Eco-Christianity

[katealpha]

We've a parish meeting tomorrow evening, to which other churches in my town are also invited, to discuss what we can do to be better "eco-christians" both at Church and beyond - in the home, I guess.

Anyone else involved in anything like this? What do you think about it?

 

[geocajun]

What is it? Does it involve tree-hugging?

 

[Skripper]

What is it? Does it involve tree-hugging?

Stole my thunder. Was going to ask the same thing.

 

[stephenc]

"Eco-Christianity" is, to my mind, a good idea, because the spiritual/moral sides of the important ecology issue have for long been a zone occupied by diverse pagan/pantheistic types.

 

[stephenc]

...with the notable exception of E.F Schumacher; well worth checking out.

 

[katealpha]

What is it? Does it involve tree-hugging?

I'll let you know after I've been to the meeting tomorrow night.

 

[wiggsfly]

Sounds interesting. I would like to see some of the parishes here hold a similar meeting.....

 

[King of the Nations]

We've a parish meeting tomorrow evening, to which other churches in my town are also invited, to discuss what we can do to be better "eco-christians" both at Church and beyond - in the home, I guess.

Anyone else involved in anything like this? What do you think about it?

What I think about it depends on exactly what they mean. If, by "Eco-Christians", they mean "good stewards of creation" - awesome.

Something tells me that isn't quite all there is to it, though. "Eco-Christianity typically involves an undue fixation on ecological issues and sympathy with what are really pagan ideals, etc. It's much more centered on the eco part than it is on the Christ part.

So, beware...

Greg

 

[geocajun]

Eco-Christianity was condemned by the Council of Trent.



j/k

 

[Voegelin]

What I think about it depends on exactly what they mean. If, by "Eco-Christians", they mean "good stewards of creation" - awesome.

Something tells me that isn't quite all there is to it, though. "Eco-Christianity typically involves an undue fixation on ecological issues and sympathy with what are really pagan ideals, etc. It's much more centered on the eco part than it is on the Christ part.

So, beware...

Greg

Would a Catholic church go there? I wonder why the use of the term "Eco-Christianity". Seems too much of a reference to Ernst Haeckel who coined the word ecology. "Christianity" and "stewardship" are fine words. Why the portmanteau? Recently I've noticed a political drive regarding Christians and ecology. Could that be what is being promoted?

My first reaction on seeing the headline was to be reminded of what G.K. Chesterton wrote in Orthodoxy:

The essence of all pantheism, evolutionism, and modern cosmic religion is really in this proposition: that Nature is our mother. Unfortunately, if you regard Nature as a mother, you discover that she is a step-mother. The main point of Christianity was this: that Nature is not our mother: Nature is our sister. We can be proud of her beauty, since we have the same father; but she has no authority over us; we have to admire, but not to imitate. This gives to the typically Christian pleasure in this earth a strange touch of lightness that is almost frivolity. Nature was a solemn mother to the worshippers of Isis and Cybele. Nature was a solemn mother to Wordsworth or to Emerson. But Nature is not solemn to Francis of Assisi or to George Herbert. To St. Francis, Nature is a sister, and even a younger sister: a little, dancing sister, to be laughed at as well as loved . . .
http://www.leaderu.com/cyber/books/orthodoxy/ch7.html

Very interested in how this meeting goes...if the poster could update us, it would be appreciated.

 

[stephenc]

To be fair, ol' Gilbert Keith hadn't much time for resource-wasting "progress", either.

 

[Rebekka]

We should be good stewards, and the pope has stressed the importance of good stewardship recently.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/b...vi_let_20070901_symposium-environment_en.html

"Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for the entire human family. No nation or business sector can ignore the ethical implications present in all economic and social development. With increasing clarity scientific research demonstrates that the impact of human actions in any one place or region can have worldwide effects. The consequences of disregard for the environment cannot be limited to an immediate area or populus because they always harm human coexistence, and thus betray human dignity and violate the rights of citizens who desire to live in a safe environment (cf. ibid., 8-9)."​

 

[Fantine]

Even the Vatican is taking steps to reduce energy usage.

http://speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=9847&t=Vatican+to+use+solar+power+for+electricity
Vatican to use solar power for electricity

Vatican engineer Pier Carlo Cuscianna came up with the idea of replacing the cement panels that make up the roof of the Paul VI auditorium with photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity.

Pope Benedict spoke at a climate change conference.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2066671,00.html
At a Vatican conference on climate change, Pope Benedict urged bishops, scientists and politicians - including UK environment secretary David Miliband - to "respect creation" while "focusing on the needs of sustainable development".

The Pope's message follows a series of increasingly strong statements about climate change and the environment, including a warning earlier this year that "disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa".

I am sure that the Eco-Christian meeting has been called in response to the Pope's statements.

 

[katealpha]

Ok, this is what it was all about:
http://www.ecocongregation.org/

The basic idea is that as parish communities we should be taking more action and more environmental responsibility. Parishes make their own plans and carry through what is right for them. The speaker broke it down into three areas:

Worship - using worship to teach congregation about Christian stewardship and green issues

Work - making church buildings, grounds, and products used Fair Trade and environmental

Witness - taking the green message into the community, and being the ones driving wider change within communities

All very practical really. Our church is already a Fair Trade church but there is more that can be easily done I think in terms of some environmental things.

 

[Rebekka]

Ok, this is what it was all about:
http://www.ecocongregation.org/

The basic idea is that as parish communities we should be taking more action and more environmental responsibility. Parishes make their own plans and carry through what is right for them. The speaker broke it down into three areas:

Worship - using worship to teach congregation about Christian stewardship and green issues

Work - making church buildings, grounds, and products used Fair Trade and environmental

Witness - taking the green message into the community, and being the ones driving wider change within communities

All very practical really. Our church is already a Fair Trade church but there is more that can be easily done I think in terms of some environmental things.

Awesome church you have!

 

[Voegelin]

Work - making church buildings, grounds, and products used Fair Trade and environmental . . . All very practical really. Our church is already a Fair Trade church but there is more that can be easily done I think in terms of some environmental things.

Thanks. Is Fair Trade an official position of the church? It is a political stance and I've seen arguments against it--in theory and practice--from both right and left. What if someone in your parish disagrees with Fair Trade? Does anyone?

 

[geocajun]

Ok, this is what it was all about:
http://www.ecocongregation.org/

The basic idea is that as parish communities we should be taking more action and more environmental responsibility. Parishes make their own plans and carry through what is right for them. The speaker broke it down into three areas:

Worship - using worship to teach congregation about Christian stewardship and green issues

Work - making church buildings, grounds, and products used Fair Trade and environmental

Witness - taking the green message into the community, and being the ones driving wider change within communities

All very practical really. Our church is already a Fair Trade church but there is more that can be easily done I think in terms of some environmental things.

Does it really make such a change to the Christian message, that it deserves a 'prefix' to describe the flavor?

 

[Rhamiel]

I never heard anything agianst Fair Trade, Voegelin could you put up some info about it, I always just thought it ment making sure that people in developing nations could get wages they could live on, something the Catholic Church is very much for.
I am not a nig fan of "eco" type things, I like trees, so I think we should keep parks and forests, not because they have any right but because we enjoy them. I think the idea of man made global warming is not true, we should not put up so much junk in the air but that is only because we have to breath it
I believe in theistic evolution, if God did not want us to hunt He would evolved made bullet proof deer by now

 

[katealpha]

Thanks. Is Fair Trade an official position of the church? It is a political stance and I've seen arguments against it--in theory and practice--from both right and left. What if someone in your parish disagrees with Fair Trade? Does anyone?

Not heard anyone complain against it not heard anything political against Fairtrade except that maybe also we should be using locally-sourced products as that helps against the whole food miles thing.

I actually live in a Fairtrade town so maybe my church just signed up to use Fairtrade products where they can (coffee, sugar etc) as part of that scheme.

 

[Rhamiel]

I try to buy fair trade tea when I can, it costs a little more but it is of good quality so I can not argue with that