James Jones (2) (1948–)

I’m pretty sure that I found this book from the Green Bible, a scripture edition with verses related to creation in green, and essays about the biblical tradition and nature in the front.

Like a theology book (green theology) version of the Green Bible, this book carefully lays out the connections between faith in Jesus and respect for the earth. But, being a bit of a ‘splode-y thinker myself, I want to hold up to the light why some Christians might resist this analysis.

When people think of nature, sometimes the first thing to come to mind is animals doing naughty things, (or animals dying), and animals are seen as inferior to us, less spiritual, much like the fallen angels look down at us for our less spiritual nature and our inferior ability to do whatever comes after advanced calculus. Nature is the “pagans”. Nature is naughty acts. But of course, it’s perfectly possible to be practically disembodied and still do naughty acts. Some people think they prove that they’re not corrupt or whatever by driving around a truck like a “country” boy, so that’s not exactly the green thumb choice, and they’re perfectly capable of making, shall we say, country music choices. Hell, you don’t even have to like the girl you want to screw. Just ask Hamlet. Screwing isn’t dependent on pagan ideology, you know.

Anyway. But I mean, nature is important in the Bible. The earth is important in the Bible as it was for everyone in Bible times, and will be, always, for as long as we have an Earth, you know. The references are there, we’re just trained not to see them. And Christianity is a religion of incarnation. God loves spiritual things, and intellectual things, but he also loves humble things, and he made the earth, and loves what he made. But people have this assumption that Christianity is here to suppress, perhaps by force, all non-church authority—although why if we did that, we’d still keep Paul’s letters I don’t know, since they were written to the church in a non-church society, and one of the assumptions in them is of course people don’t have to show up to worship Jesus and be a saint if they don’t want to…. How we ever came up with the idea that you can be compelled to be a saint is bizarre, a real theological whopper— yeah, so then, common ground with the other religions is out, (so Romans 1 is out, for example—good news for the gays, lol!), so the earth is out because it’s pagan and sexed, and so incarnation is out…. And so, to Prove That Christianity Is Right, you have to negate Christianity!

Or, reform the church. Your choice. 😎

…. Modern life says it’s Heaven Enough to have a barrier between you and the wolf, or a gun, or better yet, a separation between you and the shepherd, and the shepherd and the wolf, and maybe he can have a gun (and you, too). On and on it goes! At least here in white America I’m not sleeping outside in the winter like a Roman Palestine shepherd, but the Bible says that Heaven Itself is ‘where the wolf and the lamb shall feed together’. And it’s not just about having it be different and woo-woo (although I love woo-woo, I’ll admit): there’s still animals and land and people, and who we are now is in a sense who we’ll be then, there’s no radical separation in that sense…. It’s just that the new earth won’t see destruction (won’t see lies).

…. As I’ve probably implied, I’m not as inspired by pure-scientific, economic-ecological problems, but obviously they exist and have meaning. We should be good both to capitalism and the climate, as James J says; I forget which epistle says this, but Jesus takes away the wall of separation between the two groups, and we should do the same.

Of course, there’s also class…. I don’t know, justice for the poor—which is at least as important in the Bible as sexuality—doesn’t have to mean that we’re all equally poor and miserable, you know: even the poorer ones having enough would actually be a sort of super-prosperity, more than the physically and mentally Narrow prosperity we have now…. I don’t know; people are usually Very ambivalent about money, regardless of how much they have. Lots of denial on both sides…. Truth doesn’t have to be complicated or academic, but I really think that if there were no lies, people would all have enough, and they wouldn’t wrong or be wronged, you know.

…. I am safe in the world of things; spirit is here. I can bring meaning to the boring little things, instead of neglecting them.… (altro)