First, let’s get one thing straight. There is simply no intelligent argument in favor of destroying the environment, depleting precious resources, and leaving behind a mess others have to clean up. Leave it in better shape than you found it is a philosophy everyone can agree to. If the current debate over global warming reminds us all to be better stewards of the earth, well and good.
But I’ll be danged if I’m going to fall prey to another legalistic fundamentalism! I went down that route in my early exposure to fundamentalist Christianity and it’s taken me years to get over it. The fundamentalists are those who have rigid and judgmental attitudes of how a “righteous” person ought to live. The fundamentalist circles I was in evaluated people by whether or not they smoked tobacco, drank alcohol, went to dances, played cards and wore makeup. The “real” committed faithful didn’t frequent bowling alleys or pool parlors, they didn’t wear wedding rings, and the women didn’t wear slacks. The “true believers” regarded folks who did such things with condescension and condemnation.
Now I read in the April 9, 2007 issue of Time that there is a new list of 51 do’s and don’ts for those who want to be environmentally righteous. Among them are # 29 “Remove the tie” and #31“Wear green eye shadow” (p.89). And, not surprisingly, as with all such controlling systems, they have even figured out a way one can “Pay for your carbon sins” (#42, p. 94). Hallelujah! I can be “redeemed” simply by contributing money that “typically funds clean-energy projects”. Translation, contributions will pay the environmental religionists’ salaries.
God help us! The last thing we need is another fundamentalist religion on the planet. Especially one that won’t let me wear a tie when I want to—which is almost never.
