Poisoning of Earth should mobilize faithful

With few exceptions, Christians are keeping their mouths shut about the impending disaster we and our world face. Collectively, we have created a lifestyle that cannot be sustained on the globe on which we live. Can we admit the chaos we have created? Can we repent of our ways and make the changes that are demanded? Is this a religious issue about which Christians must speak to the whole world?

As Christians, our discussion begins with the Creation story that is found in the first chapter of Genesis. The story begins, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The common assumption is that the story is talking about how God made everything out of nothing. What if that assumption is incorrect? What if we have found ourselves asking scientific questions of an ancient story that has no scientific relevance?

The chapter one Creation story was written in the sixth century BCE against the background of the Babylonian creation myth. The Babylonian creation myth was thoroughly dualistic. The Babylonians understood life as a never-ending battle between good and evil. Life was lived in the chaos of the struggle. The Israelites, then living in a ghetto in the city of Babylon, rejected the Babylonian interpretation of life and held tenaciously to their own monotheism. The Lord their God was one, and there was no other.

The Genesis 1 Creation story is the Israelite account of how their God brings order to the chaos that he finds. What the Israelite God found was a world without form and void (useless) because of chaos. The story was both a rebuttal to the Babylonian myths and a word of assurance to Israelite slaves. The lives of the Israelites seemed chaotic, even hopeless, but their creation myth assured them that their God could reorder their lives and give them meaning and purpose.

What I am saying is clearly midrash; however, it is well within the language of the text and consistent to the context in which the creation story was written.

Underlying Jewish, Muslim and Christian theologies is a discontent with chaos. In all three traditions, chaos is contrary to the will of God. In our understandings there is a clear connection between chaos and sin.

Over the years in my role as pastor, I clearly knew that working successfully with people always meant addressing the chaos of their lives. As a pastor, I encouraged people to:

1. stabilize their living situation,

2. clean up their personal relationships, and

3. find a clear purpose for their lives.

In chaos, life cannot be meaningful. Working to diminish chaos and helping people to orderly living are essential parts of Christian ministry. To our horror, we have found ourselves on the side of chaos rather than order.

Because of the way we are living, we are pushing our world toward utter chaos. Our lifestyle, if not changed soon, will kill billions of people, bring illnesses to the masses and change the nature of human life permanently. Human beings have many ways of creating chaos, but the chaos of which I write comes from one terrible habit. We are addicted to the burning of fossil fuels.

The chaos that we are creating comes from the burning of oil products, coal and natural gas. None of the fossil fuel family gets a free pass. The problem with the burning of fossil fuels is that when burnt, they all release carbon into the atmosphere. When released into the air, carbon quickly unites with oxygen, forming carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a very stable compound and at normal temperatures is a gas that readily takes its place in our atmosphere. From the atmosphere it continues in its distribution. Over 50 percent of the carbon dioxide generated by the burning of fossil fuels finds its way into the ocean.

Carbon dioxide in normal amounts is a necessary part of our atmosphere. It is necessary for the growing of all healthy plant life. In excessive amounts, carbon dioxide is producing global warming and making vast areas of the world desserts.

In normal amounts, carbon dioxide is a healthy part of the biology of the ocean waters. In excessive amounts, it causes the oceans to become acidic. Acidic oceans produce acidic rainfall that poisons every part of the world.

Scientists have calculated the limits of normal carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and in the oceans. The numbers are constantly being monitored. The numbers are rising. The numbers have gone well past the calculated safe limits.

Chaos is at our door and is of our own making. Do the peoples of God dare speak the truth about the world that has been gifted to us all? Do we have a responsibility to live our lives differently and make our contribution to overcoming the chaos that we are producing?

As a religious person, I do not hesitate to use the word evil. The burning of fossil fuel has become a major evil in our world that is causing the world and all of life to fall into chaos.

My temptation is to call every oil company and every coal producer evil. That is unfair. I am willing to say that every oil company, every coal producer, every power company that uses coal or gas, every railroad that hauls coal, every trucking company, every person who drives a car, every person who uses natural gas to heat their home, every government agency and government employee that issues a mining or drilling permit, every clergy person who does not sp*eak up is a partici*pant in the chaos that is developing.

Dare Christians speak the truth?

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His e-mail address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.