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Show PAGE 34 THE ZEPHYRNOVEMBER 1990 feedback the readers respond Editor: The overwhelming victory of environmentalism over all adversaries has exposed Its source of power. This movement has evolved Into a full blown religion. Proof of religion Is; Evidence and arguments sufficient to Induce beliefs, attitudes, emotions, behavior, etc., which constitutes human relationship with the power and principles of the universe. The emerging environmental religion has much In common with other great religion. For Instance: Judaism which dates back to 3761 B.C. by the Hebrew calendar. Its principles are based In the Ten Commandments. It believes In one God. Its people are the chosen people. Hinduism Is also an ancient religion but with principles based In a caste system. It does not believe In a Deity but worships the spirits of dead ancestors. Its people are the chosen people. Buddhism dates back to 600 B.C. Its principles are based upon achieving freedom from care or pain. It does not recognize a Supreme Being but It does believe In reincarnation. Its people are the chosen people. Christianity principles have much of their base In Judaism; however, It believes In one God and a Divinity. Its people are the chosen people. Islam (Muslim! dates back to 622 A.D. Many of Its principles are based In Judaism but adds that Muslim brothers are closer than blood brothers. It believes In one God, the Prophet Mohammed, and lesser Prophets such as Christ and Moses. Its people are the chosen people. Environmentalism Is being bom. Its principles appear to be based In the above mentioned religions. It appears to add the nature or spiritual communion with the earth because of mans actions. Its Prophets are preaching a new commandment Thou shall protect the Earth and Environment This religion seems to neither recognize nor deny the existence of Deities, Supreme Beings, Spirits, nor reincarnation. It believes In prophets. Its people are the chosen people. A great environmental crusade Is being waged on a world wide scale. Islam began with a crusade that bloodily conquered a large part of the world. This led to the Christian crusades and more destruction. The present crusade appears to be going In a related destructive direction. Much environmental doctrine has already been enacted Into U.S. law. Vast sanctuaries of holy land (Wilderness Areas) have been set aside for environmental worship. This religious encroachment Into government has allowed governments to exploit environmental doctrine to raise money and to Increase their power. This Is a mortal threat to the future of this Inspiring new religion as Its moral position Is being destroyed. If this remarkable new religion Is to survive then we must strongly support Its great principles. At the same time we must vigorously oppose Its marriage to government We must emphasize the separation of Church and State. Joe Stocks Phoenix, AZ Dear Jim: was deeply disturbed and profoundly mortified by some of the Ideas expressed In the September letters section of your paper. Chief among these was Zeke Blckerstaff by his notion that Gods giving man dominion over the earth means that man should ruthlessly exploit the earth for profit The Idea that God has given man the right to destroy Gods creation In order to get rich, Is one of the most Inherently evil and malignant Ideas In operation In our society today! It Is taking a blessedly lovely and sacred Christian concept and turning It completely around and transforming It Into a viciously hateful and downright satanlc concept Our having dominion over the earth means that It Is our sacred duty to care for and protect It It means that we are responsible for the Integrity of Gods Infinitely beautiful and Infinitely complex creation. We are to be natures caretakers - policemen of the wilderness In fact We are to protect It from those very maggot-brainswine who use the Idea of dominion as Justification for their greedy destruction of Gods creation for wealth. How can we as Christians sit back and accept this ruthless slashing, blasting, gouging and pulverizing of God's unaltered creation - wilderness - and Its transformation Into those ever ch more sophisticated toys which distract us from the fact that the society which sanctions such asinine and greedy destruction Is totally Insane? For, those who practice the domination and exploitation of wilderness are doing so, not to meet real human need (leaving spiritual need out of the picture for the moment), but are doing so to make themselves rich by satisfying totally artificial needs created by the hideous lies of advertising. And let us not forget that even the average working class family In this pampered society Is quite rich by world standards (even by Navajo Reservation Christ to what does Christ Now, the rich? tells us that It Is have about standards). say easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Clearly Christ would never sanction the wholesale destruction of the purity of His creation In wilderness to make more rich menl Does God regard the magnificent wild nature He has created as mere lifeless raw material to be turned Into dust and manufactured Into snazzy gadgets for our Infantile amusement? Or, Is God Intimately concerned about His creation? Christ tells us that God Is concerned even when a sparrow falls. Of course God Is Intimately Involved In and deeply concerned about His creation. Furthermore, Christ tells us, In speaking of a Illy, that Solomon In all hla glory, was not arrayed as one of these. Think of It, Solomon - one of the richest men In history, with all of his splendiferous wealth could not compare with the supernatural magnificence of one Illy! This was Christs way of saying that wild nature, unpolluted by man's meddling, Is of Infinitely greater Intrinsic worth and beauty than anything man can create. Let us not forget too, that "Solomon In all his glory also Included Solomon's temple perhaps the most magnificent building ever erected by men to honor organized religion. Which brings me to my next point We Christians all tend to honor and revere the temples and churches set up for formal and organized worship. But these glitzy edifices are wholly human constructions set up to honor wholly human made of ticky-tacorganizations and riturls. How much more reverence and honor then should God's unaltered magnificence of nature Inspire? Wilderness Is the most holy temple of all. In wilderness, Gods spirit most dearly manifests Itself. In nature, unsullied by human activity, God's spirit shines most dearly and Is most readily accessible. When Christ needed to commune with his heavenly father, where did He go? Into the temple In Jerusalem? Into I ed hl-te- a monastery? No. He went Into the wilderness for 40 days because only there could he find the spiritual nourishment and communion necessary for the accomplishment of His mission on earth. Clearly Christ regarded the wilderness as the most holy temple of all; as have prophets and myrtles down through the ages. Clearly Christ regarded wilderness as that place most capable of satisfying spiritual need. How then should we treat those who pollute this most holy temple of wilderness? We should follow Christ's example, as set forth In the second chapter of the gospel of John, Christ went Into the temple In Jerusalem and found there a rabble of businessmen selling animals and changing money In order to make themselves rich. Christ was outraged at this blasphemy and with fire In His eyes and a supernatural authority In His voice told these scoundrels to Take these things and hence! He thereupon overturned the tables of the money-change- rs and merchants and drove the whole slimy lot out of the temple with a whip and merchants. of knotted cords. Christ did not try to negotiate with the money-changHe did not try to reach a compromise. He drove the putrid rascals out with force How rs and much more forcefully then should we as Christians work to drive the merchants out of that most holy temple of wilderness. The radical environmentalists are the only people In our sick and satanlc society who are endeavoring to carry out this most sacred Christian task. We as Christians need to Join with them and drive all the greedy money grubbing swine who blasphemously pollute Gods wilderness OUT of this most holy temple. And, we need to DRIVE OUT OF OFFICE, all those politicians who support such blasphemy! Let us begin nowl ers 1 money-change- Yours truly, Kezla Mason Thompson, UT Dear Jim: read Bob Vances thought-provokiletter In the October Zephyr with much Interest would like to consider myself one of the photographers who has spent a great deal of time thinking and worrying about the Impact of my published work on the land and archeological resources of Southern Utah. I am particularity offended by any photographer who would go around pestering rangers for their best least known ruin. I think I know who that photographer probably was, and you would recognize his name too. I am lucky enough to count most of the rest of the nationally known landscape photographers In the country as my friends, and I am certain that none would be guilty of this sort of "ruin bagging mentality. I can also speak for them and myself In saying that we resent Mr. Vance's contention that photographing and publishing Images of ruins and rock art Is an exercise In commerce and mass marketing. My wife who keeps the books on my business got a particularly good laugh out of that Idea. I make virtually no money on photographs of these subjects; a good photo of the Washington Monument or Monument Valley Is worth a dozen times more to me In dollars than a great ruin shot My main motivation In photographing ruins In the same motivation Ive always had: to try to produce a beautiful Impression of a subject I love. My photos and the work of other photographers I know have been used by every major national and local environmental group (most times for free) In their efforts to preserve and protect areas like Cedar Mesa. Bruce Louthan at the local BLM has also used my photos on several occasions for the work of the local office. I believe that the treasures of Southern Utah will not be saved from destruction unless we build a national constituency that Is aware of their great value, and Is educated at the same time about their fragility. Groups like the Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, Nature Conservancy and SUWA have long known, that photographs are one of the strongest tools In advancing their programs to protect public lands and archeology. I dont think Im exaggerating when I say that photographers have done more to save Americas wilderness than all the government I ng I hut pizza main 265 S- - so. 259-634- 5 fl PIZZA HUT SURRENDERS! 3 MANAGER EDGERTON FLEES COUNTY. 2J w TAKES REFUGE IN EQUADOR this is Nor fli&nr! we didn't soweNDR.. we 4Usr over -- OUR ADVERTISING BUDGET zc tepwii a . Tecowr! .. ky J |
