South Dakota State University President Barry Dunn wrote a wonderful article about how he acquired a land ethic from his grandfather on their West River ranch (Brookings Register, June 3, Page 4). He wrote that the land ethic changes the role of homo sapiens from conqueror of the land community to a plain member and citizen of it.
It implies a respect for the fellow members of the community.
Dunn listed undesirable changes in the South Dakota landscape that might not be in humanitys best interests. His ranching background had him focusing on undesirable changes in grasslands, specifically, reduction in the abundance and kinds of grassland vegetation and the bugs (pollinators) that are needed to keep grasslands (and crops) productive.
He closed by saying We know that conservation pays. We know what to do. What we need is ethics core values that reflect a love for the land on which we live and receive our subsistence.
His solution to the problem was a renewed commitment to have a land ethic. In my opinion, we need help renewing this commitment, and not just to the rural landscape, but to urban and suburban landscapes as well indeed to the Earth. Wecould find help in making this renewed commitment from the church (religion).
To understand how I arrived at my religion is a solution opinion, follow me briefly through my career, as the reader followed Dunns experiences as a ranching kid. Like Dunn, I developed an appreciation for nature in the 1960s as I fished and hunted the fields and marshes of the Chesapeake Bay country. I began my scientific career in Virginia trying to solve fish kills, which were usually caused by pollution.
I moved to Utah, where I encountered the complexities of saving endangered species. Then I moved to South Dakota, where my focus was on habitat for fish and wildlife. My studies were about rivers and wetlands, which are surrounded by Dunns prized grasslands.
Like Dunn, I thought that enough science, enough data, would lead us to practice natural resource conservation guided by a land ethic. Yes, I can see wins, but losses are greater and, if you believe the science, we are asking Mother Nature for more resources than Earth can supply. Like Dunn, I thought that once we knew what to do, we would fix the environment.
My thoughts were much better expressed by renowned ecologist James Gustave Speth and this is my point. Speth wrote “I used to think that top global environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address these problems, but I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these we need a spiritual and cultural transformation. And we scientists dont know how to do that.”
There you have it. Speth, like Dunn, takes us to the threshold of a solution, but they dont take the religious leap. One person who did was Catholic theologian Thomas Berry (FYI: no relation but he did teach at Fordham University where I went to school). Berry said in the 1970s that there are four great institutions in American life government, education, industry, and religion. The first three are much involved with the environment, but religion has remained on the sidelines.
Well, religion finally got off the sidelines in the later 20th century. Nearly all Christian denominations began to realize that the Bible had a lot to say about our responsibilities for tilling and keeping the Earth. There are many current examples of what has been called the greening of religion. To pick just one, which perhaps is a capstone, I offer Pope Franciss 2015 book, (246 paragraphs) titled Laudato si.
On care for our common home. He writes about integral ecology, which is what Dunn called for, i.e., changing the role of homo sapiens from conqueror of the land community to an integrated member and citizen of it.
Is religion in the Earth-keeping game? Well, yes and no. While the head-sheds of Christian denominations do have wonderful Creation Care statements, it is up to the local churches to preach the message. My quantitative data is limited to the Episcopal and Lutheran denominations, where only about 40% of the churches nationwide bring Creation Care into the educational programs of the church. From speaking to local clergy, Id guess the percentage is less here in Brookings.
In conclusion, if you believe we need a spiritual and cultural transformation concerning Earth-keeping, and agree that science doesnt know how to do that, then perhaps awaken the Creation Care teachings of your church.
You will learn about Gods relation to Creation, our relation to Creation, our relation to God through Creation, and our relation to others through Creation. And, this spiritual approach may bolster a land ethic that is intrinsic in all of us.
Afterall, as Dunn wrote Conservation pays, to which Ill rhyme In many ways.
Leave a Reply