A Pagan Community Statement on the Environment

EcoPagan ^ | Earth Day 2015 | The Working Group

[walford]

Who we are

Paganism is a family of spiritual paths rooted in ancestral religions throughout the world and predating recorded history. As explained by the Pagan Federation, Paganism includes polytheistic and pantheistic nature-worshipping religions, and often includes deities of all genders, ancestor veneration, and celebrations in tune with our Earth. A full discussion of the many varieties of Paganism is beyond the scope of this statement, but we, the signatories, value life and the natural world as sacred. Thus, Pagan thought leads us to live in harmony with the rhythms of our great Earth.

Nature is sacred

We receive, acknowledge and embrace the sacred in and as nature, though our individual relationships with the natural world are diverse. We recognize that nature encompasses humanity and the planet, and that we are neither above nor separate from the rest of nature. We recognize the ancient wisdom that closeness to nature brings closeness among humanity and all living beings; and when we live as if we are separate from nature, we diminish our compassion for ourselves and for others. Therefore, we affirm the necessity of living sustainably as part of nature.

We are part of the web of life

In recent decades, many contemporary Pagan religious traditions have stressed humanity’s interconnectivity with the rest of the natural world. Many of our ancestors realized what has now been supported by the scientific method and our expanding knowledge of the universe — that Earth’s biosphere may be understood as a single ecosystem and that all life on Earth is interconnected.

The very atoms of which we are composed connect us to the entire universe. Our hydrogen was produced in the Big Bang, and the other atoms essential for life were forged in the scorching furnaces of ancient stars. Beyond atoms, the molecules of life connect us to Earth, showing that we don’t live “on Earth” like some alien visitor, but rather that we are part of Earth, just as a volcano or river is part of Earth and its cycles.

We are earth, with carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus making up our bodies one day, and incorporated into mountains the next. We are air, giving food to the trees and grasses when we exhale, and breathing in their gift of free oxygen with each breath. We are fire, burning the energy of the Sun, captured and given to us by plants. We are water, with the oceans flowing in our veins and the same water that nourished the dinosaurs within our cells.

We are connected to our families, through links of love, to their relatives, and so on to the entire human species. Our family tree goes back further than the rise of humans, including all mammals, all animals, and all life on Earth. The entire Earth is our immense and joyous family reunion.

We feel these connections in a spiritual way. The web of life includes strands that tug on our hearts, thread through our essential nature, and weave us into a spiritual whole. As part of the body of life on Earth, we care about the health of all parts of the body. Many human activities destroy parts of the body, and we recoil at them. Cutting down a rainforest is no different from cutting off a healthy leg or arm. In fact, these are even more vital than our arms and legs, because these forests are part of our planetary lungs. Similarly, we care about our waters, our land, our air, and our diverse biosphere. We do so out of respect for our ancestors, out of care for all life today, and out of love for future generations. Anything that harms the body of life on Earth, including global warming, pollution and extinction, is thus a spiritual and moral issue.

We are part of Earth, and Earth is part of us.

How we are damaging the ecosystem

Humanity’s actions are radically altering the web of life of which we are a component, threatening the lives of many species, Homo sapiens included. This harm takes many forms. Habitat loss continues as consumption increases. Deforestation alone destroys some 150 thousand square kilometers each year, the size of Japan — equivalent to 24 football fields every minute.

Global warming caused by our emission of greenhouse gases has already contributed to sea level rise, ocean acidification, and increased floods and droughts, with more severe effects expected within this century. Additional damage can be seen from ozone depletion. Our actions also have resulted in an ongoing and unsustainable depletion of resources, including minerals, food sources and usable water, generating increasing amounts of pollution. Other harm in addition to these is likely to be found in the future as we continue to learn about the impact of human activities on our world.

What we can do

Since Earth is able to heal itself, we need to stop doing harm, and let the healing begin. However, this is not as simple as it sounds. Our global systems of exploitation are not easily dismantled.

There are certain actions we can take now. It is important for each individual, community, and nation to take stock of what that means for the betterment of the whole. Technical solutions can never move forward without political will, and the necessary political will requires a shift in our most deeply held values, in our very definitions of what it means to be human, and in how humanity relates to the world. We recognize this shift as a spiritual imperative.

It is a collective challenge, and individual actions are necessary but not sufficient. Therefore we must build a culture of true sustainability. This does not mean trying to find ways to “sustain” our current levels of consumption or trying to “sustain” economic and political systems which have failed us. Rather, building a truly sustainable culture means transforming the systems of domination and exploitation that threaten our future into systems of symbiotic partnership that support our ecosystem. We must be clear about our agenda, which includes promoting sustainable, local economies, reforming our food systems, distributing resources in a more just and humane fashion, and ensuring that our human populations are below the carrying capacity of our planet through access to voluntary birth control, and equal access to education and work for women.

Any economic or political system which encourages the exploitation of Earth and people must be dismantled or substantially reformed. This includes any system based on endless growth. We should be operating in a closed loop system, not a linear one. This means moving away from disposable development and culture, and moving toward renewable development and culture wherein all products are intended for longevity, repairability, and easy recycling or composting at the end of their use. The sustainable economy of the future will be one with the shortest distances between production, consumption and recycling of byproducts.

In addition, there is a deeper and more profound change that is needed. Fundamentally, we believe that a change in spirit is required, one that fosters a new relationship between humanity and other species and Earth as a whole. As Pagans, we believe we are well situated to help imagine and create a future in which humanity lives in greater harmony with the rest of our planet. We strive in our worship, work, play, and daily lives to connect to this greater harmony. We believe that recognizing our connection as part of Earth itself is a unique facet of what defines us. Pagans can aid in the repair of our environment by teaching how we are part of life on Earth, sharing rituals and ceremonies that foster bonds between ourselves and the rest of the web of life, and instilling a sense of responsibility for how we interact with the ecosystem — all this creating cultures that can sustain our human society today and for generations to come.

As signatories, we commit to use our abilities and resources to promote policies and practices that foster the changes that our world so urgently needs. We will continue to educate members of our community to foster intelligent and focused sustainable living, and help the world recognize that everyone, whether Pagan or not, is part of our precious Earth. We hold that living a fulfilling and meaningful life, and allowing the same for future generations, is only possible if the entire Earth is healthy. We will therefore strive as individuals, as groups, and as members of a global society to promote the current and future health of our entire Earth, including the water, air, land, and the web of life.

[walford]

Below is a link to a petition posted asking that Pagans sign regarding the environment.

As a Pagan who actually reveres Nature's Laws and Natural Law in governance, let me say that we are not a monolith; these people do NOT speak for all Pagans.

It is true that the neo-Pagan movement is dominated by the Hard Left. Hence, a High Priestess who participated in training/educated me un-friended me for posting a quote from Ayn Rand. Likely she would not have been so offended if the quote were instead by Mao, Marx, Che or some other Leftist asshole with blood on their hands. It is also true that none of my conservative connections here -- including many evangelicals -- have unfriended me for being a Pagan. By contrast, at least a dozen fellow Pagans have cut me off for being a conservative. As it is with feminists, ethnic advocates, LGBTQ leaders, they are Leftists first -- and everything else second. ---------------------- The petitions starts off with several paragraphs of vague platitudes about how wonderful the environment is and how we are dependent upon it.

But then, we get to their assessments of the causes and then their solutions: The cause is capitalism. The solution is government action to curb economic growth and reduce our population. The only way this could be accomplished is through a centralized government with powers well-beyond protecting freedom and human rights. Only a singular global regime that is unaccountable to the population could make this happen.

I am a conservationist, not an environmentalist. The latter considers homo sapiens to be a vermin on this Earth, so we should have our numbers reduced -- as well as our prosperity. A conservationist, by contrast, holds that we should not waste or pollute, because the resources are finite and, as the Planet's only sentient beings, we have responsibility to protect species that are vulnerable due to our activities. But our solutions actually are result-oriented and respect our freedoms. For Environmentalists, the solution is an end in itself -- control, control, control. When they complain about our growing population, only Westerners are to be subject for extermination. The far more prolific Third World is exempt.

"Sustainable, renewable" resources are of limited benefit. Organic farming, for example, results in less productive acreage. Pesticides are eschewed, so more of the crops are destroyed. Fertilizers are not used, so each plant is not as productive. And Genetically Modified crops are disdained, so the use of pesticides, excessive tillage are needed to make up for the losses.

And of course, the Anthropogenic Global Warming canard is freely dispensed as the Gospel. When I was coming of age, we were told that capitalist smog would blot out the Sun and create a new Ice Age. Then it became Global Warming. Most recently it is referred to as Climate Change so that no matter which way the thermometer goes, it can be blamed on capitalism, the United States and George W. Bush.

The fact that many polluting countries are exempt is telling. Also illuminating are the complaints about the President withdrawing from international Environmental agreements refer to a loss of monies that would have otherwise been distributed to corrupt Third World regimes.

[dasboot]

The second dude. I like him. We can coexist.

[Reily]

Can’t wait for the definitive statement on Global Warming from Delphi. I am sure it will be something pithy from Pythia.

[TigersEye]

Global warming caused by our emission of greenhouse gases...

That's #FakeScience.

Physicist Howard Hayden's one-letter disproof of global warming claims [pre-Climategate]

Dear Administrator Jackson:

I write in regard to the Proposed Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act, Proposed Rule, 74 Fed. Reg. 18,886 (Apr. 24, 2009), the so-called "Endangerment Finding."

It has been often said that the "science is settled" on the issue of CO2 and climate. Let me put this claim to rest with a simple one-letter proof that it is false.

The letter is s, the one that changes model into models. If the science were settled, there would be precisely one model, and it would be in agreement with measurements.

Alternatively, one may ask which one of the twenty-some models settled the science so that all the rest could be discarded along with the research funds that have kept those models alive.

We can take this further. Not a single climate model predicted the current cooling phase. If the science were settled, the model (singular) would have predicted it.

(excerpted from Professor Hayden's letter to Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator Environmental Protection Agency. More at link.)

[Captain7seas]

“Global warming caused by our emission of greenhouse gases has already contributed to sea level rise, ocean acidification, and increased floods and droughts, “

Dag! I just head on Cnn that Miami has been abandoned.

[henkster]

I’m going to take a wild guess that the author of this “Eco Pagan” article does not live in a mud hut in the woods like a REAL pagan. Instead, he’s just another hypocrite like all the other global warming shills.

[mwilli20]

... but rather that we are part of Earth, just as a volcano or river is part of Earth and its cycles ...

If we are part of the Earth our actions cannot possibly harm the Earth any more than a volcano hurts it when it erupts, or a river when it overflows.

This statement is pure sophistry. Do not fall for it.

[onedoug]

Polytheism. Too many gods, competing with other gods, having sex with other gods, and humans....

Phooey!

[Hugh the Scot]

Shorter: crap outside.

[walford]

“Polytheism. Too many gods, competing with other gods, having sex with other gods, and humans...”

Really, do you want to go there? A god did it with a virgin mortal, resulting in a hybrid who was offered as a human/demigod sacrifice so that all who sinned afterward only need accept this story to attain salvation?

I don’t see that as being any different from the other stories that were developed in every tribe throughout human history to be able to connect with the Divine.

And let us remember that “pagan” [according to Webster’s] means any religion that is not based upon the God of Abraham [viz, Christianity, Judaism, Islam]. Every other religion that did not develop in a place where there is a lot of sand is invalid by definition.

So to attempt to characterize every Pagan religion that developed on every continent as some sort of theological monolith is beyond dishonest and myopic.

But for those who are interested in the actual truth, most Pagans believe that there is a One of which we are all a part. Then on the next layer down are the gods. They may have been fashioned and conjured by us. They may be expressions of the Almighty toward people at a certain place or time that they would accept as Divine.

The main difference between Pagans and Abrahamists is that we do not presume to pronounce Judgment upon another person’s immortal soul based upon whether our limited vision of the Infinite is accepted. We do not to know the mind of the Almighty and consider ourselves tasked to carry out Divine Will when it comes to unbelievers.

We do not think that the Divine made a mistake in creating those who have different visions of the Infinite, so we must then rape, slaughter and pillage those who are deemed damned already in their disbelief.

[jmacusa]

Hitler was a pagan. So was Heinrich Himmler. Swell couple of guys, weren;t they?

[onedoug]

Old Testament for me, thanks.

“Sh’ma Yisrael: Adonai elohenu. Adonai echad.”

[kallisti]

Blessed be.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Paganism is a family of spiritual paths rooted in ancestral religions throughout the world and predating recorded history.

If their spiritual paths pre-date recorded history, how do they know what they are?

[walford]

“Hitler was a pagan. So was Heinrich Himmler. Swell couple of guys, weren;t they?”

That is the intellectually dishonest fallacy of Arguing from the Particular to the General.

There are far more Christians who have perpetrated atrocities on a grand, institutionalized scale — such as nearly every Medieval monarch, noble and clergy.

Nice try.

[walford]

Merry meet.

[walford]

“Paganism is a family of spiritual paths rooted in ancestral religions throughout the world and predating recorded history.

---

If their spiritual paths pre-date recorded history, how do they know what they are?”

Prehistoric artifacts of an obvious religious nature have been discovered on every continent. There was even a Neanderthal burial discovered that had objects of seeking Blessings for the deceased.

Every tribe has developed religion — and the first religions were Pagan. There is no evidence of any atheistic tribe surviving to leave progeny to the present. Hence, religion is essential to our survival.

[bert]

——Abrahamists——

Ahhh..... that is an interesting concept of amalgamation.

[antidisestablishment]

Couching your own ad-hominem in a rant against fallacy raises your gall from mere nerve to outright effrontery. The most shallow attempt at research proves your vitriolic lies as shallow as your understanding of history:

https://www.str.org/articles/the-real-murderers-atheism-or-christianity#.WWyiboUpBR4

Pay close attention to the part about individual behavior versus creed. Be careful not to overdose on fact. It’s dangerous for young minds to ingest too much truth at one sitting.

[Zionist Conspirator]

As a Pagan

Ugh!