CrossCurrents A Catholic Reflects on Faith in Our Times
Bernard
F. Swain, Ph.D. www.CrossCurrents.us
Moral Hot Spot?
Catholics donÕt worry about hell as
much as they used to – but they might if they faced hell on earth. And at the rate weÕre going, thatÕs far
from impossible.
As summer moves into fall I am, as always
thinking a lot about seasons and climate. I am not a heat-freak or sun-worshiper, and summer has never been my
favorite season. Yet I always feel some nostalgic regret for missed summer
opportunities, since many outdoor activities are simply not possible in New
EnglandÕs ÒbracingÓ cooler months.
Besides, I have three grown children who
have moved away precisely because our four-season climate includes winter. They
all hate the cold, and despite their attachment to seafood chowder and the Red
Sox and BostonÕs historic red brick theyÕre more comfortable spending the
winter months in places like Miami, New Orleans, San Diego, and Atlanta.
They are in good company, of course:
millions have moved from the northeast to the Òsun beltÓ since 1960, when
Massachusetts still had the same fourteen electoral votes as Florida.
This is the sun-ward drift has even affected
the Catholic Church in America. In
1960, most Catholics still lived where the major league baseball was played
– namely, the region north of Washington DC and east of St.Louis. Now Catholics, like baseball, are found
everywhere.
ItÕs all a natural outcome of greater
mobility, money, freedom,--and, of course, air conditioning!—all of which
allow people to migrate away from ÒharshÓ cooler climes to more ÒpleasantÓ
warmer ones.
But there is a risk in this natural urge,
and the risk grows more acute every year. The risk is this: we may all lull ourselves
into thinking that a livable climate requires no responsibility on our part,
that we can simply pick the climate we want and move there. In other words, we
may develop deaf ears to anyone telling us that climate is not a problem we can
run away from, but a challenge we must face.
To see why, itÕs necessary to debunk some
common misconceptions about climate and environment:
Misconception #1: Global Warming is
Òjust a theory.Ó Sometimes we need to
understand our world and respond to its challenges even when we cannot prove
whatÕs happening. ThatÕs what theories are for: they enable us to act before
itÕs too late. Far from being idle ideas we can take or leave as we please, the
best theories are a call to action.
Take Òglobal warmingÓ. The fact is, this
theory is no longer in doubt. Scientists may argue over its causes and remedies
(for example, how much is a natural planetary cycle and how much is manmade).
But few competent observers dispute the main conclusion: the earthÕs
environment is heating up at an unexpected, alarming, and even unprecedented
rate that threatens us all.
Misconception #2: Global warming is a
threat to the planet. Planet earth
has gone through extremes of heat and cold many times before, and even if the
current warming has no real precedent, all of the evidence suggests that no
climate change can destroy the planet itself. What can be destroyed, however,
is life as we know it – human life, animal life, sea life, plant life. So
while there is no need to Òsave the planet,Ó there is an urgent need to save life on the planet.
Misconception #3: Global warming is not
connected to our faith. Nothing could
be more wrong. Hebrew scriptures begins with an account of our origins –
not just the origin of human life but of all life and the environment that
supports it. With this account the Jewish people achieved a huge breakthrough:
while the pagans and polytheists of their day imagined a whole pantheon of gods
controlling sun and moon and crops and seasons for their own purposes, Jewish
monotheism acknowledged one lord of all who created the natural universe as a
haven for his beloved humanity.
Ever since, the daughters and sons of
Abraham have seen the natural world around us as GodÕs gift to us. And built
into the notion of Òcreation as a giftÓ has been another idea: human responsibility
to take care of creation. Common sense tells us that one honors God by honoring
his gift of creation. It also tells us that we insult god by abusing that
creation.
In other words, we are the caretakers, the
custodians, and the stewards of the planetÕs life and rich resources. We cannot
claim to be people of strong faith unless we also recognize our global
environment as a sacred trust.
With all this in mind, one conclusion is
unavoidable: it is utterly wrong-headed to think we can simply avoid
environmental troubles by running the other way. While itÕs physically possible
to move away from climatic extremes or even – God forbid! -- evacuate our coastlines as the seas
rise, we cannot escape the moral responsibility for such a failure.
The bottom line is this: if we donÕt act
now to protect the environment and the life it supports, we will have failed as
stewards of GodÕs gifts. And even worse: if our way of life actually contributes to the destruction of the environment, we will be actively
thwarting GodÕs will for us(even if unwittingly). We may escape the flood, but
wherever we go God will be there, asking ÒWhere were you when É?Ó
So we ignore the environment at our own double peril. Both physically and morally, we could be
facing hell on earth.
© Bernard F. Swain PhD 2006
Send Your Comments and Questions to bfswain@juno.com
Dr. SwainÕs
opinions do not represent the views of this parish or any other official body.
Bernie Swain has
devoted more than 30 years to adult spiritual formation in dioceses in the US,
Canada, and France. Since 1991 he has maintained a private practice as trainer,
teacher, and consultant to leaders in parishes and other religious
organizations. He holds degrees in theology and political science from Holy
Cross, Harvard, The University of Paris, and The University of Chicago.
His writings include Liberating
Leadership (Harper & Row,
1986) and more than 200 articles in periodicals such as The National Catholic
Reporter, Commonweal, The Miami Herald, The Catholic Free Press, The Pilot,
Harvard Theological Review, and
Liturgy.
A lifelong layperson,
he lives in Boston with his wife and three children. Visit his website at:
CrossCurrents
Is a weekly subscription service for parish
websites. Individual Subscriptions
are also available.
For Information, contact bfswain@juno or call 617-282-0183
#151