James Lovelock (2005)
Photo by Bruno Comby
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the self-destructive mentality that has allowed for it and much other pollution and environmental degradation to occur. I was reminded by a reader that this mess in the Pacific Ocean is unfortunately no small "patch" but a massive gyre some 10,000 square miles in size, and that it is one of several worldwide. In my essay, I discussed the prevailing religious attitude of the past couple thousand years that has allowed for the wanton ruination of our global home. A recent news story about a man named Tim Nicholson, who was fired for being too "green" and who is fighting back legally, brings up the notion of taking environmentalism seriously enough for it to be deemed a "religion," giving it legal protection in that regard. One article about this important litigation written by Andrew Brown at the Guardian UK asks, "Will we establish a green religion?"
The idea that the love for and proper stewardship of the earth can become a "religion" is not new, even in modern times, as environmentalism has been associated frequently with "Paganism" and "Wicca," increasingly so over the past several years. There is also the widespread albeit of late unpublicized "Gaia Movement" largely inspired by James Lovelock, beginning in the 1960s. Ninety years old, Lovelock continues to champion vigorously the rights of Gaia—the name of a Greek goddess, positing the earth itself is sentient and sacred—with one book after another, his latest (2009) entitled, The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning: Enjoy It While You Can.
Obviously, such a title could be extremely depressing, if we allow it to be, but in order to live healthily and happily, we may wish to consider the uplifting notion that the earth is sentient and will pull "herself" out of what appears to be a terrible and fatal tailspin, although not without great difficulty and our help. In this regard, perhaps viewing Gaia—the earth—as a "divine being" and taking environmentalism seriously enough for it to be deemed a "religion" are not necessarily bad ideas.
The Return to Nature Worship?
If we inspect closely the roots of major religious ideologies—even many of those current today, although hidden under layers of anthropomorphization and "historicity"—we will find that the reverence of the earth extends into the hoary mists of time in numerous cultures around the world. Not a few of these cultures isolated enough to retain their reverence for the earth—their home—continue to view the planet as a divine being, including the "First Nations" or Native Americans, as well as other indigenous groups worldwide. The esteem and worship of "Gaia" dating back millennia represents part of what is broadly termed "astrotheology," which looks towards not only the stars but also the sun, moon and planets, of which, of course, the earth is one. In this regard, numerous cultures worldwide for thousands of years have engaged in religions that were largely astrotheological in nature. This astrotheological or nature-worshipping religion is practiced today by not only the indigenous populations in several places but also by those, again, termed "Pagan" or "Wiccan."
Although the notion of worshipping the earth seems repugnant to those who have been conditioned by the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, i.e., Judaism, Christianity and Islam, this devotion to the world—our very home—is not only natural, it has been crucial for these many thousands of years for humanity not to destroy the planet. Indeed, this repugnance by these monotheistic faiths—which largely emanated out of desert regions, where the earth is already desolate—is a major cause of our environmental problems, as I highlighted in my "Garbage Patch" article.
Big Blue Marble
Photo by NASA
While we do not wish to see the kind of religious fanaticism that has allowed for the earth to be hated and destroyed in the first place—the nature-hating mentality exhibited throughout the Old Testament, with its repeated calls for the destruction of the nature-worshipping Pagans, and brought forward into Christianity, which fervently manifested this hatred, including destroying sacred groves wherever they were found—it seems that the only thing which will keep humanity from completely obliterating its natural world and causing its own extinction is a return to the "Pagan" Earth-loving attitude that teaches respect and reverence for our global home. The future of mankind and the sake of our children deserve giving this notion considerable thought—and immediate action.
Sources & Further Reading
Will we establish a green religion?
James Lovelock
The Astrotheology of the Ancients
What is a Mythicist?
Comments
Excellent article! I see Christianity interfering in two places -- first, with the mentality that "God created this world so it's too big for us to hurt" and "God is going to eventually destroy this world so why try to protect it?" Not all Christians follow that line, but I've personally encountered Christians who have said both things to me.
We are quite literally children of this planet -- every single atom that makes up our bodies has been around for eons and has existed at separate times inside various plants and animals. Plants get their nutrients (in the form of atoms and molecules) from the soil; we get our nutrients from plants and from animals that ate the plants. Every single atom making up our bodies has at one point or another been inside another plant or animal. Our bodies are part of this Earth more than people seem to consider.
The evil of wicca and paganism is that it rejects Jesus Christ and worships God's creation rather than the creator Himself.
Rich says: "The evil of wicca and paganism is that it rejects Jesus Christ and worships God's creation rather than the creator Himself."
Thank you for exemplifying the problem. We could easily say the opposite: The evil of Christianity is that it rejects God's creation and worships a Jewish man.
Wicca is accepted by the U.S. Armed Forces as a valid belief. I think that with help from indigenous peoples throughout the world, this might go somewhere.
I remember what Michael Crichton said in a book which was that Humans can't destroy the planet. We'll just make it so that it's unlivable for us. We're not destroying the planet just our ability to live on it. Hopefully the next species that rises to dominance won't make the same stupid mistakes we did.
Rich? Rich? I won't comment!
Cleaning house is a remote answer.
Fixing that inner environment is the best start. You can put perfume on a pig but, it's still a pig! That doesn't mean each one can't take responsible action daily about all environmental issues, but at the same time, why not pay most attention to the negativity which has furrowed into deep habits that cause a pollution in billions of people? What happens when one puts a plastic bag over the head? Same thing happens to the earth. It's amazing that people are so stuck on religion but ignore common sense and sensitivity. The earth is no less than a god. Love oneself - love earth and just maybe 'karma' will be more pleasant.
If Humans alter their environment drastically enough for them to cause their own extinction then maybe we were not meant to be. The Earth has roughly 5 billion years left before the Sun swallows it up. Plenty of time for another animal to evolve higher and achieve more than we ever could have.
"D.M. Murdock/Acharya S says:
Rich says: "The evil of wicca and paganism is that it rejects Jesus Christ and worships God's creation rather than the creator Himself."
Thank you for exemplifying the problem. We could easily say the opposite: The evil of Christianity is that it rejects God's creation and worships a Jewish man."
It's worse than that, he's DEAD, Jim!
Finally one of them admits it!
Seriously, all this pretention to science and the laws of western reason was really just $#%#$ me off more than anything. Finally one of them just says that its pagan nature worship.
Just saw that you posted me as one of your favorite examiners. A heartfelt thank you. :) T
Excellent essay on the foolishness of planet worship. Mankind in general seems to have an inherent proclivity towards worshipping "something". The most mysterious thing in the universe, in my opinion, is the human brain and its ability to produce consciousness. I hold that in "awe" and inspirational as I do nature in general. But, I will never lower myself to a point of considering anything as a religion, per se. Mysterious and awe-inspiring...yes.
We are stardust, we are golden, we are billion years old carbon, and we got to get ourselves back to the garden.
Rich.... all I have to say is, you're an idiot.
David Y .. apparently the sun is incrementally getting hotter and brighter, so that in around 1 billion years there'll be no water
S Acharaya .. a return to the "Pagan" Earth-loving attitude that teaches respect and reverence for our global home
why is it necessary to 'love' it .. what about "nature red in tooth and claw" .. it's not all verdant pastures, and mountain valleys .. what about ebola, alzheimer's, slaughterhouses and abbatoirs? .. ever asked the cows, sheep and pigs how they feel about being killed so humans, like you presumably, can eat them? .. IMO the environmental case is one of practical necessity without the need for emotional terms such as love and reverence .. but after "The Gospel according to Acharya" you seem almost as obsessed with religious notions as the religious themselves
"but after "The Gospel according to Acharya" you seem almost as obsessed with religious notions as the religious themselves"
That's a completely retarded comment. You don't actually know anything about her work, do you?
The 'Gaia' green religion of James Lovelock has been implicitly included under the 'New Age' umbrella of religions for a long time now. The United Nations has always looked upon it very favorably. The problem is religion is not science. Only environmental science can solve the earth's problems. 'Environmental Religion' could potentially lead to almost anything due to the totally subjective nature of religion as well as the fact that organized religions always have priesthoods which use it to control people. None of the 'desert religions' hurt the environmental very mucvh until mass industrialization developed.
We don't need another religion with its dogmas, mythologies and inquisitorial mentalities following like loyal pooch behind master. To get a teenager to clean up his room doesn't require conversion to a room religion, just some sense combined with authority. The human collective needs to clean up its room. Perhaps we could start with a dose of humility concerning the level of understnding we truly have about earth's processes, if you're thinking in terms of an emotional prequisite. Brow-beating,political coercion,lies and misinformation, though rampant, have proved only efficacious in providing financial gain for the ethically challenged. If humnaity can unite in grief over the accidental death of a British princess, or the drug OD of a singing tail twitcher, then isn't a passion for the earth within human capability, if passion is indeed required, sense may be enough. Its high in capability just low in application.
I find it interesting that the most fundamental Christians have no problem with the concept of MOTHER NATURE and use the term all the time. Whether most admit it or not, they do have somewhere in them the concept of a divine feminine that they identify with the Earth. They'll say "That's Mother Nature's way" but they would think they would burn in hell if they said "That's Demeter's Way"
Environmentalism is already a religion. It's adherents bow to Prince Al Gore who reminds them not to drive their cars before he gets into his private jet and blasts off to his summer palace. They ignore little things like "facts" (including the one about the temperature DROPPING for the last 11 years).
You are also living in the fantasy that "pagans" were "nature-loving" harmonious-types. That's psuedo-history. The Celts were violent, patriarchal and bloodthirsty. Native Americans burned acres and acres of land (only NOW are parts of California recovering). Please help yourself to a history book rather than all this 1960's hippie goddess nonsense.
"You are also living in the fantasy that 'pagans' were "nature-loving" harmonious-types." You know nothing about my work, obviously. Lying about my position so you can raise straw men to knock down, and then insulting me, is hardly a reflection of the "morality" you are yacking at me about on another article.
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