Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia, The Creation of the World and Expulsion from Paradise, 1445
The proposed ecological examinations of conscience only serve to politicize Penance before we even enter the confessional.
With the push for same-sex marriage, the past few years have witnessed the politicization of matrimony. As divorced-and-remarried persons demand Communion irrespective of the status of their matrimonial vows, we have also seen the politicization of the Eucharist.
Perhaps, then, it was only a matter of time before the Sacrament of Penance was politicized. And in the frenzied push for environmental examinations of conscience, that is exactly what is happening right now.
To preface this discussion, we need to recognize mans proper rights and duties with regard to his natural environment.
To be sure, individuals have a moral duty to care for the eartha duty evidenced in Genesis 2:15: The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. This is a two-fold duty: to develop (till) it and protect (keep) it. This should be a joyous duty, rooted in mans reciprocal love of God. As Pope Saint John Paul II saw it, caring for the created world is an expression of gratitude toward God.
Along with the duty, man has a corresponding right to develop Creation in order to support and advance himself, his family, and society. This right, however, does not permit man to indiscriminately engineer nature or pollute the environment.
By extension, societies have rights and duties to protect the environment. At the 1990 World Day of Peace, Pope Saint John Paul II stated, The State should also actively endeavour within its own territory to prevent destruction of the atmosphere and biosphereensuring that its citizens are not exposed to dangerous pollutants or toxic wastes. Similarly, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states, A correct understanding of the environment prevents the utilitarian reduction of nature to a mere object to be manipulated and exploited.
Even the greenest environmentalist would likely agree with the above statement of the Compendium, but it is in its very next sentence that company begins to part: At the same time, it must not absolutize nature and place it above the dignity of the human person himself. In this latter case, one can go so far as to divinize nature or the earth...
The Compendium gets to the heart of the problem here by illustrating the two-fold environmentalist temptation: first, to worship creation rather than Creator; second, to view the natural world as more important than man himself.
These interrelated temptations are hardly new. The strange and apostate god of pantheism (everything is god) dates back to the ancient Greeks, and the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza found a more modern audience for pantheism in the 1600s. Though the name Spinoza is rarely on the lips of modern men, his influence is on their minds. His essential argument was that everything is part of one substance; from this perspective, there is no substantive difference between a baby chipmunk and a baby human. That would be dangerous enough, but some of todays environmentalists take Spinoza one step further.
Some argue that a baby chipmunk is substantively better than a baby human. Why? Becausein the minds of some hyper-environmentalistswhile the baby chipmunk poses no threat to the environment, the baby human does. Therefore, he must be stopped, even before he is formed in the womb. That is why population control
is an essential ingredient in environmentalism and terms like responsible parenthood are commonthe clear implication being that the most responsible parenthood is no parenthood at all.
This conceptthat man and nature have equal ontological value, or that man is subservient to natureis diametrically opposed to Catholic teaching. The Church recognizes that man is created in the image and likeness of God and is called to share in the unending happiness of the Divine Trinity. Man transcends the material worlda claim that no other creature on earth can make.
Mans worth exceeds the material world, and not only in its component parts but in its totality. By virtue of her divine likeness, one tiny girl in the womb is greater than the rest of the physical universe combined. Add up the Pacific Ocean, the North Star, and Saturnadd up all the oceans and stars and planetsand they will never equal the worth of one baby girl. They will dry up and burn out, but she is immortal.
She is loved by God. And so are you.
In our sins, we fail to recognize or fully accept all this. We fail to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. We fail to love our neighbor. We fail to love ourselves.
If you want to write an examination of conscience, seek to find ways we have failed to love the immortals in our lives. Seek to find the ways we have sinned against those whom we are called to love: God, neighbor, self. At best, the talk about sins against the environment and eco-sins obscures this focus and re-directs it at mere matter. An examination of conscience hyper-focused on ecological sins constitutes a dangerous diversion that seems to flirt with the divinization of nature.
If a man intentionally harms the environment, that may very well constitute a sin. But, ultimately, it is not a sin against the environment. Rather, it is a sin against God, Who entrusts us with dominion over Creation and directs us to care for our neighbor. That is not a semantic difference.
The worst tragedy of our age is not that man abuses the environment for his own pleasure; rather, it is that man abuses man for his own pleasure. That statement is evidenced by the prevalence and promotion of abortion, pornography and adultery. Of course, it is not politically correct to refer to these things as sins anymore. Instead, we encourage mea culpas on the misuse of plastics and maxima culpas on the failure to recycle.
It is no secret that both local and foreign governments are trying to encroach upon the Sacrament of Penancein effect, to try to force priests into revealing what occurs in the confessional. But the proposed ecological examinations of conscience only serve to politicize Penance before we even enter the confessional.
To those who insist on these eco-examinations, I would point out that Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium have already provided us with ample direction in terms of our environmental responsibilities. And the concept of quasi-ecclesiastical/quasi-governmental agencies drawing up examinations of conscience offends every Catholic sensibility. Rather than an examination of conscience written by those whose goalsstrangely enoughoften seem to align with the political Left, I would suggest an examination of conscience that was written long ago and has served us well: The Ten Commandments.
See the original post:
The Politicization of the Sacrament of Penance - National Catholic Register
- PANTHEISM: Nature, universe, science and religion - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Pantheism - New World Encyclopedia - Info:Main Page - New ... - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Is your spiritual home right here on Earth? | World Pantheism - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- The Higher Pantheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Does pantheism relate to free will? - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Pantheism Master (Original Mix) - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Pantheism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Pantheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Never losing dignity - February 19th, 2015 [February 19th, 2015]
- How to Pronounce Pantheism - Video - March 5th, 2015 [March 5th, 2015]
- Pantheism explained - Video - March 8th, 2015 [March 8th, 2015]
- Wk 40 Katey on Pantheism and Souls - Video - March 31st, 2015 [March 31st, 2015]
- Metaphysics of Pantheism - Famous Pantheist Quotes - April 8th, 2015 [April 8th, 2015]
- What is pantheism? - Bible Questions Answered - April 8th, 2015 [April 8th, 2015]
- The Presence of God The Holy Spirit and Pantheism - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Roman Gods And Pantheism - AllAboutHistory.org - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Pantheism - RationalWiki - December 18th, 2016 [December 18th, 2016]
- Pantheism | Neo-Paganism.com - December 22nd, 2016 [December 22nd, 2016]
- Monism - Wikipedia - January 12th, 2017 [January 12th, 2017]
- Pantheism Beliefs Explained - About.com Religion ... - January 21st, 2017 [January 21st, 2017]
- Our fight to the death with nature is not one we can win - The Age - The Age - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Pantheism - Norse Mythology for Smart People - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- How Alexis de Tocqueville can help us stay sane - The Washington ... - Washington Post - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Veljo Tormis obituary - The Guardian - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Educational Reformer Hirsch Promotes Knowledge Against Its ... - National Review - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- 'Evilution:' The Secret Luciferian, Spiritual Origin To One of The Biggest Hoaxes in History Evolution - The Christian Truther - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Poet Robinson Jeffers to be topic at OLLI meeting - Chico Enterprise-Record - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Our Lady of Fatima and the Battle With Freemasonry, Part 1 - Church Militant - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- What Is Wrong With Yoga? - Catholic Church - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- 4 books tell stories of Ky. drug world - Glasgow Daily Times - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Hinduism vs Hindutva: The search for an ideology in times of cow ... - Hindustan Times - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Demystifying the Beliefs of Pantheism - thoughtco.com - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Adventists appeal court ruling on Kellogg Sabbath accommodation case - Adventist News Network - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- 'Sgt. Pepper's' Turns 50: The Newsweek Review of The Beatles' Masterpiece - Newsweek - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Seven Things Evil Is Not: What the Death of My Son Taught Me - ChristianityToday.com - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- How Scotland inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula - The Scotsman - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- My Turn: Respecting Mother - Concord Monitor - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Who were the authors of the so-called Gnostic gospels, and what did they believe? - Aleteia EN - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- This Former MTV Icon Found Inner Peace Through Islam - HuffPost - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Views | Pantheism.com - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- New Names for Old Gods - Patheos (blog) - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- The Universe Is the Mind of God - The Costa Rican Times - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- On religion: Being aware of our connectivity to God and each other - The Intelligencer - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- A Modern Day Inquisition: Rabbi Joseph Dweck - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Hinman's ABEAN Argument Part 3: More Objections - Patheos (blog) - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- 20 Options on God (Find Yours Here) - Patheos (blog) - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- Nelsons Leads Tanglewood Resurrection - The Boston Musical ... - The Boston Musical Intelligencer - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- Hindu-Americans Don't Vote Republican - The American Conservative - July 10th, 2017 [July 10th, 2017]
- Through the Viewfinder: Pamela Ryder with Peter Markus - Brooklyn Rail - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- A Critical Look At A New Sefer: Alternative Medicine in Halachah - Yeshiva World News - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Why Dina Nath Batra wants Tagore, Urdu, Mughals removed from school books - DailyO - July 25th, 2017 [July 25th, 2017]
- 'Heretics!' Illustrates the Contentiousness Surrounding Philosophy - PopMatters - August 1st, 2017 [August 1st, 2017]
- Is Your Christian Worldview Cohesive? - Cape May County Herald - August 2nd, 2017 [August 2nd, 2017]
- Senryu pries open 'The Jaws of Life' to explore death on latest release - Maryville Daily Times - August 3rd, 2017 [August 3rd, 2017]
- Star Wars' religious imagery is more than just coincidence - Catholic Herald Online (blog) - August 5th, 2017 [August 5th, 2017]
- This World as Philosophically Necessary - Patheos (blog) - August 10th, 2017 [August 10th, 2017]
- Staying power: a poet's place in God's agenda - National Catholic Reporter - August 10th, 2017 [August 10th, 2017]
- Gratitude So Burdensome? - First Things - August 11th, 2017 [August 11th, 2017]
- Unitarian Universalism and Pantheism World Pantheism - August 13th, 2017 [August 13th, 2017]
- Pantheism - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- Pantheism - History - AllAboutHistory.org - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- Dennis Andrew from Poole says 'I am Druid' - Somerset Live - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Spinozism - Wikipedia - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- World Pantheist Movement - Official Site - January 26th, 2018 [January 26th, 2018]
- World Pantheism - The online community for scientific pantheists - February 4th, 2018 [February 4th, 2018]
- Pantheism. I believe that the universe created itself ... - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- Lesson 10: Pantheism and New-Age Mysticism | Free Sunday ... - July 15th, 2018 [July 15th, 2018]
- Naturalistic pantheism - Wikipedia - July 27th, 2018 [July 27th, 2018]
- Pantheism | Inters.org - September 2nd, 2018 [September 2nd, 2018]
- Pantheism | Encyclopedia.com - September 7th, 2018 [September 7th, 2018]
- Pantheism - New World Encyclopedia - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- AN INTRODUCTION TO PANTHEISM - Personal/Professional - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- About | Pantheism.com - November 5th, 2018 [November 5th, 2018]
- What is pantheism? | CARM.org - November 5th, 2018 [November 5th, 2018]
- Pantheism | Philosophy Talk - December 16th, 2018 [December 16th, 2018]
- Pantheism - Pantheism and panentheism in ancient and ... - December 19th, 2018 [December 19th, 2018]
- Against Pantheism Undivided Looking - Wall - January 7th, 2019 [January 7th, 2019]
- Pantheism | Britannica.com - April 16th, 2019 [April 16th, 2019]
- Lay Faithful to Gather in Rome to Pray for the Church on Eve of Amazon Synod - National Catholic Register - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Cdl. Burke: Revolution Is the Goal - Church Militant - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]