Weekly Pastoral Message prepared by Rev. Murray Adamthwaite
for Sunday 22nd June 1997

From the Pastor: Some Contemporary Buzzwords V: Environmentalism

The environmental movement, often known as "the greenies", is very much part of our scene today, and as we are well aware, has a very strong political and social clout. Without delving into the politics of the green agenda, we ought nevertheless to understand that the environmental movement is as much about religion as preserving nature. Yes, "green-ism" is a religion, but a pantheistic one, and is part and parcel of the whole New Age phenomenon. It is a religion which equates Nature and God, and worships and celebrates trees, animals, and insects. The argument is that the environment must be preserved because that forms part of the "planetary consciousness", of which we too, are a part. This partly came out in an interview with Senator Dee Margetts, some time ago, in which she confessed to often walking around a tree, celebrating her oneness with the environment, and to all appearances was worshipping the Nature god. While we might smile at this and see her as a loopy greenie, such is not the case. It is serious stuff, and must be treated accordingly. Again, while we may be alarmed at this "worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25), it has all come about because earlier this century men in their professed wisdom "exchanged the truth of God for a lie". It is the inexorable law of degeneration outlined in Romans 1:18-32.