I’ve seen a few things recently that have caused me to think. The first was something that I’ve posted about, Act4Trees, a site full of virtual forests where a visit per day adds a leaf to the forest. Prizee.com have promised to give 10,000 euros to Aquaverde upon 100 million visits to the site. Aquaverde is an organisation aiming for the preservation of water resources in the Amazon.
The second was Blog Action Day. I first noticed one of the banners on another blog (sorry, I don’t remember where) and wanted to find out what it was – partly because I like blogging (so it was an appealing title) and because the logo is so darn cute.
Blog Action Day is an effort to get bloggers everywhere to contribute to the preservation of the environment by raising awareness in a post and/or contributing advertisement earnings to any environmental charity on October 15th.
It seems like a great idea to me. There is the potential for a great deal of learning to occur. We keep talking about the environment, but stop to think – how much do you actually know about the things we’ve done and the things we should change? I know I fall short in a great number of areas.
The third was a post by Liz Strauss, Change the world: find the promise. It’s a nice story and a good sentiment. We should aim to look after each other, teach each other, treat people with love. Why is it that we have to inspire people to do that? Why is it something extraordinary?
I think the answers are the same as the answers to why we’ve polluted the environment and broken ecosystems.
All this has started me questioning whether it’s good to support every seemingly good cause. Obviously I couldn’t support every one, but the reason I would question joining forces with some is that people seem to think that we have the power to change things. History has shown people to be careless and selfish, changing things for the worse. I’m yet to see evidence that we have the power to improve things. There has been some improvements such as reducing CO2 emissions and all that, but is it enough? Why as created people should we turn to our own power to fix things? Shouldn’t we look to the creator of all to do that?
I’m not suggesting that Christians should stand back from social and environmental issues, but that we should remember to depend on God in everything we do. It’s not that we should pray that God will change things and not take action. Perhaps we should pray that God will change us so that we will take action. Obviously my perspective on life is different to that of the organisers of Blog Action Day. Does it matter? Perhaps these sorts of things are like anything in life – I learn about Science and I’m sure some of my teachers don’t believe in any god, I learn karate from people who depend on their own strength to better themselves. It doesn’t mean I take on their beliefs, it means that I learn from them topics that they know about. I apply those things to myself as I apply what I know from the bible as well.
I suppose as a Christian it’s up to me to encourage my fellow Christians to support social and environmental causes, encourage others to learn about the earth that we have been charged to look after. Not to shy away from topics because I’m not sure who to align myself with. If my brothers and sisters are concerned for these issues too then we can do something about them together.
Late edition: I wish I’d read this article before this post and before APEC! What a great example.
good links, i’ll have to look at it.
I personally believe that there needs to be a balance of faith and physical action. you can’t expect something to happen and place your trust in god to make it happen if you don’t put effort in it yourself. Or maybe you can? … is there a definite answer to that question?
My philosophy is that God helps people that help themselves… by putting effort into doing something or at least initiating a change, that would do a lot of good into supporting that statement. In addition to praying to God for help, I am such that I have to do something myself too — if I eventually fail at it or if it doesn’t go my way, I can safely say that I have “covered all bases” and I won’t be as bitter.
One has to take action and still keep the strong faith. The whole science vs. religion debate has been going on for 1000s of years (the big bang theory, Adam and Eve, monkeys etc.) — no one will/ can ever win that battle … what comes down to it, and what matters in the end is what you believe. Nothing is going to take that away from you.
To me, I am torn, I have strong faith but I am also a great follower of science. I may be contradicting myself tremendously but that’s why i am torn. You have to read Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons — although it is fictional, it’s a great novel trying to get to grips with this whole science vs. god thing.
Thanks for your reply Foo!
There definitely needs to be a balance. As for your philosophy, I’d have to say ‘yes and no’. There are distinct examples in the bible and in the lives of people around us, where God has not helped people who sat on their bums and asked them too, there is also precedent for God showing people great mercy in providing answers and help to people that have done nothing more than ask. It’s by his mercy that he helps people who have not helped themselves, but I think those examples are not as many as the ones where he has blessed activities that have gone forth, actively, depending on him to bless them.
It reminds me of a very funny song by The Idea of North, it’s called The Unfortunate Tale of a Country Chicken. Shame it’s not available for listening on their website. The story is that a chicken gets stuck up a tree in the flood and animals come to help, but she says “No, God will rescue me!”
To be honest, I don’t think there’s a great contradiction in science and Christianity. Some things are just obvious, to me it’s obvious that a great God made this world, it’s obvious that he wound his wisdom and beauty into it and into us, it’s also obvious that we want to do things our own way. Why is it obvious? Well, the bible says so and as I look around and can see that what the Bible says is true. I also believe in DNA and proteins and Haemoglobin carrying oxygen around my body etc. Why? Because of electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, cross-breeding experiments, scientific method.
There are just as many divisions within scientific thought as there are between so-called Christian thought. So there is no reason that you have to go with one or the other.
I’ll put Angels and Demons on my list. 😉
One of my main questions is, do you align yourself with an action you think is right even if the other people doing the action are doing it for different or wrong reasons. For example, do I join forces with someone else who wants to take care of the environment, when my reasons for doing so is because God charged us to take care of his creation and their reasons for doing so is to save ‘Mother Earth’ and accrue good karma or something like that (I’m not saying anyone I’ve come into contact with or read about has those reasons, they’re just examples). We doing the same actions, but our end aim is entirely different. By working with someone, do you indirectly endorse their reasons for doing things?
Well, sorry that reply was so long! 😛
yeah those are pretty good questions to ask, but difficult ones to answer. i have never thought it in that way. like the example you made in joining an org that is tailored towards saving the environment — i’ll say there is a common cause in the organization (saving the environment) but the real ideals and reasons could be different for each individual person. does that make sense? it just makes me wonder on the ideals and reasons of many joining the non-profit organizations out there. thanks for making me think of this in a different way!