A Project of Sage Steppe Wild
“Evangelicals and environmentalists are surprising allies. Creation care divides evangelicals in Idaho and the nation, and a Boise congregation and its pastor are among those at the heart of the debate.” By Rocky Barker. Idaho Statesman.
Several months ago I posted a piece by a SW Idaho politico-religious activist (Bryan Fischer) who said it was God’s word to kill all the wolves. This is an interesting counterperspective.
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Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Comments
Yes I am sure God created wolves to tell man to kill them.
I think it is about time that “the church”{the many religious organizations}, start looking outside the narrow world they have created. Most if not all have lived in ritual isolation, keeping separate from the masses, choosing to remain divided on their differences instead of at least joining with those outside of their little box to unite in what they have in common. There are a lot of fear based beliefs. {The source of my irritation or maybe just a pet peeve, is that there are so many people who do not think for themselves.}
Much more good in the world can be accomplished when people decide to focus on the areas that they have in common. But it has been ingrained in some, that if they do this it will lead to evilness, and they will compromise their christain beliefs. Some are discouraged to attend secular universites “because those philosophy classes etc. and those professors will lead you away from what you have been taught in your church”, or “…. to question your beliefs”. I have often heard these words; “If Paster So & so says it then I believe it, it’s the only way, and that’s that”.
However, the upside to this teaching of being good stewards of the environment because it is God’s gift, will get much more people involved in making positive changes. A very large portion of the population are involved in churches.
For me it does not matter what an individual’s religous beliefs are because the more people who care about the environment the better for all. The environment affects the entire world and as more people become aware of these important issues, the sooner the results will come about.
I can’t keep from wondering what could be accomplished for the Yellowstone area bison situation if more people were involved??? For those of you familiar with the details
that would a very significant change.
One does not have to be an “environmentalist” to care about it. What I found amusing in the article was the people who were worried about what is
basically “fraternizing” with the enemy {persons who have other issues that are opposing}. They have to be in total agreement across the board. They can’t agree with John Doe because he is labeled a Conservative Whatever. I would compare it to racism; that thinking works the same way. Why do people insist that people have to be sorted and labeled??? Also something I find really irritating.
It is unfortunate that certain people in DC in the 70’s made it their mission to discredit and villanize anyone who was concerned about the environment. {I suppose for the history books it is necessary to label it the Environmental Movement.}
it sure is a promising development. it isn’t new ~ there have been anglican influences toward a more substantial environmental ethic for quite some time ~ though there is less emphasis on the evangelism of the ideas there – and from my experience, a respect for science and reason as significant contributors/basis to the ethic ~ it doesn’t seem to chafe their idea of ‘faith’ as much. it will be interesting to see what the basis of this ‘evangelical’ environmental ethic relies upon. the contribution of science, reason, etc. , whether it will be embraced by evangelical churches, as opposed to a purely aesthetic ‘faith based’ advocacy of the environment. i think that that distinction is important when considered with regard to the political leverage of the church – a leverage which IMO is innapropriate (and perhaps inflated) given the current administration’s use – and would be similarly innapropriate even if i believe in its aim.
“Creation Care” — woah…
it is good to see that tri has followed his son and daughter’s love for the natural world. i hope that it helps.
Wendell Berry, wrote the following about the current state of religion & the environment: “It is clearly impossible to exclusively assign holiness to the built church without denying holiness to the rest of Creation, which is then said to be secular. The world, which God looked at and found to be entirely good, we find none to good to pollute entirely and destroy piecemeal. The church then becomes a kind of preserve of “holiness” from which certifed lovers of God assault and plunder the “secular earth”.
The above is part of an essay & lecture which Mr. Berry delivered to a convention of Southern Baptists. It is an eassy in a book: “Sex, Economy & Comminuty” written by Berry