Religion and the Environment
Religion and the Environment
Jamouneau Road,
Warracknabeal,
Victoria Australia 3393
Sat, Jan 21, 2023
To the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury, all Cardinals, Archbishops....
Dear Holy Fathers,
Re The Climate Emergency, Saving the Creation, Right and Left Wing Politics and Religious.
We are God's Hands. Let's Work Together to Enhance the Planet!
There is no Planet B - let's repair this one and make it beautiful starting with the Environment. A clean environment will move us out of Fight, Flight or Freeze mode so that we can use our frontal cortex, and actually THINK!
To say I am frustrated beyond belief would be an understatement. The Pope has written documents and created websites to respond to the challenges of climate change. The Archbishop of Canterbury has joined with the Pope in this endeavor.
However, the churches do not seem to be unified in their responses to climate change. The late Cardinal Pell, for instance, has criticized the Pope and has rejected action to prevent climate change totally. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/13/george-pell-saw-climate-science-as-a-dangerous-religious-dogma-in-the-end-his-hardline-stance-held-the-church-back
I reposted this on Twitter this morning (18 Jan, 2023):
“If you believe in God, then He or She created the universe and planet Earth. God presumably would like to see the planet continue, and for everyone to be happy. Therefore, anyone who is assisting in its destruction must be anti God.
“Lock them up. Stop them destroying our home.”
Someone wrote back: “The problem is that Evangelicals think that the faster they destroy this planet, the faster God will bring them their new promised planet. It is truly scary.”
It is time, religious ladies and gentlemen, that we worked out whether or not the Christian faith is right wing such as Opus Dei, or left wing and capable of doing everything we can to support the planet, protect the environment and have clean air, clean water and clean energy. We have to decide to look after the people of the planet.
Right wing religions, such as Calvinist and all Pentecostal religions believe that they need money to get into heaven. This is totally contrary to what Christ taught. On the other hand, the Catholics and Anglicans have a social justice system which involves helping those people and creating a good life for all.
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Australian John Menadue writes about Pentecostal views on Climate Change.
.... “Pentecostal principles would suggest that climate change is God’s will.
“Pentecostal logic proceeds flawlessly – albeit from dodgy premises: Because climate change is God’s will, we must not meddle with it. If we do, we are defying Him. To defy God is existential folly; we will go to Hell instead of Heaven, which is reserved for God’s helpers alone. Because climate activist-meddlers are unknowingly doing the Devil’s work, the righteous must do whatever they can to thwart them.
“In short, if true-blue Pentecostals were in charge, they would take no action to mitigate climate change. Not only that, they would also actively intervene to stop those who try.”
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What side should the churches support?
What do the Anglicans, Dominicans or Jesuits support?
What is the overall position of the Catholic and Anglican Churches?
I believe if we don't get it right soon - very soon - we will all be "done for".
The Catholic and Anglican churches can work to prevent climate change by withdrawing investments in fossil fuels and carbon intensive industries, investing in clean energy solutions and calling on all politicians, Catholics, Anglicans, real Christians and others of good will to do the same. Together we can and must work to create an environment where we can all live happily, support each other, the planet and together thrive.
If we don't, the planet will die and take us with it.
I look forward to your response,
Thank you
Clem Clarke
clem@CreatingHeavenOnEarth.org