Theos-Talk Archives (March 1997 Message tl00183)

On the eve of the Third Millennium we have become citizens of the cosmos.
Through the eyes of the Hubble telescope we have seen the universe as never
before. We have seen the emptiness of space strewn with galaxies as thick as
snow. We have seen the birth of stars. We have found planetary discs around
stars. We have found amino acids in space.

In this situation it is becoming impossible to believe in Gods separate from the
universe, or Gods who created this un-graspable immensity just as a frame for
our minute presence.

During this same generation we have lost our citizenship of this earth, and risk
losing our delicate foothold in the cosmos. We have acquired the power to modify
life, to alter ecosystems, to change the planet itself and threaten the future
of every species, including our own.

Today we need religions that provide powerful backing for environmental action.
Yet the three largest Western religions provide only feeble support.

In this generation religion must come of age. Religion must be reborn into the
age of space and science, the age of environment.

At its heart is reverence of the universe as divine
and for the natural earth as sacred.

When I say THE UNIVERSE IS DIVINE, I am not talking about a supernatural being.
We are talking about the way our senses and our emotions force us to respond to
the overwhelming mystery and power that surrounds us.
We are part of the universe. Our earth was created from the universe and will
one day be reabsorbed into the universe.

We are made of the same matter as the universe. We are not in exile here: we are
at home. It is only here that we will ever get the chance to see the divine face
to face. If we believe our real home is not here but in a land that lies beyond
death - if we believe that the divine is found only in old books, or old
buildings, or inside our head - then we will see this real, vibrant, luminous
world as if through a glass darkly.

The universe creates us, preserves us, destroys us. It is deep and old beyond
our ability to reach with our senses. It is beautiful beyond our ability to
describe in words. It is complex beyond our ability to fully grasp in science.
We must relate to the universe with humility, awe, reverence, celebration and
the search for deeper understanding - in other words, in many of the ways that
believers relate to their God.

When I say THE EARTH IS SACRED,I mean it with just as much commitment and
reverence as believers speaking about their church or mosque, or the relics of
their saints. But again we are not talking about supernatural beings. We are
saying this:

We are part of nature. Nature made us and at our death we will be reabsorbed
into nature. We are at home in nature and in our bodies. This is where we
belong; this is the only place where we can find and make our paradise, not in
some imaginary world on the other side of the grave. If nature is the only
paradise, then separation from nature is the only hell. When we destroy nature,
we create hell on earth for other species and for ourselves.

Nature is our mother, our home, our security, our peace, our past and our
future. We should treat natural things and habitats as believers treat their
temples and shrines, as sacred - to be revered and preserved in all their
intricate and fragile beauty.

*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
To reduce stress,
pain, anger, and anxiety,
turn Inward and Meditate.
Focus on your senses --
not on everyday thoughts.

Let There Be Light, Always in All Ways,  e.j. }^-^{
  http://home.earthlink.net/~ejlight/index1.html
"Instead of viewing difficult events as stressful,
view them as redirections and good will come of them" - Bernie Siegel,MD