God and Climate Change

     Some say you should never discuss certain things for fear of starting and argument: politics, religion, the Twilight Series. But, where's the fun in that? Life would be pretty boring. I mean, who doesn't like a good old-fashioned argument with a friend over the merits of Carbon Taxes, drilling for Oil off the East Coast of the USA or whether God gave us the Earth to treat like our frat house? Rarely do I weigh in on religious debate, but when I do I do not hold back. (You can read one of my rare pieces on the environment and religion here.)  I consider myself a Christian and do my best to be a good person and help others in need. My religious views are my own and my relationship with God is between Him and me. But, when it comes to the environment, I think many of us avoid the religious and political arguments so they don't have to talk about it or how it affects more than just one person or group.

     I recently read an article recently concerning Climate Change, Global Warming and the damage the human race is doing to the Earth from a more religious perspective. Written by Mark Strauss, it introduced me more intimately to the schism



within the Evangelical Community concerning our effects on the planet. Groups like the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) view the human race as stewards of the Earth, here to protect and repair and live as one with nature, which is all part of God's divine plan. Others, like the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, believe that God gave us the Earth to do with as we please, that He wants us to reap the rewards that the Earth has buried inside and put in the atmosphere and that the Creator built in safeguards that would prevent global catastrophe as part of his divine plan. It mirrors the ongoing discussion outside of the church between conservatives and liberals, Democrats and Republicans, Big Business and Environmentalists.

     Many have the impression that Evangelical Christians are all conservatives who don't believe in Climate Change, Global Warming or the negative effects humans are having on the world around us. But, there is a large group of Evangelical Christians that do recognize the trends, that see the damage and are worried that unless we change our ways, the human race will do irreparable harm to the planet. God didn't put us here to destroy and to pillage. He tossed Adam and Eve out on their own and told them to pick up after themselves, not to lay waste and He would clean it up for them later. You can point to the days of Fire and Brimstone or the Great Flood and say that God indeed cleaned things up for us before. And you would be right. But, considering those events detailed in the Bible, where God stepped in and hit the reset button, shouldn't that give us pause? What's stopping Him from doing that again?

     When God created the heavens and the Earth all those millennia ago, he created our the vessel for our survival. When He kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, He told them they would have to till the ground to eat and live. He said be fruitful and multiply and spread out across the Earth. Many take this as meaning that human beings should be allowed to run amok on the Earth, burning what they want, digging up what they need and poisoning the land, the air and the water in the process. Many believe that God will clean up our mess for us, like a parent following behind an undisciplined toddler picking up the detritus in its wake. After all, He has done it before. Sodom and Gomorrah. The Great Flood.

     The signs are all around us: a warming planet with fluctuating natural cycles, changing with ever increasing frequency. Our moment to act and rise above and prove that we are responsible stewards of Mother Earth is upon us. We can choose to hide behind biblical passages and scripture that let us off the hook, cherry picking lines from the bible like many cherry pick scientific data to deny we are having an effect. We can choose keep ignoring our irresponsible actions and the damage we have done and continue to do to this planet. Or we can start picking up after ourselves and take responsibility for the damage our actions are causing on the natural world. We can choose to become the caretakers of this world. When it comes to our effect on our environment, if you need to consult the Lord to determine a course of action, then by all means, get to praying'. After all, the Earth is His creation and I am sure He has some preferences on how we treat it.