Saturday, June 03, 2006

We kill the world

Any guesses on what band sings this song? Let me quote a few more lyrics
We kill the world...

Don't kill the world
don't let her down.
Do not destroy basic ground.
Don't kill the world
our means of life.
Lend ear to nature's cry.

Don't kill the world
She's all we have,
And surely is worth to save.
Don't let her die,
fight for her trees,
Pollution robs air to breathe.

Don't kill the world
help her survive
And she'll reward you with life
And don't just talk,
Go on and do the one, who wins is you.

Cherish the world,
A present from God
On behalf of all creatures,
made by the Lord
Care for the earth,
Foundation of life
Slow progress down help her survive

Doubtfully any one got it (I would be interested if anyone did as that would mean they have similar music tastes) this was 70s/80s Raggae band Boney M most famous for the song "By the rivers of Babylon" song loosely based on Psalm 137.
How about this one
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.


Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.
How Great Thou Art (Stuart K. Hine)

This one?
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, Holy, Holy! (Music by J. Dykes, Text by R. Heber)

or
This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world; I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world, The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father's world; He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass, He speaks to me everywhere

This Is My Father's World (Music by Franklin Sheppard; Text by Malthie Babcock)

When I tell people that I do Marine biology and that I'm a Christian many people sem to look at me as if I have dodgy theology. I mean how can you be a Christian Conservationist. And that is from my Christian friend- my non Christian friends look at me as if I'm on my own crusade to try and right the wrongs that have been cause to the environment by our Judeo-Christian heritage. The thought Man is to have dominion and rule over the earth justifies that what could be done, should be done thus nature is destroyed with out any long term views to the future or to the ecological crisis that we currently have on hand. At this point med students and pharmacy students are probably thinking "What Global Crisis?"
Well let me tell you Land is being converted and habitats destroyed at an increasing rate. Some estimate that three species are becoming extinct every day. On a per-head basis, Australia has the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the developed world, a third higher than the United States and more than double the rich-country average.Land is being degraded by overuse of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Hazardous chemicals and wastes are finding their way into the environment. Pollution is rapidly ceasing to be a local problem and is becoming a global problem. The atmosphere's ability to regulate itself is being perturbed by excess carbon dioxide, CFC's, and other gases. Human cultures that know how to live in harmony with nature are rapidly disappearing.
So my friends I think it is a problem and this is whaI i was trying to show with the Hymns earlier-God has given us his creation and even by it people have been converted. This is a Valuable tool of evangelism and we are destroying it.
So does this mean we should go out and chain ourselves to trees. NO
I was approached by a Christian greenie group at one stage who are very good at going about this the wrong way. Have a look at their lent suggestions Green up your lent. Restoring Eden suggests the way to remember God is not to drive your car or eat meat or dairy. HMMM
Even the Late Pope had a thought to fix the world though again sort of off track
"At the conclusion of this Message, I should like to address directly my brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church, in order to remind them of their serious obligation to care for all creation. The commitment of believers to a healthy environment for everyone stems directly from their belief in God the Creator, from their recognition of the effects of original and personal sin, and from the certainty of having been redeemed by Christ. Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join man in praising God (cf. Ps 148:96).
In 1979, I proclaimed Saint Francis of Assisi as the heavenly patron of those who promote ecology (cf. Apostolic Letter Inter Sanctos: AAS 71 [1979], 1509f). He offers Christians an example of genuine and deep respect for the integrity of creation. As a friend of the poor who was loved by God's creatures, Saint Francis invited all of creation's animals, plants, natural forces, even Brother Sun and Sister Moon to give honor and praise to the Lord. The poor man of Assisi gives us striking witness that when we are at peace with God we are better able to devote ourselves to building up that peace with all creation which is inseparable from peace among all peoples
." (From the Vatican address, 8 December 1989)
St Francis of Assisi of course was the one who wrote that "Hymn All Creatures Of Our God And King" which thanks to Mr Bean can never sung seriously in church again.
So what as Christians should we do?
The true answer lies in a Christian environmental ethic based on the reality of God as Creator and man as his image-bearer and steward.
God is the Creator of all things. The creation is not part of His essence (Gen. 1, 2; Job 38-41; Ps. 19:1, 24:1-2, 104; Rom. 1:18-20; Col. 1:16-17).
All of nature is equal in its origin, including man.
Nature has value in and of itself because God created it.
The rock, tree, and cat deserve our respect because God made them to be as they are.
While man is a creature, he is also created in God's image (Gen. 1:26-27; Ps. 139:13-16).
Man is therefore separated from creation yet related to it.
While a cat is not to be romanticized as though it had human emotions, as Christians we respect it as having value since God made it. The cat's purpose is to glorify its Creator.
Man was given dominion over nature.
Man is not sovereign over the lower orders of creation. He does not own them. They belong to the Lord.
Since man was told to cultivate and keep the garden, we certainly may use nature, but only as God intends (Gen. 2:15). An example is the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:15-30). Technology puts nature to man's use, but unnecessary pollution and waste degrades nature.
We are to exercise dominion over nature not as though we are entitled to exploit it, but as something borrowed or held in trust.

7 comments:

Tim said...

Sorry that was so long but its something that i'm passionate about.

Scott said...

Hmm, long.. but valid comments.

Yet it's good to know that for all our failures in this world, we've something much better to look forward to.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't afford this creation the respect and reverence it deserves as the work of God's hands. Of course, I'm not trying to preach pantheism either.

But as Dave said in the last Bible talk - our hope should not be in this creation; seeking to save it because it's all we have.

Yes we should preserve it, but not cast our eyes from the glory to come.

- Thus spake the pharmacy student.

Nathan said...

I think we should be happy that these species are becoming extinct as often as they are. It's all about streamlining. Really all we need are some fish, cows, chickens and pigs. Everything else is window dressing.

Nathan said...

I also think it's funny you're preaching conservation while holding a big fish in your hands in your photo. Well conserved.

Tim said...

Well window dressing yes but window dressing God has created.

Scott said...

Speaking as a pharmacy student concerned about the global issue of obesity, I think you'd both do well to stay away from the dressing, hmm?

Anonymous said...

Thank you Timothy for being passionate about something worth being passionate about and I know that even though this is a passion of yours, it would never come before our Lord Jesus Christ, but that you will allow God to use this passion to glorify His name and hopefully one day make a difference in our dirty world.

Yes, this world is only temporary and we will not be in it for long, but that does not mean you should mistreat it or not care how it is abused. I'm far from suggesting that we should start picketing or join the Greenies, however, to be aware and conscience of how we treat God's creation would be a good start. I personally love the beauty of creation (being a nature lover at heart) and would hate to see it completely destroyed, where I fear it is heading.

So, Timothy, you continue to shine God's light through your passion of restoring God's beauty to creation.