Adam Jones is wearing a green shirt because it's Earth Day; he's certain that the color of his outfit will affect the quality of the environment in a positive way. You are all welcome.
I think the Green movement is pretty laughable, sometimes. I care about the Earth, but the most active and vocal parts of the Green movement are really funny, to me.
For example, in my neighborhood I was strongly encouraged by some concerned teens to attend an Earth Day concert; my lack of enthusiasm made them visibly sad. (They don't know me very well.)
Since free food was advertised, I went (and didn't find any food) and my concerns were confirmed - this was a silly, ineffective celebration of the planet. Attendees were encouraged to take off their shoes (because the Earth hates shoes? I don't know) and all day there were bands on stage playing through a large sound system. I guess we celebrated Earth Day by using more electricity than we do on a normal day. It didn't take long to get bored of it; the small crowd was content, however, to smoke and listen to Rastafarian music...oh, wait. Now I get it.
Anyway, on my campus where I work Earth Day was celebrated by some people wearing bee costumes or dressing as French mimes. I don't know why. Elsewhere, marketing geniuses asked us to remember the Earth by buying 'Avatar' and watching it on our TV for three hours. (Don't worry, you won't need 3-D glasses because the DVD version is as two dimensional as the plot.)
I just work here.It's easy to pick on these oddballs, but Christians who are truly conspiring against Earth Day is just nonsense. Why not take the time to ask ourselves if we are being good stewards of the Earth - as we ought to do regularly? There's no threat to Christianity or Orthodoxy. As a matter of fact, it's an excellent opportunity for Christians to display our concern for the planet and show the world that we do want to take care of our planet as we should.
I'm asking you, fellow believers, to choose your battles well. On Earth Day, environmentalists were confused as to why an evangelical would get their panties in a wad about recycling and conservation - and rightly so. Those are not the battles we should be fighting. Christians have a reputation for insulting scientists and , now, protesting Earth Day. Do you see why Christians are portrayed as hateful types on TV? It's because of dumb things like this.
There are children who are put into slavery around the globe, millions of homeless in our own country, and people down the street who can't afford both medicine and rent. It's time to focus on those battles. If we do, maybe we can be known as more than just a group of grumpy preachers.
9 comments:
or more than a group who just protests anything the political Left happens to support, regardless of its legitimacy.
Good post. I especially liked the high-amp wielding earth-lovers at the concert.
Amen, Adam.
con·serve /v. kənˈsɜrv; n. ˈkɒnsɜrv, kənˈsɜrv/
–verb (used with object)
1. to prevent injury, decay, waste, or loss of: Conserve your strength for the race.
2. to use or manage (natural resources) wisely; preserve; save: Conserve the woodlands.
no matter what your religion, or lack thereof, one should keep one's house clean, and not poop where one sleeps. seems simple. too simple?
I wouldn't have any problems with Earth Day if it actually had anything to do at all with conserving and preserving the planet.
Though it's not really high on my priority list. I keep missing my opportunity to throw an "Earth Hour" party because I don't notice it's upon me until about five minutes or so in.
I didn't have any problems with Houston's Earth Day celebrations... but I didn't experience anything as silly as what you mentioned. At the Half Price where I work this year we had a coloring contest for kids (a picture of Elmo building a community garden; the prizes were re-useable bags, 100% recycled and recyclable water bottles, and half price gift cards). We raised money for Trees for Houston as well, an organization that plants 1000's of trees in Houston every year in celebration of Earth Day. (Last year a crew from several half price stores in the Houston area, myself included, were carted from work to the event and instead of shelving books all day for work were able to participate in the planting. It was hard work but so much fun.) I think its all about finding the right organizations and the right people.
I have an aversion to "environmentalism" because it's about worshiping the Earth while denying acknowledgement of the Creator, plus there's a nasty tendency to hate humanity as an evil infestation on the Earth.
Stewardship, of course, is a good thing, but anti-human Earth worship doesn't sit well with me.
Please note that I live in California, so there may well be environmentalists out there who don't despise humans as "unnatural" and not belonging on Earth. I just don't hear from them.
Interesting, FelixAndAva, you've pointed out a serious problem with the Green movement. Some have abused the concept of conservation in order to worship the Earth. That's not what Earth Day is supposed to be about.
It's starting to sound like the Environmental movement needs to start all over.
Agreed, Adam!
If Earth Day is treated as an occasion to save the polar bears and let the children starve, then somebody had better protest!
But there is every reason for Christians to be a witness to a biblical, creational environmentalism. God created us and the rest of creation to worship Him peacefully. I would be happy to kill a polar bear to save a child any day, but we should work towards saving all the children, all the animal species, all the plant species, all at once.
Planting an oak tree on earth day for your grandkids to climb in 30 years, or a fruit tree for your kids to eat from in 5--THAT's a Christian celebration of creation! So is planting trees in a big city, so bully for Andi!
I just wonder what the political motivations are behind it...
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