CENTRAL TO OUR FAITH

  This is Easter Sunday. This is the high point of our Holy Week celebrations. Christ has died! Christ is risen!   In Western Christianity (...