Joel wrote:
>You have championed the "simple" lifestyle in a number of your recent
>postings. >>This sentiment is often expressed by what I think of as the
>environmentalist types. But I don't understand the thinking behind it (in
>the sense of claiming the simple life to be the moral one) very well other
There are many different Christian voices with more to say than I do on this. I will include some references below. This is a long message, so I hope you don't mind wading through some quoted sources and my own comments and thoughts.
The Christian creation care/simple living movement has depth and breadth, and I encourage you to at least dabble in its literature. It has historical basis as well, especially within the Episcopal, Catholic, Quaker, Amish, Mennonite, and other churches (and I believe Presbyterian as well). There was also traditionally a Sunday in the Episcopal church devoted to creation Sunday (Apr 2) which some churches still do. "Morning has broken, like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird...Praise for the morning! Praise for the evening..." W
e need only be reminded of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, or any of the monks for that matter (and Mother Teresa) to see how sacrificing convenience and monetary wealth for a lifestyle of poverty can lead to enriched faith and true service for God. And one doesn't need to go even close to those extremes to see benefits in enriching one's life and faith.
The Mayor of Liberty TX (Dempsie Henley) wrote a book on the disappearing Big Thicket region in the 1960s, and in his concluding chapter he wrote,
"When we remove the evidence of God's handiwork that took Him thousands of years to develop by destroying the miraculous beauty such as once was displayed in the majestic cathedrals of the Big Thicket, can we expect anything to follow except despair?
When the Big Thicket has been looted and cut over and ravished by the materialistic aims if men and only the commercial value remains, what have we really achieved? Have we been good stewards and looked after the Master's business as we should?
Is our national attitude toward the reckless pollution of our air and streams and the heartless destruction of our vanishing areas of natural beauty closely related to the tumbling decline of our American morality standards? Does our gross neglect and attitude toward those extremely important matters prophecy in the direction in which we are heading as individuals and as a nation?
If God, the church and the Christian influence are removed from our way of life, and the basic fundamentals of Americanism are destroyed right in front of our very eyes, what possible fate can be in store for us? If we continue to permit these things to happen, can we expect to save the souls of men as well as the nation's? The wonders of Nature are one of God's greatest witnesses. ...
It has been said that it is very doubtful that this country will grow and produce any more men of the caliber of Abraham Lincoln. Why? Simply because we are destroying the environment and background that it takes to produce such a man!"
Me again: Pretty powerful stuff. Henley was instrumental in getting US Congress to approve the Big Thicket National Preserve, which unfortunately is today but fragmented islands of its former grandeur. I consider myself very lucky to live within one of the pockets of remaining Big Thicket forest. It is extremely biodiverse, absolutely breathtaking, and truly precious.
Joel wrote:
>For example, we could all try to live in hand built log cabins with waste <SNIP>
> Mortality rates would be much higher.
These are understandable arguments but simply not supported by the evidence. First, I mentioned previously that a return to simpler ways does not mean turning back the clock on the sewage and disease treatment technology that have arisen through knowledge. Simpler lifestyles absolutely do not mean a return to higher mortality. Throughout the nation people have taken to alternative housing technology and they do not have higher mortality levels. Even if embraced on a worldwide or nationwide scale, the simpler lifestyle with more creation-friendly technology is simply kinder to our neighbors and kinder to God's creation. I strongly believe it would bring a more peaceful society. And I will quote some studies below to support this view.
>Things would >be much more difficult.
Convenience is not necessarily a Godly thing. A pastor on a radio show today was talking about how Americans often do not worship the biblical Jesus but a white Anglo-Saxon Republican Jesus. He went on to say how many of us turn to money for our true security, and not to God. I agree wholeheartedly with what he was saying. And it has strong biblical underpinnings (the love of money).
>>People would be separated from each other.
Au contrare, mon frere:
Trees for Peace (by Wendee Holtcamp)
Those who spend any time outdoors -- whether gardening or hiking or simply relaxing -- know the calming effect of the verdant, natural world. Now two researchers have forged a scientific link: trees and greenspace reduce violence and enhance community bonds. At the world's largest public housing complex in Chicago, scientists Frances Kuo and William Sullivan of the University of Illinois compared residents' experiences in buildings near trees and grass to those surrounded by concrete and barren dirt. Of 150 residents, 14% of those living in barren conditions had threatened to use a knife or gun against their children compared to 3% living near trees. In addition to lower crime rates, the scientists discovered that people felt safer near trees and the green spaces drew residents outside more, fostering community bonds and encouraging parents to supervise their children more. See the authors web site for research papers and articles: A(ACK, I can't find the URL right now but will post it later - am late to get my daughter from summer preschool)
Also see Roger Ulrich of Texas A&Ms research on the effects of trees, plants, and gardens on health and community.
http://taz.tamu.edu/architecture/faculty/ulrich/intro.html
http://taz.tamu.edu/architecture/faculty/ulrich/research.html
This does not appear as responsible
>technology to me. It may be enjoyable and appropriate for some (such as
>yourself) but it is not the answer to developing a Christian view of how to
>do technology.
I would highly recommend the book "Simpler Living, Compassionate Life: A Christian Perspective" edited by Michael Schut and including essays from many Christians -- Calvin DeWitt, Henri Nouwen, Bill McKibben, Wendell Berry, Jim Mulligan, William Stringfellow, and others.
It includes a bible study at the back with chapters on
* Worldviews: The Lens Through Which We See;
* Simplicity on Nothing New: A Historical Overview;
* Theology in Support of Simplicity and Eco-Justice;
* Theology for the Practice of Simplicity;
* Time as Commodity; Time as Sacred;
* Your Money or Your Life: The Place of Money in Modern Life;
* The Big Economy, the Great Economy;
* How Much is Enough?: Lifestyles, Global Economics, and Justice;
* Broader Impacts of Our Everyday Food Choices;
* The Politics of Simplicity.
It is available from Earth Ministry: www.earthministry.org "a Christian, ecumenical, environmental non-profit organization based in Seattle" They also say "Earth Ministry's mission is to engage individuals and congregations in knowing God more fully through deepening relationships with all of God's creation. We believe that through this experience our personal lives and our culture will be transformed. These transformations include simplified living, environmental stewardship, justice for all creation, and a worldview which sees creation as a revelation of God. Together these lead to a rediscovery of the vitality of the Christian faith."
More later!
Wendee
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~~ Wendee Holtcamp -- wendee@greendzn.com ~~
~~ Environment/Travel/Science Writer ~~ www.greendzn.com ~~
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No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece
of the continent, a part of the main. -- John Donne
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