Earth-friendly Matters

I think at this point, everyone in Canada accepts the idea that there is an environmental crisis. I don't know if anyone actually doubts the existence of global warming anymore, or the hole in the Ozone layer, or acid rain. The only problem is that some people are more concerned about actually doing something about it than others. Last week when I read about the Conservative government's "Clean Air Act," I actually laughed out loud. It’s funny but also sad that anyone considers the proposed clean air act to be worth taking to the House of Commons. Most major environmental groups have been saying for months that all Canada has to do is use existing legislation to make real improvements. The government ignored this advice, slowing down changes by writing a new act. This new act only plans to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by half in the next 43 years. If we don’t make more radical changes to Western society, we might not be here in 2050. I have heard and read many complaints that the conservatives are willing to make individual Canadians pay to contribute to environmental changes, but not big business. If industry doesn’t change it’s ways, there is only so much the individual consumer can do.

It’s true that we can make more effort in our individual daily lives to make less environmental damage. Most of us are quite dependent on cars, for example, when we could be busing or car-pooling. It’s easy for us to think that the problem is so big that a few bad choices on our part aren’t going to make any difference. I think that most of us probably aren’t aware of how many bad choices we DO make without thinking about it, or even knowing it. Even if I recycle all my paper and plastics, and compost all my food products; even if I buy organic produce and turn off lights when I’m not using them, I am still taking part in one of the most energy and resource-consuming economies in the world. I am one of the 20% of the world’s population that consume 80% of the world’s resources. I don’t drive a car, but as a Nova Scotian, every time I use electricity I condone the burning of coal, which pollutes the Dartmouth’s air and contributes to Global Warming. I buy products and use services without any knowledge of what environmental impact the companies responsible might have. Whether they waster energy and pollute their region, or tread lightly on the earth, I endorse and support them with my purchases. If governments don’t enforce existing regulations, companies won’t change. Perhaps, if I did a lot of research, I could successfully boycott all the harmful companies, but until demand increases, I might not find environmentally friendly versions of everything I need.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve done little things to help the environment. I’m beginning to think that the little things are not enough. I think the people who got out on the land and practice sustainable subsistence living have the right idea. I’m not prepared to do that at this point in my life, but I’m not sure how short of that ideal I can come before I’m a bigger part of the problem than the solution.

Not Much Union in Communion

I went to a tiny little church in the North End of Halifax yesterday. There were 17 people there, including the minister. The choir sang a song for us. There were four singers and the pianist sang too. I was a generation younger than the next youngest person in the room. I don’t go to church much anymore. I prefer to attend random churches than to get tangled up in one particular group.

Yesterday was World Communion Sunday. Apparently churches across the world celebrate our unity as Christians on this day. The minister preached an adequate sermon about it, but I’ve already forgotten most of it. It was the average "the church is a family" fare. The idea of World Communion Sunday got me thinking about the degree of unity amongst the churches, even if the sermon didn't. All the world's churches celebrating unity on the same day is a neat idea. I wonder how different it looks in each church of each denominations. I wonder if all denominations participate, or if some don't.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my door the other day. Ignoring the fact that I don’t attend any church regularly, I told them that I have my own faith—that I am Baptist. That didn’t matter to them, apparently. They still continued with their mission to engage me in conversation about God. They asked me a few questions about what I thought, and I felt like they were quizzing me. I was polite to them because I know that they were just doing what they thought God wants, but I resented it. Their continued presence on my doorstep indicated that they had judged my Baptist faith to be insufficient. They still wanted to save me.

The first question the Jehovah’s Witness asked me was, “Do you think we will ever have just one religion?” That seems quite unlikely to me. I told him that if we did, it would have to incorporate all the faiths and religions of the world. I didn’t get into it, but I believe that all world religions contain different versions of the same big truth, and that no one religion, whether Buddhist or Muslim or “Pagan” had the entire truth exactly right. I had the impression that the man thought I got that answer wrong, although he didn’t say so. He just asked me another question. As he was leaving, the man told me that they wanted to have two-way conversation with people of other churches. I don’t believe this is true. A two-way conversation requires giving and taking. He and his partner were on my doorstep because they firmly believe that they have the Truth, and that everyone else is mistaken, even other types of Christians. If they think that they are absolutely right in their beliefs, how can they listen to and consider what I have to say?

I think that it’s important to have convictions and beliefs. I also think that convictions and beliefs can be problematic when we believe that we have everything completely figured out. It’s important to at least consider the possibility of being wrong. This allows one to be more open to the beliefs and ideas of other people, and enables true dialogue.

One of the few things I remember from yesterday’s sermon is that the minister used Paul’s metaphor about each person in the church being like the parts of the body. It occurred to me that it is possible to take that metaphor in another way. Each denomination is like a part of the body. The Pentacostals can be the nose, the Catholics the eyes, the United Church the hands. The nose can’t say to the eyes, I don’t need you, etc, because they are all different and important parts of the body. They each reach people of different mind-sets who relate to various aspects of church. It’s just an idea that crossed my mind. I don’t know how valid it is, but perhaps all denominations and variations of Christianity are valuable. I don’t believe anyone has the right to say they aren’t, no matter how different they are.

I find narrow-mindedness offensive. Perhaps I should learn to be more patient with such people, but I don’t see the benefit of declaring other churches and faiths to be wrong. It only hurts and alienates people. How do Christians expect others to join them in their faith, when they treat each other with contempt and contention?

Where to Begin?

I'm writing this on a beautiful fall day. Fall is a season of change. A few weeks ago I started thinking about what I might want to change in my life, and what I've come up with so far is that I want to be more involved in the state of the world. This is a wonderful place we live in. I love my city, province, country, and planet. On the other hand, I look around and see that there is much that needs to change. I want to do something to improve the state that the world is in, but I don’t know which issue I would start with. Do I begin with the poverty in my neighbourhood, or the unsatisfactory politics of my province? Do I focus on bigger issues across the globe, like the crisis in the Middle East, AIDS in Africa, or global warming? I have wondered for a long time what issues I should get involved in, and before I usually ended up doing nothing. Now I am determined to do something, but I still don’t know where to begin. I think I need to look carefully around me, and learn as much as I can about what’s going on. Then I can figure out what I think of it all, and make more informed decisions. As I do that, I will use this blog to record my thoughts. I hope that it will spark dialogue. It could be that those of you that read this will have ideas and knowledge that I could benefit from. It could also happen that my thoughts could make other people think twice, and if that occurs, then I will already have made a bit of difference.