Green Movement And Spiritual Idolatry?

[Overaged]

It was commented to me on another topic that the going green movements we see developing everywhere are "spiritual idolatry."

I would like to hear from both sides on this. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?

I have not got an opinion yet on this except to say I think the idea sounds a little far-fetched. But I am open to correction on that.

[phkrause]

It was commented to me on another topic that the going green movements we see developing everywhere are "spiritual idolatry."

I would like to hear from both sides on this. Do you agree? Disagree? Why?

I have not got an opinion yet on this except to say I think the idea sounds a little far-fetched. But I am open to correction on that.

Well I for one don't buy that for one moment OA. The green movement might have an agenda, But if I'm not mistaken our Lord and Savior has left us to keep this earth as well as it was when he created it. Many are definitely not doing there part. :(

[Overaged]

I am not sure yet what to think of it, but I just want to note that this topic was moved to a different forum, (where it is now) as I got a request from a member who could not access the original forum where it was posted to put it somewhere where they could respond to this as well

[M. T. Cross]

Lets look at it.

If you are a Christian, your book tells you that you were given stuartship of the earth. To care for it. Its a spiritual obligation. Good reason to go green.

If you follow an earth based religion you are spiritually obligated to care for it. Its your mother and father. Good reason to go green.

If you follow a religion that believes all things are a part of a greater conciousness, that all things are connected and a part of the Divine All, then you are spiritually obligated to care for the earth as it is the direct physical manifestation of the Divine. Good reason to go green.

If you believe non of the above, this planet is where we live. It produces the food we eat, the air we breath, the water we drink. You are morally obligated to care for it. Good reason to go green.

[phkrause]

Lets look at it.

If you are a Christian, your book tells you that you were given stuartship of the earth. To care for it. Its a spiritual obligation. Good reason to go green.

If you follow an earth based religion you are spiritually obligated to care for it. Its your mother and father. Good reason to go green.

If you follow a religion that believes all things are a part of a greater conciousness, that all things are connected and a part of the Divine All, then you are spiritually obligated to care for the earth as it is the direct physical manifestation of the Divine. Good reason to go green.

If you believe non of the above, this planet is where we live. It produces the food we eat, the air we breath, the water we drink. You are morally obligated to care for it. Good reason to go green.

[olger]

It is not that christians do not share common goals with Environmentalists, such as the wish for less pollution and cruelty to animals, but believers should understand and resist the antichristian presuppositions of the environmentalist movement.

In the 1950's the National Council of Churches entertained mostly innocent appreciation of the beauty of God's creation through its ministry in National Parks. In 1961, the NCC was working the cusp of the burgeoning Green Wave when it issued a proclamation decrying human fertility and overpopulation. Theologians such as

Joseph Sittler exercised enormous influence with tropes such as Earth rape and eco-justice.

Most NCC churches today call for support of abortion, reproductive justice, sodomy, sexual justice, welfare state socialism, economic or social "justice" environmentalism, eco-justoce and so on... In the modern era, justice becomes meaningless because it stands for anything. Well, anything that will overturn Biblical morality and ethics.

In 1998, Joan Brown, NCC's General secretary, urged that belief in the radical environmentalist movement's assertions about global warming should become a "litmus test for the faith community." By 2005, when the Kyoto Protocol came into force, the NCC had enlisted thousands of Christian congregations in a massive letter-writing campaign in favor of environmentalist causes. So it is that Christian congregations become co-opted to train parishioners that it is their moral duty to go green with Christ, to form green congrgations, or eco-congregations. For the hip and the chic, Green is the new black. Little wonder that in the fall of 2008, the Green Bible was unveiled with support from NCC and various environmental groups. Interestingly, belief that "Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, crucified for sin, and rose from the dead, in contrast, are divisive issues that one should not insist on in polite company." Christian leaders who seek to hitch environmentalism to Christianity are but dirty fleas riding God's dog.

rejoice always,

g

[M. T. Cross]

So you do or do not think that Christians should heed enviromental concerns Olger?

[olger]

Respect Good.

Worship bad.

[M. T. Cross]

I would say that paying honour and homage to creation is a form of paying honour and homage to the Creator, but I know we are not gonna agree on that.

The bottom line of it really is, whatever the motivation for going green, for caring for the planet and trying to minimize the mindless destruction mankind puts on it, it is a good thing that we should all be very mindfull of.

[CoAspen]

[Woody]

Respect Good.

Worship bad.

Right on brother Olger. Preach it.

[Naomi]

[Overaged]

Interestingly, belief that "Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, crucified for sin, and rose from the dead, in contrast, are divisive issues that one should not insist on in polite company." Christian leaders who seek to hitch environmentalism to Christianity are but dirty fleas riding God's dog.

rejoice always,

g

Olger; your take on this OP has been interesting to read so far; but i think there is a ways to go before I understand correctly what you are saying here.

I suppose there are some churches involved in the green movement which can be shown to be guilty of various false teachings, yet does this kind of thing preclude the fact that Christians have been made stewards of God's creation? Do we dote on the husks of their failings to the point where we say "Going green is evil?"

I am not so sure that would be the right way to look at this.

I like the way EC put his opinion above. Most religions have some sensible and practical beliefs re environmentalism...

"Hooking environmentalism to Christianity;" does not have to be a "dirty flea riding God's dog;" (whatever that means), does it?

I am interested in hearing you out and understanding this better.

[Overaged]

The bottom line of it really is, whatever the motivation for going green, for caring for the planet and trying to minimize the mindless destruction mankind puts on it, it is a good thing that we should all be very mindfull of.

You will have to come to our church brother; and preach a rousing sermon on environmentalism! Well said!

[Tom Wetmore]

The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth. - Revelation 11:18.

It would seem that according to this verse, those that destroy God's creation end up on the wrong side of the judgment.

[Overaged]

The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great— and for destroying those who destroy the earth. - Revelation 11:18.

It would seem that according to this verse, those that destroy God's creation end up on the wrong side of the judgment.

[Overaged]

In 1998, Joan Brown, NCC's General secretary, urged that belief in the radical environmentalist movement's assertions about global warming should become a "litmus test for the faith community." By 2005, when the Kyoto Protocol came into force, the NCC had enlisted thousands of Christian congregations in a massive letter-writing campaign in favor of environmentalist causes. So it is that Christian congregations become co-opted to train parishioners that it is their moral duty to go green with Christ, to form green congrgations, or eco-congregations. For the hip and the chic, Green is the new black. Little wonder that in the fall of 2008, the Green Bible was unveiled with support from NCC and various environmental groups. Interestingly, belief that "Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, crucified for sin, and rose from the dead, in contrast, are divisive issues that one should not insist on in polite company." Christian leaders who seek to hitch environmentalism to Christianity are but dirty fleas riding God's dog.

rejoice always,

g

Olger; I have re-read this post several times; am sincerely trying to understand where you are coming from. It looks to me like you are saying that because the NCC is teaching false doctrine that we should not trust other issues which they promote, such as "going green with Jesus;" as you called it?

Do you have any references/documentation for:

a) that the NCC teaches as you say they do re the virgin birth?

that we should not get involved in the green movements of today because of this?

I would appreciate some clarifications and references.

[M. T. Cross]

You will have to come to our church brother; and preach a rousing sermon on environmentalism! Well said!

Somehow I don't think I would make it to the pulpit...... Maybe I could write it and you could preach it LOL

[Overaged]

ha ha; well we can work together on that one!!

[olger]

I have an obligation to provide more information. Thanks for your patience. The topic is a huge monster and growing rapidly.

Arguments that Christianity must be for environmentalism are only superficially Biblical. Indeed they are unbiblical. The Christian idea of stewardship gives man the responsibility to care for the creation and to use it wisely. Environmentalists reject this teaching in favor of a subtly different belief that the Earth's value is inherent to itself, that elephants, dolphins, trees and virus' have no less intrinsic value than human beings. Insistence that all life is fundamentally one forms an important pillar of the movement. A logical result is a perverting of Christian respect for the creation into pagan reverence for nature. Religious fidelity to the cosmic biosphere is the central organizing principle binding diverse groups under the banner of the Green Revolution. The idea that man is the image of God they consider to be hopelessly arrogant. Imaging that man can and should modify his environment to suit his wishes is bad. Thus progress as traditionally understood must also be rejected.

Modern environmentalism is a reconstruction of a pagan world order, a rejection of Christian spirituality. Even so many churches are unwittingly practicing the religion of enviromentalism. Mystical and emotional religion replaces revealed religion. I know that the average person in the pew might not understand or have much interest in the guiding principles of the Green Dragon, but this does not mean that they are substantially unaffected. Not all Christians are fooled, fortunately, and many are flowing out of eco-congregations in search of something real and biblical. Here is where Adventism can help, if we are not pulled into the Green Abyss.

Algore said it succinctly in this statement, which is a much-needed peek behind the curtain of Green Religion "Armed with such a faith, we might find it possible to re-sanctify the Earth." In that statement he was blending eco-theology, and deep ecology. Although pagan spirituality is hostile to Biblical Christianity, it it is precisely these ideas of deep ecology and ecotheology that have permeated society and the professing Church, and faciliate the pagan-christian environment prophesied by Paul in Romans 1:21-25.

For some insights into the Green Revolution you might do a search on

Gaia worship.

Deep ecology.

Dark Green.

Rejoice always,

G

[Tom Wetmore]

Taking the absolutely most extreme view on the outer edges of the environmentalist movement to reject it completely is like rejecting Christianity because a bunch of hooded racists burn crosses and claim to be Christians.

What you describe is way beyond the reality of the overwhelming majority of those concerned about the environment.

It is more than a little silly.

[olger]

There is some useful information in these short videos.

[olger]

Hey friend Tom.

Your perspective would make Polycarp a wild-eyed fringe fanatic for resisting Anicetus. Hardly Sir..

[Dr. Rich]

In the 70's, I owned a large parcel of land I wanted to develope in Boulder County Colorado, but the 'Green Belt' group of tree huggers kept me from developing it saying that they wanted to protect the land around Boulder.

Today, the land I had to sell cheap because I couldn't do anything with it now contains a mall and business park.

One of the three Real Estate offices I owned was forced to sell because the town counsel wanted to bulldoze the building down to make room for a shopping mall to keep people from building shops in what they called the green belt. I protested, but lost. So, they built a large mall on this property. Later they didn't like the mall, so they bulldozed that down and now there is a restraunt on this same property.

So I have mixed emotions about the 'green movement'.

[Tom Wetmore]

Hey friend Tom.

Your perspective would make Polycarp a wild-eyed fringe fanatic for resisting Anicetus. Hardly Sir..

A non sequitur if there ever was one...