Environmentalism, Responsibility, and Big Macs.

I have had many conversations in my day, but I have to disagree with many people who are the richest in the world. I'm not just saying Bill Gates rich, but I mean that if you have ridden in a plane, own a car, and make over $20,000. There is an epidemic in this country that seems to demand that we get what we want. Even people that act like they are getting the bare neccessities are being spoiled when looking at other parts of the world. I have heard of tin mines ruining villages. I have heard of Tobacco companies paying out farmers that grew food for their third world country to grow tobacco, which, in case you did not know, cannot be eaten. I have heard that their is some sort of coincidence that the rises in CO2 emissions can be paralleled to cancers and respiratory problems. Yet we still fight responsibility. In this entry, I cannot help but befriend uber-environmentalists. It can seem like these guys are living in a dreamworld of bare minimum, but can you blame them. We who are, from what I have researched, major contributors to the problem, deny the problem so we do not have to fix it, forcing the ones with heavier consciences to pick up the slack. We also make our children think that the move toward this kind of responsibility is a sham. Let's stop this for a second and think. Just because you are conservative does not mean you have to be against these things.

I know that someone is going to put some anti-global-warming facts as a comment, so let me head that off at the pass. First, you might think that there is a half and half separation among informed scientists about this. From my studies, this is far from true. An overwhelming number of scientists are speaking in favor of the environmental issues. Second, you might retaliate with the view that the polar ice caps are back on the rise, so there is nothing to worry about. This may be true, but from what I have seen, this is in more recent years and the overall, long-term observations prove that the our planet is still hurting. And even if this were true, it does not answer to the cancer and respiratory problems and the effects that consumerism has on the poor and voiceless. Third, you might come at me by saying that Al Gore's house around 20 times worse than the average american house in energy consumption. This is true, but it does not relieve you of responsibility. Just because a porn addict tells me that porn is wrong, that does not mean that I go on to look at porn on account of his failures. Good action is good action, no matter what.

Think about the struggles in the coffee industry to make better decisions while producing coffee. Coffee was poorly grown and caused tainted rivers, and the farmers growing coffee beens were poorly paid. Much has been done about this, but it proves the point that at the very least, stepping away from consumerism has been proven to make life better from everyone. It is right, it is good, and it is responsible.

If you think about it, we need the earth as much as it needs us. We plant, we cultivate, and we co-create the tree. If you notice that in Deuteronomy 20:19, the Isrealites are commanded that even when they are besieging a city, that fruit trees are to be left up. It also seems to credit to God a care that is evident about God through his works in our history. He wanted things to grow, so he told the earth to grow it, and it did just that. As a matter of fact, he uses us to express his love of this world, his masterpeice. Our dominion is only so far as cultivation, protection, and care allows, meaning that exploitation is out of the question. Just read the two creation accounts.

Also, the fact that the beginning is tied into the idea of caring for the world since we are blessed with the responsibility means that it is all the more important. No where in my reading is there a mandate that relieves us of caring for the earth and all that is in the earth. We still maintain it as worsip to our God by obeying His will.

Even our dietary habits are crucial. It takes many resources to make beef. The health problems that people have from eating too much meat are noticed and emphasized by health professionals everywhere. Still, many over-weight people will not cut down on their Big Macs. I'm not just pointing to the obviously overweight, but also not so obvious. Cholestoral is a big problem as well. Many skinny people are going to have heart attacks before most of the seemingly fat people. Granted, eating meats is a part of the way of life, so I'm not saying be vegetarian, although some may feel compelled to do so, in which case I commend you greatly. I am saying that this is tied into the consumption nature of most of the civilized world.

Some of you may say that you have studied the issue and are well informed on things, but that is not enough. Knowledge is good to have, but knowledge and revelation and information alone is useless. If you have information, but do not act accordingly, you are pretty much taking up everyones much need air. I know that sounds cruel, but it is very true. Just like in theology, you can know it all, but if you go against God's care for the hurting and the hopeless, then you are a pointless theologian.

All this is to say act responisbly, and do not deny what is obvious and backed up my much observation. Do your homework and be challenged by the knowledge you have. I have even been challenged by this, because our house probably produces more than the national average of trash and probably the same is true about our consupmtion of resources. This is not a dumb pursuit by a bunch of tree hugging, hippy liberal Americans anymore. This is a legitimate cause that ethical and responsible people are starting to look into. Environmentalists are not evil, they are actually in many ways responsible. So look into it and see for yourself the reason why the we might not want to be so quick to oppose environmetalism.