@Walter Hinteler,
Walter Hinteler wrote:okie wrote:I also think the environmental movement is a form of religious worship, ...
Certainly it is kind of - both our two great churches, the Evangelical Church of Germany and the Catholic Church, are main supporters of the environmental movement (and Earth Day): God's creation, Christianity and such, you know.
I will not argue with you on that point, Walter. To give you more of my opinion about this, I think that it has not been too uncommon for Catholicism for example, to incorporate some of the traditions of cultures and regions in which they need converts to gain prominence or dominance in the populations. I am no expert on this for sure, but as an example, I think Catholicism has incorporated some Native American traditions in South America, in order to gain converts within the native populations in the past. I have been told many years ago by somebody I knew that there was a sect of Catholics called the Penitentes, who practiced self-flagellations, which might have been rooted in certain Native American cultures. I was first told about this by an older family member that worked in the San Luis Valley of Colorado at one time, where some of that sect had apparently lived at one time.
So, I think it is true that some religions will incorporate all or part of the enivronmental movement or beliefs as part of their creed, and certainly individuals belonging to various sects have beliefs about the environment. As for myself, I am a bit of an environmentalist inasmuch as I believe in conservation and acting as good stewards here. Examples, although we were farmers, my Dad never subscribed to raising cattle in feedlots and pumping his livestock full of growth hormones, etc. I could give you many more examples, but that should be enough to give you a general picture of what I talk about. In short, I believe in taking care of the earth, but I believe in using it, and I am not what you would call a radical "tree hugger."
