Environmentalism vs. Conservationism

May 21, 2008

Doing my usual browsing across the information superhighway, I happened upon an article that brought up some good points, and even explained a few more. The article is titled “The Church of Green,” and was penned by Jonah Goldberg, Editor-at-large of the National Review Online. I should also mention that this article is posted over on the KTKZ AM1380 site, conservative AM radio at it’s best.

I am going to pull a couple of bits, then ask for your thoughts on this issue.

At its core, environmentalism is a kind of nature worship. It’s a holistic ideology, shot through with religious sentiment. “If you look carefully,” author Michael Crichton observed, “you see that environmentalism is in fact a perfect 21st century remapping of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and myths.”

I can kind of see a point here. While environmentalists are out lobbying and raising money for their latest anti-hunting campaign, how much fuel are they spending getting to their destination? It seems a bit contradictory. On one hand you want to save the planet’s animals and help the environment, but on the other, you want to lobby for other people to save the planet for you. I ask, “What are YOU doing to save the planet?”

The Church of Green is alluding to the basis that environmentalists like to preach the word without ever really taking any action. I can honestly say that I have been to a few churches where money was the goal. Three out of every four sermons were asking for donations for this and that cause. I soon felt pressured to hand over money or support their causes, until I wisened up. Obviously, I no longer go to church there. Sometimes preaching the word can actually hurt your own cause.

John Muir, who laid the philosophical foundations of modern environmentalism, described humans as “selfish, conceited creatures.” Salvation comes from shedding our sins, rejecting our addictions (to oil, consumerism, etc.) and demonstrating an all-encompassing love of Mother Earth. Quoth Al Gore: “The climate crisis is not a political issue; it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity.

I think many of us will agree that we are over fear. We don’t buy in to that cause as a major issue, or some of us don’t anyways, because there lacks a scientific background on the issue. Oh, sure–there are many studies out there laying claim to this fact and that, but just the same, there are as many taking the oposite road.

Whether or not it’s adopted the trappings of religion, my biggest beef with environmentalism is how comfortably irrational it is. It touts ritual over reality, symbolism over substance, while claiming to be so much more rational and scientific than those silly sky-God worshipers and deranged oil addicts.

Regarding Conservation:

Conservation, which shares roots and meaning with conservatism, stands athwart this mass hysteria. Yes, conservationism can have a religious element as well, but that stems from the biblical injunction to be a good steward of the Earth, rather than a worshiper of it. But stewardship involves economics, not mysticism.

I am just guessing that the “economics” mention is found in conservationism’s dedication to raising funds to save the land, then using that land to rejuvenate the area, empowering their cause, and drawing more people in. They DO, rather than Preach. In many areas, work by conservationists have resulted in a new outlet for funds enabling them to survive without all of the preachy hype that gets so tiring. Perhaps that is a lot of people’s problems with the whole idea of “Global Warming”. We hear an awful lot about it being our demise, yet, what is actually being done that is going to make us any better in the future?

In the broadest sense, the environmental movement has won. Americans are “green” in that they are willing to spend a lot to keep their country ecologically healthy, which it is. But now it’s time to save the environment from the environmentalists.

Not sure about that last statement. Can anyone offer up an explaination? Go read The Church of Green, then come back and let me hear your thoughts. For–Against? Comment Below.

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