FURTHER BS

Lisa is probably right. The only point to that environmental essay is at the top of the author’s head.

Some personal observations. After years of denial about the importance of protecting the environment at least some Evangelicals are getting on board. Including Rick Warren of the Saddleback megachurch and it’s one of the largest in the country. It didn’t take long for the more conservative evangelicals to start questioning Warren’s theological purity.

Face it the opposition is aging out and kids like my nephews are starting families. Saving a world to raise them in is important to them. And they’re part of the new generation of evangelicals. Less concerned with labels, more concerned with relationships. Don’t worry much about gay rights, but willing to spend time raising money for the local soup kitchen.

It’s probably no accident that the supporters of the status quo would pull out some new guns from their arsenal. The constitution mandates separation of church and state. Environmentalists borrow from religion to make their point. Environmentalists act like a religion. Walks like a duck, looks like a duck, quacks like a duck. Better play it safe and keep those dangerous environmentalists out of the schools. We’re not desperate, no not us.

The author’s use of Paul Tillich and John Calvin makes me wonder about his belief system. They’re about as far apart as you can get and still have both of them under the Christian umbrella, barely.

I’ll put a link to the institute after all. Simply because it’s two pages of puff that says almost nothing. If you do go in, note the code word “market driven.” Yeah right, I’m going to trust the markets to protect clean water, clean air and unfrankenfied food. And this group, unlike many others I’ve seen, does not publish a list of donors citing something called the “donor’s bill of rights.”

I’ve read the bill of rights for donors. It doesn’t say anything about not making your donor list public. If you’re going to publish position papers on how to deal with clean air, water and food access I want to know who is pulling your strings. In the famous refrain aimed at folks who don’t want the government or anyone else snooping using the excuse of national security; “this shouldn’t be a problem if you don’t have anything to hide”

And a side note. It probably isn’t a complete list, but care to guess how many of the two dozen research fellows listed in the Wickipedia entry are women? Answer? ZERO.

Caring for our Mother the Earth and our Father the Sky and all of their children (including us) makes us better whatever we were to start with. Granted starting from an earth respecting tradition; Celtic, Native American whatever makes it easier.

The Lakota put it well, “We don’t own the earth, we borrow it from our children.” We’ve been borrowing, and borrowing and borrowing and it looks like Gaia is starting foreclosure proceedings.