I have never been one to want to reinvent the wheel, as the saying goes and so I include the following article from the Guardian Newspaper which I think is excellent .......
The chances are, if you are reading this, that you might also have seen either The Age of Stupid or An Inconvenient Truth. To those who fight to get climate change to the top of the agenda, these two movies are essential campaigning tools. Now I don't dispute their power and Messrs Gore and Postlethwaite are to be credited for sticking their heads above the parapet, but I have a problem with them: they left me feeling numb and overwhelmed. Gore stacks up the evidence of the momentum towards dangerous tipping points so effectively that by the time he gets on to "solutions" very near the end of his hundred minute presentation, you feel you are about to be demolished by a juggernaut.
I had a similar reaction when I first saw The Age of Stupid. At the end of a packed screening earlier in the year, one of my Operation Noah colleagues stood up and bluntly asked the audience: "So having seen that, who wants to get involved in campaigning?" There was a chilled and muted response. It may be me, but a very large amount of the film left me thinking that all the images of flooding, drought and destruction which Postlethwaite uncovers in his film archives are inevitable. From his futuristic vantage point of 2055, he shows a world that, in a mere 40 to 50 years, has gone to the dogs. And in a world where denial is still very much a factor, it's amazing how quickly people switch from denying the scientific evidence for human-induced global warming, to embracing the view that it's all too late and we're all doomed. Of course, that "flip" still allows you to go on behaving as before. "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
Which raises all sorts of questions that lobbyists and campaigners have been grappling with for years now on all this: what is the best way to engage the human imagination on the issue of our time? Guilt and fear are very limited in their appeal and, more often than not, only induce a greater desire to turn away and carry on as before. What's encouraging is to come across so many schoolchildren who are getting more and more familiar with the notion of stewardship. It's a term that has both appeal to religious and secular mindsets: namely that because of our lofty status in terms of biological and intellectual complexity compared to other species, this carries with it a responsibility to cherish our surroundings. Man's intelligence, as we have seen from history, can be put to a variety of creative and destructive uses: compare lunar landings and the discovery of penicillin with war and genocide. Ahead of December's UN climate summit in Copenhagen, we are now facing an epic collective decision as a species: business as usual and sleepwalking towards all sorts of potential horrors, or reverting back an understanding that sees ourselves not as usurpers of nature as a commodity, but as protective guardians of a wondrous world that is threatened – uniquely, by its own most intelligent life form. Fossil fuels which took millions and million of years to be formed by slow natural processes are being released into the biosphere at a dizzying rate with destabilising consequences which are there for all to see.
I believe virtue and example are contagious. Look at what happened recently with the launch of the 10:10 campaign, which the Guardian is backing. No sooner had Ed Miliband signed up to cut his own carbon emissions by 10%, than we were being told the whole Tory front bench were getting ready to endorse the pledge. Within 24 hours, the entire cabinet had also jumped on board and Liberal Democrats announced they were looking at moves to make this a resolution which would bind the whole party. Cynical politicking? Maybe in part, but this is all about momentum and taking the notion of stewardship beyond the perceived domain of the elite middle classes into society as a whole.
We are gnawing away at the very womb that sustains us. Reversing that trend needs as big an army of stewards as we can possibly muster.
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Sunday, 6 September 2009
More from Paul Elrich
Dear Friends,
There is growing consensus among environmental scientists that the scholarly community has adequately detailed how to deal with the major issues of the human predicament caused by our success as a species – climate disruption, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, toxification of the planet, the deterioration of the epidemiological environment, the potential impacts of nuclear war, racism, sexism, economic inequity, and on and on. I and my colleagues believe humanity must take rapid steps to ameliorate them. But, in essence, nothing serious is being done – as exemplified by the “much talk and no action” on climate change. The central problem is clearly not a need for more natural science (although in many areas it would be very helpful) but rather a need for better understanding of human behaviors and how they can be altered to direct humanity toward a sustainable society before it is to late.
That’s why a group of natural scientists, social scientists, and scholars from the humanities decided to inaugurate a Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior (MAHB — pronounced “mob”). It was so named to emphasize that it is human behavior, toward one another and toward the planet that sustains all of us, that requires rapid modification. The idea is that the MAHB might become a basic mechanism to expose society to the full range of population-environment-resource-ethics-equity-power
There is growing consensus among environmental scientists that the scholarly community has adequately detailed how to deal with the major issues of the human predicament caused by our success as a species – climate disruption, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, toxification of the planet, the deterioration of the epidemiological environment, the potential impacts of nuclear war, racism, sexism, economic inequity, and on and on. I and my colleagues believe humanity must take rapid steps to ameliorate them. But, in essence, nothing serious is being done – as exemplified by the “much talk and no action” on climate change. The central problem is clearly not a need for more natural science (although in many areas it would be very helpful) but rather a need for better understanding of human behaviors and how they can be altered to direct humanity toward a sustainable society before it is to late.
That’s why a group of natural scientists, social scientists, and scholars from the humanities decided to inaugurate a Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior (MAHB — pronounced “mob”). It was so named to emphasize that it is human behavior, toward one another and toward the planet that sustains all of us, that requires rapid modification. The idea is that the MAHB might become a basic mechanism to expose society to the full range of population-environment-resource-ethics-equity-power
humanity's collision with the natural world
Paul Ehrlich, citing 'humanity's collision with the natural world,' launches a new forum to direct human activity toward a more sustainable future.
5 September 2009
By Douglas Fischer
Daily Climate Editor
Frustrated by society's inability to tackle pressing environmental dilemmas, Stanford University ecologist Paul Ehrlich on Friday announced a new endeavor aimed at rapidly turning human behavior toward a more sustainable future.
In essence, nothing serious is being done – as exemplified by the 'much talk and no action' on climate change.
- Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University
Called the Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior, or MAHB (pronounced "mob"), the venture seeks to link a broad array of seemingly unrelated human activities that endanger humanity's future - from racism to climate change, loss of biological diversity, water shortages, declining food security, economic justice and pollution.
The hope, Ehrlich said, is that by making these larger connections, more effective solutions can be found.
"Basically, absolutely nothing is happening," he said. "We don't need more scientific evidence that we're screwing ourselves. We need to get beyond the cultural discussions we're having now."
The problem, Ehrlich said, is clearly not a need for more natural science. Rather, it is the need for a better understanding of "human behaviors and how they can be altered to direct humanity toward a sustainable society before it is too late."
Organizers envision the MAHB as a global conference, involving scholars, politicians and a diverse spectrum of stakeholders – from media and industry to religious communities and foundations. Organizers also hope to encourage a "global discussion" about human goals and to explore ways to steer cultural change toward creation of a more sustainable society.
Ehrlich said he would partially model the MAHB after the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, where hundreds of scientists from nearly every nation and representing diverse disciplines sort the scientific validity of claims and attempt to find equitable solutions.
Another model is the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, developed by environmental and social scientists to assess the condition of Earth's life-support systems, he said.
But the IPCC derives its power and authority from its governmental mandate, noted Saleemul Huq, head of the climate change group at the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development.
Governments signing on to the United Nations' climate framework have asked the scientific community to provide a clear consensus on the science and then endorse those findings via policy, said Huq, lead author of the adaptation and mitigation chapter in the IPCC's most recent assessment.
It's not clear - yet - who the MAHB is meant to inform.
For the IPCC, "the governments are the ones who have asked for the information, and they are the ones who endorse the information," Huq said. "If scientists just produce a report, and ... there isn't really anyone in a position to take it up, nothing happens to it."
"We are just preaching."
Still, Huq agreed with the premise, adding that the endeavor is something "we certainly need."
But for now, the MAHB is just 10 big thinkers, among them Stanford climatologist Steve Schneider, Science editor and Stanford president emeritus Donald Kennedy, Washington State University sociologist Eugene Rosa and University of Oslo philosopher Nina Witoszek.
Ehrlich, president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology, is considered a pioneer in the study of popoulation science. He was one of the first scholars to alert the public to the problems of overpopulation and to raise issues of population, resources and the environment as matters of public policy.
Ehrlich has floated earlier visions of this venture before, losing funding at Stanford for what he described as a "short try-out." He's thinking bigger this time: He hopes to officially kick-off the MAHB in 2011 with a "world mega conference" akin to the 1992 United Nations "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro.
That 1992 summit remains the UN's largest environmental gathering, with 172 governments, 108 heads of states, 2,400 representatives of non-governmental organizations and another 17,000 attendees at a parallel global forum. It led to the adoption of a wide-ranging blueprint for action on sustainable development worldwide. The Kyoto Protocol and the upcoming Copenhagen negotiations in December are two products.
It is unclear whether the MAHB will achieve such a level of success or is destined to the same obscurity as earlier efforts. For now it is little more than a website with a mission statement and a blog.
But finding a way to make climate science more relevant to policy makers has become an increasingly pressing question in academia, and Ehrlich is pressing forward.
"A global consensus on the most crucial behavioral issues is unlikely to emerge promptly from the MAHB – or any other international forum," he said. But "if the scientific diagnosis of humanity's collision with the natural world is accurate ... what alternative is there to trying?"
5 September 2009
By Douglas Fischer
Daily Climate Editor
Frustrated by society's inability to tackle pressing environmental dilemmas, Stanford University ecologist Paul Ehrlich on Friday announced a new endeavor aimed at rapidly turning human behavior toward a more sustainable future.
In essence, nothing serious is being done – as exemplified by the 'much talk and no action' on climate change.
- Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University
Called the Millennium Assessment of Human Behavior, or MAHB (pronounced "mob"), the venture seeks to link a broad array of seemingly unrelated human activities that endanger humanity's future - from racism to climate change, loss of biological diversity, water shortages, declining food security, economic justice and pollution.
The hope, Ehrlich said, is that by making these larger connections, more effective solutions can be found.
"Basically, absolutely nothing is happening," he said. "We don't need more scientific evidence that we're screwing ourselves. We need to get beyond the cultural discussions we're having now."
The problem, Ehrlich said, is clearly not a need for more natural science. Rather, it is the need for a better understanding of "human behaviors and how they can be altered to direct humanity toward a sustainable society before it is too late."
Organizers envision the MAHB as a global conference, involving scholars, politicians and a diverse spectrum of stakeholders – from media and industry to religious communities and foundations. Organizers also hope to encourage a "global discussion" about human goals and to explore ways to steer cultural change toward creation of a more sustainable society.
Ehrlich said he would partially model the MAHB after the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, where hundreds of scientists from nearly every nation and representing diverse disciplines sort the scientific validity of claims and attempt to find equitable solutions.
Another model is the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, developed by environmental and social scientists to assess the condition of Earth's life-support systems, he said.
But the IPCC derives its power and authority from its governmental mandate, noted Saleemul Huq, head of the climate change group at the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development.
Governments signing on to the United Nations' climate framework have asked the scientific community to provide a clear consensus on the science and then endorse those findings via policy, said Huq, lead author of the adaptation and mitigation chapter in the IPCC's most recent assessment.
It's not clear - yet - who the MAHB is meant to inform.
For the IPCC, "the governments are the ones who have asked for the information, and they are the ones who endorse the information," Huq said. "If scientists just produce a report, and ... there isn't really anyone in a position to take it up, nothing happens to it."
"We are just preaching."
Still, Huq agreed with the premise, adding that the endeavor is something "we certainly need."
But for now, the MAHB is just 10 big thinkers, among them Stanford climatologist Steve Schneider, Science editor and Stanford president emeritus Donald Kennedy, Washington State University sociologist Eugene Rosa and University of Oslo philosopher Nina Witoszek.
Ehrlich, president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology, is considered a pioneer in the study of popoulation science. He was one of the first scholars to alert the public to the problems of overpopulation and to raise issues of population, resources and the environment as matters of public policy.
Ehrlich has floated earlier visions of this venture before, losing funding at Stanford for what he described as a "short try-out." He's thinking bigger this time: He hopes to officially kick-off the MAHB in 2011 with a "world mega conference" akin to the 1992 United Nations "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro.
That 1992 summit remains the UN's largest environmental gathering, with 172 governments, 108 heads of states, 2,400 representatives of non-governmental organizations and another 17,000 attendees at a parallel global forum. It led to the adoption of a wide-ranging blueprint for action on sustainable development worldwide. The Kyoto Protocol and the upcoming Copenhagen negotiations in December are two products.
It is unclear whether the MAHB will achieve such a level of success or is destined to the same obscurity as earlier efforts. For now it is little more than a website with a mission statement and a blog.
But finding a way to make climate science more relevant to policy makers has become an increasingly pressing question in academia, and Ehrlich is pressing forward.
"A global consensus on the most crucial behavioral issues is unlikely to emerge promptly from the MAHB – or any other international forum," he said. But "if the scientific diagnosis of humanity's collision with the natural world is accurate ... what alternative is there to trying?"
Action all drivers can take
Last weekend I drove to Edinburgh and back - two in car - which is a 1.3 Vauxhall Corsa Diesel.
A round trip of over 160 miles which involved some rural driving, motorway driving, stop start around Dundee and similarly into the very centre of Edinburgh.
I used cruise control wherever possible and did not go above 60 on the motorway except on one occasion for safety reasons.
I returned 72 miles to the gallon!
It seems to me that a very first step that we could take to combat the impact of Climate Generations on the generations to come is set and rigorously enforce a 50 to 60 mph motorway speed limit!!!
A round trip of over 160 miles which involved some rural driving, motorway driving, stop start around Dundee and similarly into the very centre of Edinburgh.
I used cruise control wherever possible and did not go above 60 on the motorway except on one occasion for safety reasons.
I returned 72 miles to the gallon!
It seems to me that a very first step that we could take to combat the impact of Climate Generations on the generations to come is set and rigorously enforce a 50 to 60 mph motorway speed limit!!!
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
A taste of what is in the Press
This week, after nine years of leading the Sustainable Development Commission, Jonathan Porritt left his post. So what now for Green party member and Treasury antagonist who was brought into government as a 'critical friend'?
* John Vidal
* The Guardian, Saturday 25 July 2009
Vestas dispute: Red and green coalition forms to fight wind plant closure
* Terry Macalister
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 20.32 BST
Who's behind the plan to pave Central Park and build an airport?
Is the hoax campaign to concrete over NYC's favourite green space and build an airport a satire on incompetent transport policy or another product viral? Watch this space
Posted by Leo Hickman Friday 24 July 2009 11.21 BST
Nature will never be spent if we act to save our countryside
An integrated world view sees the value in the natural world beyond its aesthetic beauty - it also has an economic value as a carbon store
* Nick Herbert
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 July 2009 14.39 BST
Bruce Parry: Your planet needs your film-making talents
'Anyone can deliver a short but powerful message to the world about the most important issue of the day,' says the Tribe presenter
* Bruce Parry
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 July 2009 07.00 BST
One minute to save the world competition
Have something to say about saving the environment? Then why not enter our One minute to save the world short film competition
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 July 2009 07.00 BST
Small-scale irrigation schemes are key to food security in Uganda
Irrigation seems to have been left off the agenda when it comes to discussing food security in Uganda. It needs to be added now, argues Richard M Kavuma
Posted by Richard M Kavuma Friday 24 July 2009 11.55 BST guardian.co.uk
Send a message to Copenhagen
Got something to say to those deciding the world's fate? Get your voice heard by sharing your message with our Flickr group, A Message to Copenhagen and we'll feature the best here
Posted by Adam Vaughan Wednesday 22 July 2009 13.17 BST guardian.co.uk
Meet Belcha - Europe's biggest carbon polluter (and it's about to get even bigger)
Polish facility pumps out 30m tonnes of CO2 a year
Activists say giant plants undermine climate fight
* Terry Macalister
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 21.52 BST
Greenwash: easyJet's carbon claims written on the wind
EasyJet says its flights have a smaller carbon footprint than a Toyota Prius hybrid car. Let's do the maths:
* Fred Pearce
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 08.00 BST
Why Vestas closed Isle of Wight plant
* Letters, The Guardian, Friday 24 July 2009
Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of state for energy and climate change
A force of nature: our influential Anthropocene period
What humanity does has important consequences, so we must manage our global life-support system
o Simon Lewis
o guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 20.00 BST
Climate insurance: what kind of deal can be made in Copenhagen?
One key challenge on the climate change agenda is a fairer system to protect the world's poorest farmers from failing crops and extreme weather variations. From Climate Feedback part of Guardian Environment Network
* From Climate Feedback part of Guardian Environment Network
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 11.32 BST
Outer-city, out of mind?
Ecotowns are all well and good, but we ignore the problem of suburban England at our peril
Peter Hetherington Posted by Peter Hetherington
Thursday 23 July 2009 10.59 BST guardian.co.uk
Great Western train line to be electrified
Electrification will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and will mean faster and more reliable services for millions of passengers
* Dan Milmo, transport correspondent
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 08.29 BST
Police at Kingsnorth: hiding badges, searching kids, blasting music and suffering bee stings
Catalogue of complaints over tactics used against both protesters and media
* Paul Lewis
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 18.15 BST
LEDs and efficient TVs point the way towards my dream green home
It's the final push to bring our 1920s house into a modern, low-carbon age – this week, we focus on the last few touches - appliances and rare light bulbs
Posted by Andy Phipps Wednesday 22 July 2009 17.25 BST guardian.co.uk
* John Vidal
* The Guardian, Saturday 25 July 2009
Vestas dispute: Red and green coalition forms to fight wind plant closure
* Terry Macalister
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 20.32 BST
Who's behind the plan to pave Central Park and build an airport?
Is the hoax campaign to concrete over NYC's favourite green space and build an airport a satire on incompetent transport policy or another product viral? Watch this space
Posted by Leo Hickman Friday 24 July 2009 11.21 BST
Nature will never be spent if we act to save our countryside
An integrated world view sees the value in the natural world beyond its aesthetic beauty - it also has an economic value as a carbon store
* Nick Herbert
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 July 2009 14.39 BST
Bruce Parry: Your planet needs your film-making talents
'Anyone can deliver a short but powerful message to the world about the most important issue of the day,' says the Tribe presenter
* Bruce Parry
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 July 2009 07.00 BST
One minute to save the world competition
Have something to say about saving the environment? Then why not enter our One minute to save the world short film competition
* guardian.co.uk, Friday 24 July 2009 07.00 BST
Small-scale irrigation schemes are key to food security in Uganda
Irrigation seems to have been left off the agenda when it comes to discussing food security in Uganda. It needs to be added now, argues Richard M Kavuma
Posted by Richard M Kavuma Friday 24 July 2009 11.55 BST guardian.co.uk
Send a message to Copenhagen
Got something to say to those deciding the world's fate? Get your voice heard by sharing your message with our Flickr group, A Message to Copenhagen and we'll feature the best here
Posted by Adam Vaughan Wednesday 22 July 2009 13.17 BST guardian.co.uk
Meet Belcha - Europe's biggest carbon polluter (and it's about to get even bigger)
Polish facility pumps out 30m tonnes of CO2 a year
Activists say giant plants undermine climate fight
* Terry Macalister
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 21.52 BST
Greenwash: easyJet's carbon claims written on the wind
EasyJet says its flights have a smaller carbon footprint than a Toyota Prius hybrid car. Let's do the maths:
* Fred Pearce
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 08.00 BST
Why Vestas closed Isle of Wight plant
* Letters, The Guardian, Friday 24 July 2009
Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of state for energy and climate change
A force of nature: our influential Anthropocene period
What humanity does has important consequences, so we must manage our global life-support system
o Simon Lewis
o guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 20.00 BST
Climate insurance: what kind of deal can be made in Copenhagen?
One key challenge on the climate change agenda is a fairer system to protect the world's poorest farmers from failing crops and extreme weather variations. From Climate Feedback part of Guardian Environment Network
* From Climate Feedback part of Guardian Environment Network
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 11.32 BST
Outer-city, out of mind?
Ecotowns are all well and good, but we ignore the problem of suburban England at our peril
Peter Hetherington Posted by Peter Hetherington
Thursday 23 July 2009 10.59 BST guardian.co.uk
Great Western train line to be electrified
Electrification will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and will mean faster and more reliable services for millions of passengers
* Dan Milmo, transport correspondent
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 July 2009 08.29 BST
Police at Kingsnorth: hiding badges, searching kids, blasting music and suffering bee stings
Catalogue of complaints over tactics used against both protesters and media
* Paul Lewis
* guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 22 July 2009 18.15 BST
LEDs and efficient TVs point the way towards my dream green home
It's the final push to bring our 1920s house into a modern, low-carbon age – this week, we focus on the last few touches - appliances and rare light bulbs
Posted by Andy Phipps Wednesday 22 July 2009 17.25 BST guardian.co.uk
Monday, 29 June 2009
Sermon from 28 June 2009
Sermon
It has been a momentous week, and I am not referring to the death of Michael Jackson - sad though that may be. And not even the bonus salary of the new head of RBS, although it does seem that altruism certainly does not exist in the higher echelons of banking management.
No, today I am referrering to the environmental legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament, announced by the UK Government and passed by the US House of Representatives, all within the space of one week. Legislation that is going to radically alter how we live. Legislation, that I believe, churches ~ schools ~ community organizations and communities themselves should begin to enact without delay.
This morning though, I want to move beyond the legislation and look for spiritual foundations for environmental care. We’ve just sung for the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies
Christ, our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise
We’ve just sung these words and I wonder as we did, did we sing them with integrity? Did we sing them as if we actually believed the words and the sentiments, or were we just muttering the sounds and thinking either what a pretty tune or the music of this jars?
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. [Genesis 2]
And if your faith is traditional then this was an act of trust on the part of God. And if your faith is traditional then we are the inheritors of that trust. And if your faith is honest I think that you can only but conclude that we have squandered that inheritance - almost to the point of no return, but not quite yet. And that is why I believe that the churches must show the lead in welcoming, supporting and enacting the legislation and intention of the past week.
But there is another reason as well and that is where I want to go this morning. But for Church politics the Christian Church in Britain might have been radically different, and who knows, given the ability of Scots men and women to influence the developments of the past centuries, we might now be a completely different Church. I am of course referring to the marginalisation of the Celtic Church in the 7th Century at the Synod of Whitby and the subsequent rise of Catholicism and the hierarchical, religion focused, Church of Rome.
I believe that our attitudes to the environment need a spiritual foundation, as well as an ethical, practical and economic foundation. And I believe that that foundation is found in Celtic Christianity and Celtic Spirituality. And I want to remind you of the Celtic way to God. The way of our past. The way of our heritage.
But before I do, let me add another layer to what I am saying and this is from 21st Century Spirituality. Ken Wilber argues that human beings intrinsically possess 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person perspectives of the world, and that we possess those same perspectives in our experience of spirituality.
God is 1st person when we have direct experiences of God, mystical, I am moments. The times when we have felt touched by God. God is also 2nd person ~ the one to whom we talk. And God is 3rd person, the spirit of God in the great interconnected web of humanity. Wilber also argues that it is a human failing to focus on one perspective of God. That is our nature but our nature reduces our experiences of God. And so all three perspectives are important. Now I am saying this because if we think of Celtic Spirituality just in terms of looking after creation then important as that is, we miss the point ~ we miss the depth ~ we miss the potential.
So what is Celtic Spirituality, Celtic Christianity and why do I think it so important? What is the essence of Celtic Spirituality? Hilary Musgrave is an Irish Sister of Charity and she describes it as
• seeing the energy, the life and the flow of God’s love in all of creation
• seeing the potential of God in the earth, in the people,
• seeing God as all around, surrounding us and in us.
There is a focus on daily life in the prayers of Celtic Spirituality with these prayers rooted in the ordinary events of life ~ the everyday events that touch ordinary everyday people. There is a huge community focus in Celtic Spirituality. God was experienced in the community. And of course respect for the earth, humanity working in harmony with the earth.
Ray Simpson of the Northumbrian Community of Hilda and Aiden writes ….
'The essence of Celtic spirituality is a heart wide open to God in every person, in all the world. It is to do with crossing frontiers, not erecting barriers. It goes so deep that, without losing what is distinctive, it becomes universal.'
Closer to home Iain Bradley, from the University of St Andrew’s believes that Celtic Christianity does seem to speak with uncanny relevance to many of the concerns of our present age. It was environmentally friendly, embracing positive attitudes to nature and constantly celebrating the goodness of God’s creation. Like the religions of the Australian Aboriginees and the Native American Indians it takes us back to our roots and seems to speak with a primitive innocence and directness which has much appeal in our tired and cynical age.
Let me draw to a close by summarizing why I personally see the Celtic way to God as being so 21st century relevant.
Firstly, the focus on Community. We must maintain the sense of community in the congregation and in the parish. The sense of belonging that a sense of community can bring is a key building block for the next few decades of change.
Secondly, seeing the energy, the life and the flow of God’s love in all of creation, seeing the potential of God in the earth, in the people, If we see God in all of creation then we can only but want to nurture that Creation.
And of course thirdly, the sense of harmony with creation, its care and its stewardship.
If we can take, even these three reasons to heart then we will indeed turn the tide and honour the trust that God placed in us in the Garden of Eden. If we do not, then may God forgive us.
In God’s name
It has been a momentous week, and I am not referring to the death of Michael Jackson - sad though that may be. And not even the bonus salary of the new head of RBS, although it does seem that altruism certainly does not exist in the higher echelons of banking management.
No, today I am referrering to the environmental legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament, announced by the UK Government and passed by the US House of Representatives, all within the space of one week. Legislation that is going to radically alter how we live. Legislation, that I believe, churches ~ schools ~ community organizations and communities themselves should begin to enact without delay.
This morning though, I want to move beyond the legislation and look for spiritual foundations for environmental care. We’ve just sung for the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the earth
for the beauty of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies
Christ, our God, to thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise
We’ve just sung these words and I wonder as we did, did we sing them with integrity? Did we sing them as if we actually believed the words and the sentiments, or were we just muttering the sounds and thinking either what a pretty tune or the music of this jars?
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. [Genesis 2]
And if your faith is traditional then this was an act of trust on the part of God. And if your faith is traditional then we are the inheritors of that trust. And if your faith is honest I think that you can only but conclude that we have squandered that inheritance - almost to the point of no return, but not quite yet. And that is why I believe that the churches must show the lead in welcoming, supporting and enacting the legislation and intention of the past week.
But there is another reason as well and that is where I want to go this morning. But for Church politics the Christian Church in Britain might have been radically different, and who knows, given the ability of Scots men and women to influence the developments of the past centuries, we might now be a completely different Church. I am of course referring to the marginalisation of the Celtic Church in the 7th Century at the Synod of Whitby and the subsequent rise of Catholicism and the hierarchical, religion focused, Church of Rome.
I believe that our attitudes to the environment need a spiritual foundation, as well as an ethical, practical and economic foundation. And I believe that that foundation is found in Celtic Christianity and Celtic Spirituality. And I want to remind you of the Celtic way to God. The way of our past. The way of our heritage.
But before I do, let me add another layer to what I am saying and this is from 21st Century Spirituality. Ken Wilber argues that human beings intrinsically possess 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person perspectives of the world, and that we possess those same perspectives in our experience of spirituality.
God is 1st person when we have direct experiences of God, mystical, I am moments. The times when we have felt touched by God. God is also 2nd person ~ the one to whom we talk. And God is 3rd person, the spirit of God in the great interconnected web of humanity. Wilber also argues that it is a human failing to focus on one perspective of God. That is our nature but our nature reduces our experiences of God. And so all three perspectives are important. Now I am saying this because if we think of Celtic Spirituality just in terms of looking after creation then important as that is, we miss the point ~ we miss the depth ~ we miss the potential.
So what is Celtic Spirituality, Celtic Christianity and why do I think it so important? What is the essence of Celtic Spirituality? Hilary Musgrave is an Irish Sister of Charity and she describes it as
• seeing the energy, the life and the flow of God’s love in all of creation
• seeing the potential of God in the earth, in the people,
• seeing God as all around, surrounding us and in us.
There is a focus on daily life in the prayers of Celtic Spirituality with these prayers rooted in the ordinary events of life ~ the everyday events that touch ordinary everyday people. There is a huge community focus in Celtic Spirituality. God was experienced in the community. And of course respect for the earth, humanity working in harmony with the earth.
Ray Simpson of the Northumbrian Community of Hilda and Aiden writes ….
'The essence of Celtic spirituality is a heart wide open to God in every person, in all the world. It is to do with crossing frontiers, not erecting barriers. It goes so deep that, without losing what is distinctive, it becomes universal.'
Closer to home Iain Bradley, from the University of St Andrew’s believes that Celtic Christianity does seem to speak with uncanny relevance to many of the concerns of our present age. It was environmentally friendly, embracing positive attitudes to nature and constantly celebrating the goodness of God’s creation. Like the religions of the Australian Aboriginees and the Native American Indians it takes us back to our roots and seems to speak with a primitive innocence and directness which has much appeal in our tired and cynical age.
Let me draw to a close by summarizing why I personally see the Celtic way to God as being so 21st century relevant.
Firstly, the focus on Community. We must maintain the sense of community in the congregation and in the parish. The sense of belonging that a sense of community can bring is a key building block for the next few decades of change.
Secondly, seeing the energy, the life and the flow of God’s love in all of creation, seeing the potential of God in the earth, in the people, If we see God in all of creation then we can only but want to nurture that Creation.
And of course thirdly, the sense of harmony with creation, its care and its stewardship.
If we can take, even these three reasons to heart then we will indeed turn the tide and honour the trust that God placed in us in the Garden of Eden. If we do not, then may God forgive us.
In God’s name
Unwanted mailing
Today I saved a leaf
It's an age thing but sadly I appear to be on the SAGA mailing list. I get monthly invitations to enquire about SAGA Motor Insurance and every month I shake my head, recycle the paper and put the envelop in the bin.
That is apart from this month when I decided that enough was enough and so I phoned SAGA and asked to be removed from their mailing list.
Result .... a gracious lady and no more motor insurance letters!
It's an age thing but sadly I appear to be on the SAGA mailing list. I get monthly invitations to enquire about SAGA Motor Insurance and every month I shake my head, recycle the paper and put the envelop in the bin.
That is apart from this month when I decided that enough was enough and so I phoned SAGA and asked to be removed from their mailing list.
Result .... a gracious lady and no more motor insurance letters!
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