#DominionPipelineResistance: this issue is very local, personal and potentially destructive of our homes and a national forest. We cannot build a rational society or foster the common good by allowing the marketplace to determine human behavior and how we structure our economy and political system. This is a utopian vision. There is nothing in 3,000 years of economic history to justify this belief, and yet it is the dominant ideology (idolatry) now and we, and our ecosystem, are paying for it. When we reach the point where nothing in our community has an intrinsic value, when everything, including human beings and the natural world, is made into a commodity, we exploit it until exhaustion or collapse. This is a form of collective suicide. As Christians, whatever rituals we participate in before God in Christ, neoliberal capitalism-as a religion with rites and doctrines-demands our faith and participation as consumers. For the principal owners of capital, dressed in Sunday best in boardrooms to hear the good news of economic profit and reaffirm a faith in the creeds of perpetual economic growth, the gods of neoliberal capitalism demand full attention and submission of body, mind, and spirit. Now the gods of the market demand destruction of Shenandoah Mountain and a national forest. The gospel of economic growth without end requires worship and belief despite strong historical evidence of instabilities, inconsistencies, social injustice, and rapidly increasing environmental disasters in the midst of climate change. And, unlike the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving we participate in through the Holy Eucharist at Christs table, sacrifices made through the sacraments of neoliberalism that scapegoat the least among us-those who are raised on inhalers from environmental disaster in West Virginia, those who are sacrificed in war for profit in the energy economy, and minerals, plants and animals who do not yet have their rights protected under the law-suffer so badly. Those along this pipeline will suffer. Gods blessed creation, including the land we inhabit, the air we breathe, and the water we drink is crucified by Powers and Principalities (St. Paul) and is the victim of violence whose end is opposed to the love of God and faith seeking understanding when we act as if profits are more important than safeguarding creation. The issue with the Dominion Pipeline proposal for me, as a Christian (and landowner in Nelson County), has everything to do with maintaining green and healthy spaces like Nelsons mountains and rivers for abundant love, life, and a sense of physical interconnectivity that is fully spiritual. Dominions role in neoliberal economic exploitation, that would put a gas pipeline through Nelson County, places faith in perpetual economic growth that is over and against the God of Abraham who remains faithful to us. What does it mean for Christians sealed and marked as Christ’s own forever through Baptism, when we say that human beings are of infinite value in the love of God and yet, time and again, we let the gods of the market determine what creation is worth? What does it mean when we turn our back on Gods blessed and good creation? For now, for me, it seems most appropriate to pray the St. Francis Canticle of the Creatures (1225): Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honour, and all blessing, To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name. Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Brother Sun, Who is the day and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour; and bears a likeness to You, Most High One. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures. Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong. Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces varied fruit with coloured flowers and herbs. Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation. Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned. Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility. Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 17:15:10 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015