As we saw in the documentary, more and more conservative evangelicals believe that it is a Biblical responsibility to care for the environment. The environmental movement has focused on the moral responsibility to care for the environment. Is it the same thing? And what are the implications of this difference in approach to the same goal?

About environmental policy, The Cornwall Declaration says: “Public policies to combat exaggerated risks can dangerously delay or reverse the economic development necessary to improve not only human life but also human stewardship of the environment.” What do you think the balance should be between environmental, human, and economic concerns?

How does your faith or religion or spirituality affect your perspective of environmentalism or creation care?

As an instructor of world religion, a concern for the natural world and our environment is embraced by all religious faiths. The problem in America is as old as the native American belief that we don't own the environmnet but must live with it and acknowledge our mutual dependence upon it.

Hearing Billy Graham preaching to thousands I thought, "Do you realize the harm you are doing, dumbing down all those people into believing instead of questioning?" Religions don’t ask questions, they push people to follow a book or a leader. Witness all the blue-collar Republicans who rejected their previous party to vote for Bush because he said he talked with God so everything would be fine. Well, think of the people who'd still be alive if Gore were president, to say nothing of God's world being saved from global warming.

Believers read of scientists going back billions of miles in space and billions of years in time, yet never question how the Book of Genesis fits in with these facts that they presumably also accept. Did God not make the world of dinosaurs, but just the one with people?

If God is in our image, capable of doing all he is said to have done, why has he stopped? Why isn't He making another world, better? Has God nothing to do but listen to millions of infinitesimal creatures pray to him? We say “God bless America," but if He didn't protect us from a tragedy why would he help after it? And why don’t Americans say "God bless Sri Lanka” or “God bless Indonesia?"

We either know or we believe, but not both. We stopped believing the world was round when we learned the facts. Most men look to truth, to incover mysteries, that’s how the world has progressed. The Dark Ages was a world of believers, not scientists.

Would people have the same beliefs if they were born in a different place?

For the all the ignorance, and the wars it creates, believing would better be banned.

This is fascinating. I had no idea there were Christian fundamentalist environmentalists.

Since they wish to preserve what little is left of the only habitat we have, rather than let corporations continue to despoil the earth for profit, I suppose that the Bush administration would label them eco-terrorists.

As an environmentalist and Green Party member myself, I really don't look forward to sharing a cell with a Christian evangelical. But since we both care deeply about the planet which provides everything we need for life except sunlight, I suppose we'd manage to get along.

I cannot know if our world will last just one more day or another million years. That's not my decision. I do know that God has created this incomprehensibly miraculous place for me to care for. Even if I knew it would all be over in one day, I am still called to take care of it as if it might last a million years. John Vissers

Here is my articulation of why I believe fellow evangelicals have had a problem with the long-held conviction that we must "save souls, not the environment."

Any critique of this understanding is welcome.

Evangelicals and the Environment

At long last, the evangelical ship seems to be swinging around on the issue of environmental degradation being a legitimate concern for Christians. Christianity Today magazine recently conducted an Internet poll in response to this question: “Should evangelicals lobby on global warming?” Some 10 percent still believed there was no global warming; 18 percent felt the science was still unclear. But, surprising to me, 33 percent said, “Yes, it is our job to care for creation.” Some 20 percent more felt that caring about the climate was an aspect of loving your neighbor or at least caring about it as a social problem.

Also telling is the declining number of those who say, “Our priority should be evangelism.” Around 14 percent affirmed that position. As an evangelical who writes and speaks on Christian environmental ethics, I’ve often been asked the question, “Isn’t evangelism—saving human souls—more important than caring for the earth?”

This issue is probably number 1 in calling into question the validity of evangelical concern for the material creation—the earth. The trouble is that the question is virtually meaningless as it stands. This can be illustrated by asking another question: “Isn’t evangelism more important than good parenting?” Whereas the first seems to call for an obvious yes, the second does not. In fact, most evangelicals with children would likely answer no to the second question.

The reason is this: Evangelicals have interpersonal spiritual responsibilities that relate to our gospel mission as members of the universal body of Christ—the church, but we also have material creational responsibilities, which we share with all mankind. The creational responsibilities that all people have in common are these: being fruitful by having children and then caring for and protecting them, working so that we might obtain good food to eat and clean water to drink, protecting ourselves with adequate shelter and clothing, being stewards of the earth and its fruitfulness so that it can continue to provide us with what we need to live and remain healthy. As Christians, of course, we want to be health-promoting and healthy servants of God. Our creational responsibilities are implicit in the foundational chapters of the Bible’s book of Genesis, and it can be argued convincingly from these Scriptures that they have priority. If these were ignored, very little evangelism would take place at all—because weak, diseased, or dead people are poor evangelists!

Evangelicals commonly hold that evangelism is primarily the preaching, teaching, and sharing of the words of the Gospel: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. Yet it is not likely that any of us ever spend the bulk of our time doing this. We spend most of our waking hours carrying out our creational responsibilities—which is as it should be. In fact, when we carry out these responsibilities in a way that demonstrates the love of God for both the world of people and the world of nature that He created, we are “evangelizing.” Living Christianly within the light of the Gospel with its good news about the restoration of the good cosmos when Jesus returns is likely to be just as important as articulating the words of the Gospel. Can Christians who ignore the basic creational mandates implied by our Scriptures (like caring for the creation) be “evangelicals” in the fullest meaning of that term?

I was quite impressed with the comments of evangelical John Vissers. I am not a religious person, but do respect everyone's personal choice on that matter; and that is one of the things that makes this country a great one - freedom of choice. John's message to evangelicals is addressing the environment in terms that they can understand and logic they can support. Nice job - I think if folks did more reading to gain an understanding of the issues of saving the environment they, through what ever faith they adhere to, will find it's a perfect fit. As a spiritualist, I believe we are not separate from our environment, our world, our universe, or God. “Do unto others”, really means that you are doing to yourself. "Do unto others. . ." if applied to the "least of the least" - down to the tiniest microbes that keep our soil healthy, or the smallest particles that makes up our water, and skies; will take care of our environment in its entirety. Our world would truly be a happy paradise that provides for all, as stated in Revelations, for a millennium. So, regardless of our religious belief, I say we get busy.

I believe that each of us should spend less time worrying about what the others are doing and more time taking responsibility for our own actions. If we were willing to run for office, stop driving gas guzzling cars and thousands of other acts, the world would be a better place.

There are examples of what individuals have accomplished all around us and yet the average citizen seems to feel that they have so little influence that it doesn't matter what they do.

When I question how God can let so many bad things happen, I just think of all the amazing things that have occurred because of some tragic act. Cancer research in the name of a loved one or physical feats as a result of efforts to overcome adversity. The list is long and the accomplishments tend to overcome the evil.

It sad that it often takes a tragedy to create a victory but lets stop questioning why and join in the effort to make things better.

Is God Green? Good Lord no. Religion is the antithesis of the natural world. Religion began as a flank of agriculture 10,000 years ago. Weaved into the Bible's story is the war and landscape destruction agriculture brought. The discussion would be more real if it started with, "Well...we are all here because of the farmers who unfortunately brought God with them and left the natural world in ashes...Now, how do we revive the natural world and remain well-fed?"

I am an old Oklahoma boy raised in the church of Christ, Green Party member in Washington State and environmentalist. In fact, I originally became an activist over a decade ago because I could clearly see a theology of ecology in the bible. I am utterly disguted with the hypocrisy of the Jerrry Falwels and Pat Robertsons of the world. If there is a hell, they should lay in a supply of ice cubes for they are the wolves in sheeps clothing. They defy God and his creation. God is not about money and materialism and their fantastic theologies of prosperity. The Christian life is about voluntary simplicity, frugality, joy, being humble, celebrating God and helping the most vulnerable, the widows, orphans, afflicted, poor and nature itself. I believe God and Christ Jesus would support the preservation of public lands such as national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife refuges for in Romans it says we need to clearly see the invisible things of God through what has been made. Today, the so-called conservatives seek to privatize and sell off our national public lands system. This is part of the Grover Norquist agenda. But like Jesus with his whip, we must drive the moneychangers out of the temple.

If everyone truly lived by the principles of my faith, the world would be a happier, more green place. My faith says "do no harm to others", to always put the benefit of others before my own, and recognizes the oneness equality of all beings. These beliefs strongly influence my care for our environment and all of the beings who live here. I think many people are very turned off by the divisiveness that seems to come from some religious groups today. Divisiveness ends up harming all of us and our environment.

The Cornwall Declaration is a right-wing religious attempt to address the issues of ecology and environmental protection. They like the word stewardship. Growing from the rabid deregulation branch of the conservative movement they are fearful of allowing concern to grow about any environmental threat.

“Public policies to combat exaggerated risks can dangerously delay or reverse the economic development necessary to improve not only human life but also human stewardship of the environment.” - the Cornwall Declaration.

On the surface this statement is of the obvious. On closer inquiry one can see the devil lurking in the details.

Whenever a group of people act to combat an exaggerated risk there is danger of robbing energy from more productive enterprises. Just look at the Iraq war.

Iraq is a perfect example where an exaggerated risk has drawn the US into the middle of downward spiral, as more human life is cut short and poverty is spread widely in the wake of indiscriminate warfare. The US spends something like $6 Billion dollars per month on Iraq. How many happy, healthy and God loving stewards could we enourage with that money? I would imagine quite a few. Instead we get dead Iraqi children and a dying Iraqi economic, cultural and social structure.

The devil is in the phrase "exaggerated risk." It is too easily used to support pre-conceived notions and poorly founded subjective opinions. We now know that the risks that precipitated the Iraq war were intentionally exaggerated by the Republican leaders. The risks of ecological catastrophes, on the other hand, have been carefully studied by thousands of independent scientists who have reviewed each other's findings in open forums.

For some unknown reason, the authors of the Cornwall Declaration have decided that human-caused global warming is an "exaggerated risk." They have disregarded the clearly articulated and methodically pursued scientific consensus. They don't believe their own eyes. They imagine conspiracies of thousands. Why? Perhaps because they fear that the policies to stop or reverse global warming will impede their holy vision of serving God through prosperity and stewardship, and so they must attack the concept of the risk as "exaggerated."

The crazy thing is that when it comes to global warming, they need not fear. The captains of commerce see the opportunity to create wealth and prosperity in combating global warming. Where the Corwall folks see economic threat, major corporations see money-making ventures (General Electric, Virgin, and PG&E are just a few). The fight against global warming is a great opportunity for us to practice the stewardship they seek to instill in humanity.

And, as the stewards of our ocean bounty have seen, doing nothing can result in the most forceful challenge to the Cornwall ideal of stewardship where there is plenty to go around. If fish stocks decline or disappear then humanity will have lost a major source of food.
Many evangelical christian groups have seen the importance of the global warming issue. Lets hope thos who put together the Cornwall Declaration join in.

How sad I am that when we speak of the environment, it is always re our needs.
At 75 I no longer envision a country of vegans or vegetarians because sadly cuisine is more important to most than the lives of innocent farm animals who live horrible lives in closed airless factory farm types of existence.
What bothers me most is that people who eat meat don't seem to care a wit that these animals suffer. Am I wrong to believe that Jesus does?

I hope some Christians are environmentalists. It always seemed incongruous to me that so many Christians were politically conservative; supporting war, capital punishment, anti-feminist, anti-gay, and so on. Atheists and Humanists are more likely to embrace equalty, civil rights, and environmentalism. I think the conservative religions allow people to feel detached from the natural world. The notion that we can affect change through reasoned action for the good of the world is Humanism.

It is amazing to me that in the face of science and logic that Christians (especially fundamentalists) maintain the positions they do. Blinded by absolute faith they hold on to positions that were formed in the middle ages. How can we trust a religion that perports the concept of original sin from the Garden of Eden that basically condemns mankind, and the earth. They hold us all hostage by their ignorance because they believe in the second coming and that the earth, the flesh is going to pass away anyway and their ultimate "goal" is heaven. Jesus died 2000 years ago, he is not coming back, heaven is earth let's take care of it.

The reason why religion hasn't seen the environment as a problem that needs to be addressed, is because they're belief is that the world is condemn and will be destroyed regardless. It's hard to get all worked up about a loss cause.

As an Ethical Humanist, one of my core beliefs is reverence for all life and acknowledgement of each human's unique and incomparable worth. This regard for people and life includes an element of stewardship of the Earth, since without its resources, obviously, humans would cease to exist. Instead of being bound by any particular dogma or focusing on the worship of any particular individual, we try to live the highest ethical ideals. Hence the "Deed before Creed" slogan. However, I am more than happy to see evangelical Christians able to incorporate care for the natural world into their creed and worship practices. It gives me hope to know that, at least on this issue, we are not far apart.

I have written 3 books that relates my religious beliefs to Nature. They are summarized in a podcast.Please listen to it:Podcast.wheretruepeaceliesonline.org. Put it in your browser and clikc "go".

We are just in between ice ages and meteoric catastrophes anyway. What's wrong with a little global warming?

My fantisy: We ask all religious leaders and groups to present their god. If this being can create a universe and all its wonders it certainly can appear. Then we give the religious leaders 100 years to bring forth this being. In the meantime humanity will have a moratorium on all punishment that the religious groups might dish out in the name of their god and thus spare humanity from guilt for actually requesting such a darn thing. No religion can in the mean time use its moral god backed rational to indite any human who might have a new concept to help societies,etc,etc....
I could go on and on but the fact is(My reality) I don't believe there is a god. We humans are living a stark naked reality that is profoundly the greatest miracle of this ancient universe and we are wasting ourselves on the luxury of killing our selves at what ever rational we can come up with. The mind is a phenomenon of nature the best that time has yet acchieved. For humanities sake, we have one eternal quest if we are able to break away from our silly and sick (oxymoron) selves and push life into space and into wherever we can. Because, being there is no god, we can't assume that a god will save life from the next cosmic meteor smash or mega volcanic eruption on earth. I choose to save life based upon my understanding of nature from the historic reasoning that some humans have left behind and what I myself have discovered in my own way.(run on sentences)I love them...
I love all life, I love all humanity in general(leaving out certain specifics)I have achieved my own higher states of conciousness but like believing in a god I can't prove it. We have the web which is a step in the right direction.Lets really use this new freedom before it gets taken away.
Thank you for the post space.
John

There is a God.

He loves you.

He made everything that's important.

You need to use your brain and take care of the things you can take care of. Reduce/Reuse/Recycle, etc.

You cannot stop a volcanic winter or ice age or meteoric collision anymore than you can raise yourself from the dead.

You are the proof that there is a God. Miracles--all of us.

You are deceiving yourself to think otherwise--where do your thoughts come from anyway? How do you control what you remember or forget? How can you really know anything at all without some external existence beyond your body?

To love life for itself is nothing. To love it because your maker made it is meaningful. Life without meaning is dust in the wind--and who cares about or loves dust?

When Christ's disciples left from hiding on the third day, after he spoke to them, and went out into the streets of Jerusalem to preach the good news despite the fact that Christ had just been crucified and killed by an angry mob and emerged as changed people who no longer cared if they too were crucified--do you think they'd die for a big whopper of a lie???

Christ is real, God is real, they are the reason for all of the free world as we know it today, whether or not you find them deserving of the credit.

Remember what the Roman guard said of the true Christians: He could tell when he was chasing down to arrest a true Christian to feed them to the lions--a true Christian wouldn't run.

Good luck to you on your spiritual journey and may God bless you and take your heart into his kingdom.

Iam happy to see that people are talking, even if we're not all in agreement. I believe we are all on this earth thru Gods grace and I think we are all stewards of this earth. We should all care about our environment. We need to be concerned about Global Warming and what we will be leaving to our children and our grandchildren. I believe as many other world renowned scientist that we only have 5 to 10 years to drastically make changes and time is running out fast. I belong to a group called the Global Solar Project, you can find it at www.globalsolarproject.org and it offers us a way to greatly reduce our carbon footprint. It is a non profit organization that will help anyone to install a solar system and it will cost nothing more than what your paying right now. We will all feel good if we know we are not contributing to Global Warming. Membership is free and it is a great project. We are also in need of volunteers. So if you are concerned about Global Warming and its comming repercussions and want to help then please come join us and also you can sign up for a solar system, you can help the environment and get rid of your electricity bill. Its a win win situation for everyone. Good luck to everyone and may God be with you....Randy Wakefield

We are to be good stewards of the earth...the earth is a precious gift for all humans to enjoy and appreciate-- not trash. Everything we buy we should think about who made it (paid/treated fairly?), the resources used (wisely?) durablilty (or planned obsolescence?)--you get the picture. Remember, your dollar is your vote (what ever you buy more will be made).

I've been teaching Bible study course on this topic for about ten years. My lecture notes are available from my website:environmental-law.net. Just click on the religion and environmental link on the left side.

Larry

I haven't had time to read all of the comments so hope I'm not duplicating too much. I have spent all of my life as an activist for causes I believe in. This has usually focused on the rights of minorities and the welfare of the poor. I have realized for awhile now that none of the rest of that will matter if we don't get serious about the environment. Many scientists now feel that we are approaching the point of no return within ten or so years. If we make God's beautiful earth unliveable, then there will be no opportunity for any of the rest of it to matter. In addition, the worst environmental damage usually affects the poorest first --- although the rich has better begin to wake up and realize that they won't survive either if we destroy the planet.

Modern civilization does not realize that it is going in circles on the enviro-issue. It is not about the 'environment.' It is about 'nature.' One is a concept, that we can fix like a car engine. The other is alive. As such it needs to be respected, like we are supposed to respect human life. Whatever your stripe, the Earth cannot be managed by eco-scientists or eco-Christians. To save ourselves we would have to reverse our economy and culture. That ain't going to happen. Let's be realistic. We have not begun to conceive that there is any other kind of thinking outside of hubris of our 'evolved' civilized mind. We still think we have control over all life, including something as mammoth as the planet, when we cannot even get one nation-state to act on something as inadequate as the Kyoto Accord.

I think the Bible clearly states we should take care of the earth. We take on issues such as abortions, gun shootings etc..but stand by while the planet is being destroyed. Guess what people, no planet....no nothing to worry about....except for those "rich" elite who can jump planet to go elsewhere.

One of the great teachers in the Unitarian Universalist tradition said, "A faith that is not a sister to justice will lead us to grief." That's the kind of wisdom that informs my work for environmental justice. If we're not working for a healthy and sustainable world for all people - and not just the fortunate few - what kind of "environmentalism" have we embraced?

EXAMPLE: I know many environmentalists who declare that Americans need to "turn down the thermostat" in order to save energy. Al Gore wants to raise the taxes on energy consumption. However, I'm involved with social justice work in my region and I know that there are many people in my town - including some senior citizens - who can't afford to pay their winter fuel bills. If we adopt some of the "save energy" plans now popular, the rich may suffer some slight inconvenience. The poor will be the ones who have to ask, "Heat or eat?"

I'm wary of the soft Romantics who dominate much of the environmental discussion. I'm also wary of the people who want "interfaith discussions" about environmental protection with the discussion restricted to people in the big Western religions. Clearly, folks, if we want to "save the planet" we need to be in cooperation with Hindus and Buddhists and others who are outside of the Western traditions. And, oh, yes, it might be nice to listen to some of the little religions - the ones often kicked aside by missionaries - that are especially concerned about land and justice issues.

Some Christians say, "We're here to save souls, not the environment." That's the big dilemma in Christianity. However, don't be too hard on the Christians or on the conservatives. Personal liberation, personal enlightenment, personal enjoyment - well, call it what you will, it's the real objective in most of the big religions and in much of today's "spirituality." The goal is to get out of this natural existence - or way beyond this existence - into a much better place. The New Age folks are as guilty as any. (When was the last time that you heard a New Age guru talk about the economic and political issues that promote global warming?)

If people of faith want to do some good in the new environmental discussions, they'll need to do some serious reflection, they'll need to move beyond the traditional environmental groups, and they'll need to make some sacrifices. In my area, we have big religious buildings with immaculate lawns and big lighting displays. When churches and synagogues stop the chemical pesticides and cut back on their energy and water waste, I'll shout "Amen!" more often.

The devil is in the details. We must look at the big picture. However, I like to imagine the big picture without man. I always like what I see. So where does that put me and other humans in our need to mechanically manipulate a compex system to meet our wants and needs. We are at the bottom of the ladder not at the top. If we continue our self destructive aggressive approach toward each other and all living and inanimate things, I think we might successfuly put ourself and perhaps other current natural consequences out of the big picture. Will we get green then?

Faith informs our perception of the world just as our experience shapes our faith. The relationship of my faith to creation is best expressed by Thomas Merton in one of his jounal entries as cited below.

From
Entering the Silence: Becoming a Monk & Writer
By
Thomas Merton

When your tongue is silent, you can rest in the silence of the forest. When your imagination is silent, the forest speaks to you, tells you of its unreality and of the Reality of God. But when your mind is silent, then the forest suddenly becomes magnificently real and blazes transparently with the Reality of God. For now I know that the Creation, which first seems to reveal Him in concepts, then seems to hide Him by the same concepts, finally is revealed in Him, in the Holy Spirit. And we who are in God find ourselves united in Him with all that springs from Him. This is prayer, and this is Glory!

Patchwork Films was commissioned by Christians for the Mountains to produce a series of movies covering the subject of Mountaintop removal.

Global warming may be esoteric and difficult to touch, but witnessing thousands of acres of forestland being whacked off the face of the earth and dumped into rivers is easily described as one of the most devastating sights one can ever behold.

Our mission was not based on theology or philosophy. We simply went out to film what once was a mountain range and to interview the people who lived in and around the destruction areas. At the first sight of landscape turning to moonscape our director, BJ Gudmundsson started crying so hard she had to hand off the camera for she could no longer hold it steady.

If you are agnostic you will understand that mountaintop removal makes no logical scientific sense. You may even wonder what higher being would create such beauty then create men with the will to destroy it. If you are a person of faith then you may find the allegiance of religious leaders who oppose eco-justice suspect.

This is not just putting molecules into the atmosphere. This is wanton destruction of the land beneath our feet – and it is coming your way soon. Where there is coal there will be men with dynamite. In the past ten years over 400 mountains have been lopped off and dumped into the rivers below them. To understand this issue you just have to see it.

So. Is God Green? Give the coal companies another decade and the earth will be the color of gray slate and clay and the answer to Mr. Moyer’s question will be no, God is Gray.

The question was, "How does your faith or religion or spirituality affect your perspective of environmentalism or creation care?" As a lifelong, 60-year-old Christian and an active environmentalist since the early 60's, caring for creation is an inseparable part of my faith. How can we love the Creator and NOT care for creation? Some are surpised to see the two linked - I'm surprised that is has taken so long!! Evangelical Christianity, far from being "other-worldly," has been at the forefront of many social movements, most prominantly the anti-slavery movement and the Civil Rights movement. Again, if we love the Creator, how can we NOT care for creation? If we were created in God's image, are we not called to be caretakers with God of this world? If we believe in the Incarnation, "the Word became FLESH," how can we de-value this life and the other creatures- "God so loved the WORLD"! St. Francis got it! And
Tony Campolo, a passionate evangelical speaker and writer with a deep social consciousness, gets it, too. Recently, he wrote that St. Francis "helped me to realize that God did not create the animals, birds, trees, and everything else in heaven and earth simply for our own personal enjoyment and use. Francis made it clear to me that everything was created to glorify God and "'to sing His praises forever.'" Certainly, it's Scriptural. Just read Psalm 148, which is nothing less than a beautiful call for everything in all of creation to "Praise the Lord!" Or hear the calling of Psalm 150, the words with which the Book of Psalms concludes" - "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" Following a deep personal experience of his own connectedness with the creatures of the deep, Tony went on to say, "I learned that the songs of the humpback whales are nothing less than hymns of praise to the Lord. Furthermore, I believe that to interfere with those songs by killing off the humpbacks is blasphemy because, by so doing, we interfere with the worship of the Creator by creatures created to worship God."
Evangelical Environmentalism is NOT an oxymoron, as some suspect. To be an evengelical, to be a Christian, to be a believer in the Creator, we can't avoid the implications for earth-care. Praise God that many are finally recognizing that fact!

I consider myself Christian, though I know that word carries different meanings for different people. To me, I embody being a Christian by striving to be a follower of Jesus. However, given the state of Christianity, if Jesus were here today I doubt he'd be a Christian. I don't evangelize (preach to others), nor do I condemn people who don't believe what I believe. I'm not anti-gay, anti-Islam (or any other religion for that matter),or anti-feminist. Nearly every aspect of my life is spent on trying to be a good steward of the environment, of God's creation. My job, my home life, and my religious life involve "Creation Care". The text I see quoted in this blog several times, "we're here to save souls, not the environment," is nearly as ridiculous to me as the scales of justice shown in the movie "An Inconvenient Truth." If you haven't seen the movie, the earth is balanced on one scale and gold bars are balanced on the other. I'd ask the "Christians" who believe in saving souls over saving God's creation how exactly they plan on saving souls when our world succumbs to the damage we've inflicted? Does there really even have to be a choice here? Is is so difficult to do the right thing? the moral thing? I heard someone say once, "human beings are the crowning achievement of God's creation, but we're not the only jewels in the crown." We share this world with all of God's creatures, and we're going to give it to our children. I don't want to be ashamed of how I left it for my children. Do you?

Thank you, Jennifer.
I've already posted here (right before your post), but I had to express appreciation for your quote:
"human beings are the crowning achievement of God's creation, but we're not the only jewels in the crown." It couldn't be said any better.

I am more a conservative Quaker by belief than any other group. I believe that God wants us to preserve the environment to preserve ourselves rather than our present life-style. My fear for America is the old sin of self-indulgence.

It's refreshing to know that there are other born again Christians who are pro-life on the earth's environment as well, and believe God's word that we are to be stewards of the earth. I believe that means "to take care of" of the earth.

I've been a born again Christian for over 30 years and I've always wondered why other Christians were not more concerned about being better stewards of the God's earth.

"A touch of nature makes all men kin". John D. Billings said this in his book, Hard Tack and Coffee, when he wrote about the daily life activities of the American Civil War fighters. He was speaking about the experience of burying the dead mules. All men are created by God, and, as such, are indeed kin, but occasionally it takes a shared experience to realize the relationship. I too am an Evangelical Christian and believe in the everlasting love of our Savior, Jesus Christ, but it wasn't until my wife and I personally experienced the first hand assault of bio-terrorism, that we understood the vital role of stewardship for the environment that every Christian must accept. I write to you from an apartment in the city because we were brutally exiled from our naturally managed organic cattle farm by the devastating suffocation of greedy industrial agriculture which has no respect for the environment, the livestock, or the neighbors, but rather worships the mammon called the almighty dollar. I invite any brother or sister who would like to experience the kindred to visit us. Thank you, Eric Stickdorn Brookstone Terrace Farm, Cambridge City, Indiana 765-478-5649

I do agree that our earth is precious and we should be responsible stewards. My question for all Christians involved in defending the environment is what about human life? What good is a beautiful, healthy earth without our children (born and unborn), those who are disabled or handicapped, elderly or chronically ill as well as everyone who is healthy? God created our earth for our enjoyment because he loves us. Let us not lose sight of the dignity of human existence in our efforts to protect the earth.

I was really struck by the concept of the "earth as sacred ground." Can anything be more profound, and humbling, than this?

A Long Life on Gods Green Earth. by Michael Levy.

Why is it that most human beings do not get the chance to blow
out the candles on their hundredth birthday cake? Statistics state
not too many people live past the age of eighty. Many trees and
plants have a far more prolonged life than humans. Indeed there are a
multitude of animals, fish and birds that have a longer life span
than humans.

For example;

• Giant Tortoise average life-span of about 200 years
• Oregon Sturgeon average life-span of about 150 years
• Eastern Box Turtle average life-span of about 123 years
• Egyptian Vulture average life-span of about 118 years

Animals, birds and fish can outlive humans without getting sick
and going to a doctor for pills. Could it be our intelligence is all
mixed up in a conceited maze of refined intellectual thinking? Could
it be we really do not need to die a premature death from disease? Do
we have no option other than to declare, there is no other choice
than intermittent illness throughout our lifetime, leading to an
early grave? A few people do live to a ripe old age because they
inherited strong genes and DNA. However, leaving that aside, how does the
average person live in good health, to a fully developed old age, as
nature intended?

I guess most folks believe that our `advancements' in the world of
science and medicine have increased our life expectancy. This is true
to some extent, but it is only true in the context of keeping us
alive in ill health, despite our continuous bad habits and erroneous
lifestyles. We can alleviate the effects of an illness, but the cause
lingers on, bringing with it an uncomfortable life that eventually leads
to a premature, uncomfortable passing. So what can be done to
remedy the situation of being a pawn in a commercial chess game of
beggar thy neighbor, performed in a worldwide playhouse?

Firstly, if we stop polluting the earth with poisonous gasses,
pesticides and a multitude of other pollutants we would need fewer
drugs to sustain our lives. Therefore, it seems sensible to stop
corporations from manufacturing pollutants because of their need to
feed the greed of a few humans, who hold stocks in their companies.
In addition, self-pollution is an outstanding problem and banning poisonous smoking in
all public places, inside and outdoors, is a must-do and long overdue action.

The next move in the appropriate direction to a longer healthier life
would be to educate folks on the correct foods to eat and liquids to
drink. Pure water should be the principal drink and alcohol
consumption should be restricted to three glasses of wine a week at
the most.

All our dietary needs can be met with simple yet delicious whole
foods, herbs and spices that are heart healthily and loved by every
cell in our bodies. Our minds are constantly brainwashed by the
advertising media educating our taste buds to enjoy refined foods
contain high levels of sugar, salt, hydrogenated fats and other
harmful "tasty stuff." These foods are usually all dressed up with
colorants and artificial flavors. What a concoction of poison we have
produced for ourselves. We pay good money to eat foods that bring
about illness, which inconveniently installs us in a box six foot
under the ground, before our shelf-life was due to expire.

Regular exercise can help elevate the onset of many dis-eases and
here again simplicity is the key. Walking and swimming are two of the
easiest and most enjoyable forms of exercise available to most folks.
A few weight-bearing exercises are also useful to keep muscle tone
and bone strengthening.

But the most important ingredient by far in living a long and healthy life
is the way we think. What we need to ask ourselves is "Who is it that
resides inside my head that makes all the decisions for me." If our
minds have become too refined, just like the refined junk foods that
we eat ... that has the wholesome goodness removed ... we could be
left with junk-intellectual- thoughts ... Sophisticatedly refined,
but good for nothing with real value ... A strong spiritual soul will never allow
that to happen. In the bible, God said human beings are to be the guardians of his creations on earth …Who want to argue with God?

Once we start to recognize the true soulful genius that we
authentically are ... that lives outside our ego's perceptions and
opinions ... we will start to change our way of thinking and will
live to the maximum of our allotted life-span. It could well be we
live to 120 years of age in good health, if we do not allow negative,
erroneous thoughts to upset the balance that nature has so
magnificently provided for us all.

If we could only come to realize that we are a cog in the wheel of
nature and if we desire that wheel to keep on turning effortlessly,
we must become one with all that exists on earth.

The sands of time in humanities hourglass is quickly running out and
unless we make the correct lifestyle changes, there will not be any
life left here on earth for future generations to enjoy. So let human beings
take a leaf out of the book of the Giant Tortoise and slow down the
run-away greedy human brain. Let us all enjoy our lifetime swim in
Gods delightful oceans of pure water, gardens of sweet fragrance flowers and beautiful green pastoral meadows.

I am happy beyond tears to learn of a divine wisdom occuring in middle America.

Please forgve me, but I am inspired to paste a recent essay I wrote here.

Pray, Hope & don’t worry.

Essay: Politics as mass hypnosis

Today I experienced an epiphany of sorts about a concept I have been working to understand for many years regarding the extreme division of the inhabitants on this merry planet. My admittedly radical thinking transcends or at least rejects, both the left and the right. I am super aware of points of view and belief systems of all the accepted socio-political positions in the western world from far left liberal pseudo intellectuals to extremist right wing fanaticism. I don't ascribe to any. Each has found just enough “TRUTH” – whether real or imagined - to fuel its invented delusional stance. Collusions on a mass scale of delusional realities fueled by fear manifesting itself as what are commonly referred to as the seven deadly sins: Pride the grand daddy of all sins, which could be defined as the excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of pure truth: the grace of God. Pride is also sometimes known as Vanity. Envy ahhh yes, the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation. Or the destruction thereof, so we don’t have to feel inferior which generates yet more fear. Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires. This is escapism. Fueling distraction so we don’t have to feel how full of fear we are. Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. This is a variation of gluttony providing similar distraction from fear. Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath. This in the modern political world is the typical result of territorialism, and fascism. We are all wrong so we do our best to make everyone else is just as we are or destroy them in order to not fear them as their very existence disrupts the finely crafted fantasy we have so carefully invented in order to support our delusion. Greed is the unnatural desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness. This is the primary American trait and is fueled by the dangling carrot commonly referred to as the American Dream. Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work. Being able to do this while enjoying supreme creature comforts, often at the expense of others, is the penultimate goal and prize of the American Dream.
I admit that I am an anomaly politically speaking as I don't agree and align myself with any one group. But then, anyone who truly thinks left or right democrat or republican actually means anything is a victim of mass multi-generational hypnosis effectively employed by the group truly in power of the modern world on this planet who use divisions of belief systems, borders, paranoia fear and delusion to keep the developed modern world population working for them as debt slaves and fighting wars - which actually achieves two functions: One – The goals for the powers that be - generating huge profits hence power and, secondly it feeds the need for conquest in the general population evolved from ancient territorial rage. I believe it is tragic the way many pseudo intellectual left wing liberals feel the way they do about the power of true faithful Christian religion and prayer. They are actually angry about it as though they didn't get what they wanted and so ridicule what is a genuine offer of love and dedication from a fellow human being at the very least, not to speak of its divine magical power: Prayer and the amazing power it holds is ridiculously effective. I didn’t believe that until very recently. My viewpoints were identical to left wing liberals for most of my life primarily because, it was easy and I was angry at religion. I realize now that it is the people who use religion, either through ignorance, fear or as a tool for manipulation, who have made me truly angry, and that I was confused. You cannot legislate morality is the battle cry of freemason agitators. Freemason’s are essentially the “mafia” for the superpowers behind the scenes and who are not members of any one country. Freedom from tyranny is not what I’m talking about here. We have evolved beyond that now. The issue is not that you cannot legislate morality - the typical left wing stance - it’s that WE SHOULDN’T HAVE TOO!!!!!
Nothing extraordinary, liberalism is just another war chant territorial backlash from angry mobs. In the end all political points of view are fascist. As much as I don’t condone it, Fascism is the purest form of politics and the most honest political method ever propagated in that it was able to bring the source of all fear based hatred out in the open and utilized directly for a political system. It basically states, do what I, your government wants or we kill you and in the case of Nazi fascism they added- And if you're soiled with Jewish genes we're going to kill you anyway. Fascism simply reduced every political stance to its core essence. Liberals like to think they are superior to right wing conservatives. Certainly they are nearly always better educated. Also, for the most part they are more sophisticated and free. But, in the end liberals just want everyone to be and think exactly as they do, and are not at all dissimilar from every other political stance whether they are able to see it or admit it.
Yet when I consider the meaning of the word “conservative” removed from its world of mass collusion – the agreed political context most everyone instantly associates with conservative: The Christian right and that whole mess, I don’t see what’s so conservative about conservatives. As a group they are the most wasteful group of human beings on the planet. And, they’re extremely self-righteous about it, to boot. Hypnotized people are like that… Of course the moral freedoms enjoyed by many liberals is granted by virtue of customizing morality to suit desired needs. Right is not wrong just because Left portends an acceptance of different cultures and race. That is nothing more than spin! A political campaign designed to fuel rage in the working class and poor to garner their support through rage fueled by fear. An agreement needed in order to then use and manipulate them.
I realize that I have a fundamental difference about what is truly real from most people I encounter. I know that there is a truth totally objective to human perception and belief, and that we're afraid of it. As a result we eliminate as much of it as we can from our “world” (i.e. our delusional perception of the world) with self-hypnosis and mass collusion by devising a plausible explanation that we can invest in intellectually and or emotionally and know that we are superior to the other side. Beauty not truth and all that… Or relying on literal translations of ancient texts without a sincere heartfelt and honest questioning, which could bring about a rich understanding of our true purpose here. It is or would very soon become beyond obvious to anyone who has the courage to seek the truth, that OUR PURPOSE HERE is far more than a quest for creature comforts. Life is the battleground of good against evil and everything we do, every decision we make and every breath we take contributes to one or the other. Subconsciously we all know this. Carl Jung knew that! But we choose to run instead. Hide for cover beneath the “7 deadly” instead of traversing the admittedly treacherous road in order to discover and learn the truth of the “riddles hidden beyond the surf”. It is fear of the truth, sometimes by sheer association of the gross misuse of religion by those in power to manipulate the population at large which acts to fuel our animosity towards one another and give religion a negative association which takes away it’s power and purity for the people who would otherwise embrace it and live lives of higher morality, tolerance for their fellow man and love. We assign the role of enemy as evil to each other and feel a great satisfaction that we are doing all we can to be good people, when deep down in the farthest reaches of our hearts and souls, we all know it’s a lie. The reasoning and justifications from every enemy of every war in the entire history of humankind- once the outer layers of that reasoning is compromised, holds the simple argument that we are the good guys and the other side is evil. Towel Heads, Blue eyed devils, Nazis, Jews, Imperialists, Capitalist Pigs - it doesn’t matter - the arguments are all the same because they all rely on mass collusion and self-deception to fuel the self-righteous fervor. But these enemies are false enemies, and we as in “we the people” fall for it every time. False because the enemy is within us when we succumb to fear. But the solution is within us too, only we’re too afraid to see it.
What then can the source of this instigating evil force be? Mankind has asked this question since the dawn of reason. Is there a true evil, which exists outside the mind of man? Were we truly created by God in his image? Are there fallen angels now called devils or demons who roam the earth seeking the ruin of souls to prove a point to God because they are scared shit of him: FEAR! Every level of existence whether psychological, intellectual, spiritual biological chemical or of some yet unknown physical nature operates on the same principal. Einstein tried to prove that scientifically, but wasn’t allowed to finish for some reason. Maybe because then we wouldn’t need faith any longer, as we would all “know” the truth and the game would be over. The endgame doesn’t have to be checkmate. There is enough here for everyone, if we had the willingness to make that simple profound decision. Many forces here prevent this from being a consideration much less a possibility and goes back to the Illuminati, Knights Templar and now Freemasons – All are the same promoting novus ordo seculorum for Satan.
I invite anyone reading this to attempt to prove any of these theories against any other belief system. Political beliefs are delusional realities, which cannot be proved. Each salves the psychic wounds of its possessor and is a matter of either association at birth or taste. Within them there is no right and wrong only right and left. Sadly no one can prove scientifically that his or her approach is real. It's all just war, like viruses fighting for as much of the host as they can win in order to gather strength increasing their survival potential by surrounding themselves with more of their own kind. It is a biological survival instinct run amuck by extreme intellectualizing or blind belief – take your pick – Both are based on and victims of FEAR. Polarization is necessary for all activity to occur scientifically and as all mechanisms, whether political, social, chemical, mental, philosophical or biological, they function on the same principal. That’s the grand scale of what Albert Einstein was trying to prove with the unified theory.
But like I said, my radical thinking transcends both the left and the right. Mark Twain said that, “Democracy is the worst form of government ever invented, except for all the others.” And he’s right, only Democracy is still a lie, and that was his clever poetic Twain way of saying so! Edmund Burke said that No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear. Another pretty smart man named Bertrand Russell said that “Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”
When the shit hits the fan, we should strongly consider the advice of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry.”

The two bundled axes on each side of the American flag are fascist symbols. The word fascist comes from the word fasces which means, "a bundle of rods and among them an axe with projecting blade."

Fascism is a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.

The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between political parties either--but right through every human heart.

-Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn

Caring for the environment should be as natural as caring for our children. Humans are dependent on one another like our animal kingdom. For this, God gave us the ability to reason and an intellect to make decisions. Why is it so hard for people to see, hear, touch and taste the world around them and not embrace it and nurture it like a child in need of love and kindness. We are all one in God's creatiobn. "God save the soul of a dying child,
God save the soul of the earth,
For men are feared and fear the day that may end an ever changing birth"..dm

I want everyone to know I have given up my life,36 years, to making the finest top soil for the earth. In doing so I have invented a prosses to turn everything in the living carbonchain to topsoil.I say this not for promotion but to let you know that there are solution to the problum. www.rockwater farms.com

I am glad that some Evangelicals finally came to understand that the earth is sacred ground. And I hope they keep spreading the word, as they are a mighty force in this country. All life is created by the life force of the universe and should be respected and treated as such........Hanta Yo

It is always disturbing to see theologians quoting a text that supports their errant beliefs, and ignoring or being unaware of the quote that paints the rest of the picture. Yes, the 3rd chapter of Genesis offers God's curse upon the earth, but in Genesis 8:21 God says, "I will not curse the ground any more for man's sake..." Well, we have been given free will, and if God is not cursing the earth, maybe -- just maybe -- He is allowing us to exercise free will to either muck it up or make it beautiful, and the scripture leaves no doubt that we are the guardians of this earth. The earth belongs to God, it is on loan to man. A wise man returns that which he has borrowed in the condition it was in when he took possession of it, and a very wise man returns that which is borrowed in better condition than he received it.

Of course, free will means we are responsible for our actions and a lot of people may be more comfortable blaming God than accepting responsibility for their greedy self-serving actions. Predestination is a convenient scape goat.

As I watched and listened to our spiritual leaders defend and Biblically back up the blatant lack of care and concern for the environment I was saddened. The Bible is full of scriptures that show us how to care for the earth. If the Bible is a guide for us to live our lives then we need to follow it in all aspects of our lives not just those that benefit us at the time. Proverbs 21:20 tells us the foolish devour all that they have. Proverbs 27:23 tells us to be diligent to know the state of our flocks and tend our herds. This pertains to all our natural resources. Proverbs 13:22 advises us to leave an inheritance to our children's children. How many more species need to be removed from future generations before we take the environmental issue serious? Both Psalms 24:1 and I Chronicles 29:11 state that everything belongs to the Lord so who are we to misuse and waste what is not ours in the first place. The scriptures tell us to be good stewards of what belongs to the Lord which is everything! A steward is one who manages someone elses affairs and property. To say that the earth is ours to with it what we want is definately not Biblical. The scripture refernce in Genesis that was used doesn't mean destroy the earth. It says to replenish it.Our words and actions tell people what we really think about the Lord and his word.

"There will come a day when the Son of Man will turn his face from his Earthly Mother and betray her, even denying his Mother and his birthright. Then shall he sell her into slavery, and her flesh shall be ravaged, her blood polluted, and her breath smothered; he will bring the fire of death into all the parts of her kingdom, and his hunger will devour all her gifts and leave in their place only a desert."
"All these things will he do out of ignorance of the Law, and as a man dying slowly cannot smell hes own stench, so will the Son of Man be blind to the truth: that as he plunders and ravages and destroys his Earthly Mother, so does he plunder and ravage and destroy himself. For he was born of his Earthly Mother, and he is one with her, and all that he does to his Mother, even so does he do to himself."
This is from "The Essene Gospel of Peace of Jesus Christ". These are the teachings of Jesus Christ about creation and environment that were intentionally left out of The New Testament. They were hidden in the secret archives of the Vatican but are now available online and in book stores

The people that I work with are doing nothing to take care of the environment. They want cheap gas so they can drive their SUVs. They live far from work. They brag about how cold they keep their house in the summer and how warm they keep it in the winter. Conspicuous consumption is the most important thing. Spend, spend, spend. I have been saying we need higher gas taxes since the cheap gas in the 1990's. I am un-American, because I believe we owe it to future generations to take care of the environment. No one uses cloth diapers today. Americans buy produce that is out of season and shipped from thousands of miles away. Eat lots of meat. I look at our society and realize we are "Rome". We Americans are so focused on gratifying our pleasures. We are running out of time. I think we only have 10 years to turn this around, if we even have that long. Once the methane crystals on the bottom of the ocean melt and the gas bubbles up, I believe we will have reached the tipping point. I get so sad when I think of what we are doing.

The uniqueness of Christianity lies in the word "love." A person who truly believes in the teachings of Jesus understands that love is paramount. The great commandment is that you love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. To me, it goes without question that, out of love and respect, you also love and respect what God has created -- whether animate or inanimate.

"The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof..." Of course the Lord, Author and Creator of every good and perfect thing, is "green" (and every other color); the majesty of the world is ours to preserve and to nurture. Apart from this, we misunderstand our place on earth. Thank you for a wonderfully thoughtful forum to uplift the role of faith in caring for what God has given. Blessings upon PBS, Amen.

I've looked to Seventh Day Adventist on this issue who for over 100 years, have used the Bible to establish man's care for the environment as "stewardship" and social relationship with God's creations--without political rhetoric! Like them, I believe we can individually and collectively care for the earth without having to choose between what politicians or preachers might have to say about it. This is not a moral dilemma, nor a lack of concern for our market economy but learning as people how to value what God has given us.

It's about time Christians woke up and smelled the air pollution. For even scarier TRUTH....See the Nova special...GLOBAL DIMMING.....It will make you CRY!!!!

Nice to see People in USA taking a serious look at the Environment & Global Warming

Canadian

To Rev. Bill Hodgson: Secular scientists don’t answer ultimate questions, they push people to follow a book or a leading school, or an overextended supposition. An earth created by a "rare and random stastical fluctuation in nothingness?" That is the scientific answer-the answer to the ultimate question of meaning. Good try, Jacko--you almost had me. But I will stick with religion versus your dark age of reason.

Nice to see People in USA taking a serious look at the Environment & Global Warming

A Green Canadian

A couple comments for anyone bothering to read:

1. Evangelicals are not the only Christians and not all christians are political conservatives. I was raised with Catholic/Christian values and they led me to strong liberal beliefs.

To make my point... is it just me or do most conservatives care more about unborn American babies than already born Iraqi men women and children? ... which brings me to my next point...

2. If God is green, maybe next he/she will care about human life and have something to say about the damned war in Iraq. (thou shalt not kill, do unto others, etc etc)

3. Despite my disdain for the conservative slants of most evangelicals, I welcome the growing green consciousness in their ranks covered by this program.

I agree with Rick Warren, that it's a "No Brainer" - God is "Green", as well as every other hue seen and unseen. And to Mr Moyer, and to the Evangelical Environmentalists, keep fighting the good fight. I am certain my creator is The Truth, and you are right to seek justice. I will gladly call myself a passionate Christian Environmentalist.
Thank you for an excellent program Mr. Moyer.

Get real! As I have been reading this it is very clear that misinformed people are now utilizing the Love of our Lord to futher the ANTI-HUMAN agendas of these special interest groups. Save the environment and green house effects by reducing the Human population by 70%. Let the trees burn instead of taking care of the land, sowing it and receiving the fruits from our labor and God's beautiful nature. Go back to organic farming only and discontinue the use of mechanical equipment for food production. As far as feeding the hungry....we need to reduce the human population anyway.
These are the things I hear and read on a daily basis. These are the type of statements the enviromentalist extreme are spouting and the sad part about is they truly mean it. Don't cut a tree to build a house and when done properly, reinvigorate the plant life the forest....but take a human life that is defensless at about 38 million a year in the US alone.
Take a good look at what this GREEN movement really means to God's children and know that we can properly farm, harvest and produce on all of lands and be environmentally conscience as well.

What a great documentary! Tri's leadership in this area is something all evangelicals can follow. And his book, "Saving God's Green Earth: Rediscovering the church's responsibility to environmental stewardship" is a great resource for any church wanting to learn how to do this!

This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve witnessed in a long time.

Where in the hell have these people been?

Did GOD create spotted-owls -OR- the lumber industry?
Did GOD create the Appalachian Mountains -OR- the Peabody coal company?

And what in the hell does their understanding, belief, and following of Biblical teachings about responsibility of dominion over GOD’s creation got to do with Shrub, last-half-century Reptil’con or any (American) political value$ / prioritie$?

GOD a cost-benefit analysis free-market’er? Trinity capitalists? Jesus a Liberal?

They have got to be the most lost of GOD’s creation. Cynically deceived, manipulated, and mislead.

Or maybe… just maybe they’re all crazy, or worse.

Suicidal? Re: “eternity -v- three score years & ten”

GOD Bless them for they know not

(sorry that this comment is in no way constructive – far too flabbergasted to be constructive just now – the national dialog / debate indeed – going (not so) quietly mad)

My love of God and my love of the beautiful world he gave us are indelibly intertwined. It is difficult to understand Christians who seem to overlook the significance of the beauty of the earth and our sacred duty of stewardship.

It lift my heart to see Bill Moyers again on television, and my husband Philip feels the same way. Thank you for the interviews and reporting.

As an evangelical, I was especially interested in the "Is God Green?" special. I am very concerned with environmental issues, and it was good to have coverage of like-minded evangelicals.

Two specific comments:

First, I think we evangelicals should change our language from "stewardship of creation" to "covenant with creation." The former sounds dominating, the latter sounds relational.

Second, the comments from the theologian in Florida about God wanting ecological trajedy (e.g., Katrina) is consistent with the notion of divine power that many evangelicals embrace. If God can do anything and is in control, whatever happens must be God's will. I would like to call evangelicals to join me in rejecting the notion that God is in control. Rather, we evangelicals should affirm the biblical theme that creatures have a degree of freedom. If we have genuine freedom, God cannot be in complete control. And this reconcieved notion of divine power may help us realize that we have an essential role to play in environmental issues.

As I watched the "messenger's from God" last night, I remember asking a co-worker,who I consider a true Christian, how do you know who is telling the truth when everyone interprets the same scriptures differently. He told me that you should pray before reading the Bible and ask God to help you to understand what you read.
I have to wonder if some of those men last night asked God for knowledge? I also rememberd that a few years ago when Rover was roaming Mars,and discovered where there had been some forms of water and life, that I asked a local preacher "is it possible that Mars was like Earth, and had humans etc...and the humans continued to sin and destroy the planet so God one day said "enough" and poof! Mars became the red glowing planet! And, how can any human with just a little bit of brain, not think that with all the humans and human waste, the cutting down of trees and everything green, the pollution from industries, all the automobiles around this world not affect our environment and in return not create some natural disasters!

I watched the program last night and was enthrolled. As a Christian, sold-out for Jesus Christ, I have always felt a little, sometimes a lot at odds with many of my Christian friends or the Christian community at large. I am a quasi-environmentalist. I recycle just about everything, spend as much time as I can outdoors, re-use materials, but.....I drive a big pickup! It's a gas-guzzler and I make no bones about it. We've got horses and so it's a necessary evil. But I try to keep it parked as much as possible. Other Christians don't have this troubled "spirit" about "consuming devices" like I have. They don't think twice about hauling their kids in a large SUV instead of a just-as-roomy, yet smaller mini-van. To an extent, I don't even think the gas price surge had much of an effect on their outlook. It's strange, this desire to consume, waste, throw-aw