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Monday, March 17, 2014

God Pollution: Nature Is My Religion, Earth Is My Temple

There are no invisible ghosts in the sky ruling over and judging us. God pollution kills, obscures truth, and slows progress. All we have and need is each other, kindred species, ecosystems, and the biosphere.


By Dr. Glen Barry, EcoInternet


God pollution threatens our existence
On a small planet plagued by a myriad of life-threatening problems, it’s time to choose between truth and myth, superstition and wisdom, life and death. Either you believe in truth, justice, and knowledge, or you let ghosts, spirits, and superstition guide you.

Observable truths are the only basis for the necessary social change to bring about ecological sustainability and equitable justice. As long as we believe in ghosts in the sky more than the ecosystems that nurture us, there is no hope.

There are way too many false prophets, claiming absolute truth and being used for false profits. God pollution has decimated humanity, society, and ecology for millennia. Organized religions’ superstition and belief in ghosts limit the human family’s ability to come together to sustain global ecology.

It is better to live a life based upon doing what is observably right and good, and go to hell, than to waste a life following the edicts of invisible, nonexistent gods.


God Pollution

GOD POLLUTION has decimated humanity, society, and ecology for millennia. Superstition and belief in ghosts hold back human advancement. Belief in mythical, god ghosts in the sky is malarkey, the worst sort of mind pollution ever. Yet such irrational thought has become firmly entrenched in society and the body politic, with tremendous deleterious effects.

I am told religion is love. Yet, the crusades, the Inquisition, European colonialism under the cross, slave trades, islamo-fascism, and millennia of religious wars don’t seem to have been so full of love. Those who believe in various flavors of god have been at war for centuries, over who most fanatically believes in their invisible ghost and all-knowing book. Organized religion is organized delusional superstition devoid of fact and real truthful love.

Superstition has been the basis for much evil and ecosystem destruction and will never be the basis for ecological sustainability. Edicts to go forth and multiply, and to subdue nature and nonbelievers, have left a shameful legacy of genocide and ecocide. Even in this age of modernity and glittering technology, religious extremism of every type thrust upon the public sphere continues to be one of the gravest threats facing human well-being, advancement, sustainability, rights, liberty, and free thinking.

The amount of credence and power given to unknowable faith by organized religion – at the expense of observable science and other truths – in governing society is truly shocking. Medieval fairy tale beliefs in invisible ghosts have no place in governance or policy-making. These types of illogical, irrational god myths are largely responsible for many societal problems, including the current state of perma-war, abject poverty, and global ecosystem collapse.

It is time that nonbelievers demand that superstitious people keep their god myths off of our bodies, out of our government, and treading lightly upon Earth – retaining them (if at all) as personal spirituality.  And stop denigrating – and even killing – those who have shrugged off the mental slavery of mindless faith and don’t believe in your threadworn, bloody myths.


Truth and Earth Are Godlike

One can believe in spirit, truth, and life – living in faith and grace – while rejecting absent god myths sold by corrupted and outdated organized religions. The myth of human superiority and the division caused by the belief in multiple “gods” have brought the Earth, her peoples, and all species to their knees.

We must embrace the truths before us that are vital for our survival and well-being. There are no nations, we are one human family, god is a myth, and Earth is alive and dying. And all humans have inalienable rights and sacred duties to live justly and sustainably.

Truth and wisdom matter. Having an opinion – particularly drawn from a book of dubious origins, full of contradictory statements – is not the same as education, knowledge, and wisdom. Much loudly spoken ignorance is the result of superstition, limited experience, and a brainwashed disregard for truth.

Truths exist and are being ignored, for instance: that we need clean water to survive, that land can only support so many people, that we are all one human species, and that there are no invisible ghosts in the sky ruling over us. All we have is each other, kindred species, ecosystems, and the biosphere.

Humanity is one species – separated by national, religious, and class lies, yet utterly dependent upon each other, on kindred species, and on our shared ecosystem habitats for a continued decent existence. If we don’t embrace such ecological truths and abandon superstition as the basis for living our lives, human and all being will end.

Look around you at the trees, animals, sky, and land; this is what there is to observable reality. You already exist in a paradise and don’t have to put off pleasure. Embrace the here and now of ecology that surrounds and nurtures us, to which our bodies return upon death.

God myths are dead and have no place in the movement to sustain ecology. Ecological sustainability – and a just, equitable world – will not come from superstitious zealots for organized religion. No climate, ecological, or social justice answers will come from such medieval, conflicting, and unknowable myths and superstitions.

Sustaining ecology requires a fresh way of thinking that stresses trained intuition, science, wisdom, and love for the human family and all life, while deeply valuing education, observation, and experience of many types. Commit yourself to Earth, truth, knowledge, wisdom, logic, rationality, justice, equity, rights, and duties now in order that humanity, all creatures, and Earth may survive and thrive together.

This rejection of organized religion does not mean one should be blinded to spiritual awe and to ritual that binds us to the Earth and the universe’s mysteries.

Gaia – the Earth System – is godlike and the giver of all life, the mother’s womb from which all life flows, a loving but firm nurturer, that provides as long as her rules (and her children’s duties) are recognized and respected. Gaia is spirituality that matters, because it is based upon truthful observation, not ancient and irrelevant god myths. Worshiping Earth and her life speaks to the challenges of ecocide, collapsing ecosystems, justice and equity, and truthfully sustaining global ecology, her peoples, and all life based upon what is observably evident.

Ecology is the ultimate truth. Without intact natural ecosystems there can be no life. Humanity is destroying natural life for fleeting comfort for some. It cannot last long. Either the human family changes – rejecting god myths for truthful knowledge – or ecology collapses and we all needlessly die in a final apocalypse. The god-freaks’ self-fulfilling prophecy will have come true, but I can assure you the only heaven is the Earth that will have been lost.

Nature is my religion, Earth is my temple.


The Unholy Trinity

Economics, religion, and nationalism are utter nonsense, and their teachings and organizations are destroying the ecological basis of being. Organized religion, nanny government, and authoritarian corporatism together combine to enslave humanity in abusive hierarchical structures, leading to overexploitation and even murder of other people, species, ecosystems, and the Earth for profit, god, and country.

Islamo- and Christo-fascists try to out-crazy each other. Christo-fascists lack none of the craziness of their Islamo-fascist counterparts, and are no less loony and dangerous, equally ready to murder for their false god. Indeed, right-wing nut-job Christians are much the greater threat to Earth and all peoples as they have nukes, money, and power over resources to utterly destroy being. In fact, Earth’s destruction is their goal as they fully expect to leave this tawdry world of their own making and be whisked away to paradise.

There will never be long-term ecological sustainability – or universal justice, equity, and rights – as long as corporatists, churches, nanny governments, and their media hold power. An economic system based upon infinite growth in a finite world can only spectacularly collapse. Despite being brainwashed to worship mythical ghosts and indoctrinated to salute authoritarian power, people have no excuse for ecocide, fascism, or stupidity.

In god’s name much evil is promulgated. Destroying ecosystems for “development” is evil. Standing armies to better wage perma-war are evil. Industrial speculative capitalism that commodifies nature and humanity is evil. Lack of global rights, justice, and equity is evil too. Why are we tolerating evil? Could it be that millennia-long proselytizing by zealots for personal gain has brainedwashed us to call hate love, war peace, and evil god?

The history of god fairy tales is the history of ecocide, injustice, and war. God pollution destroys ecology and all that is natural, decent, and good. Conflicting and militant superstitious myths undermine truth and threaten us all.

There is no god, and god pollution must be resisted if we are to survive. Those who don’t believe superstitious god myths have every right to speak up – at least as much as those promoting a plethora of god myths – as we watch the damage done to ecology, truth, peace, and society by adherence to unknowable fairy tales in an age of science and ecocide.

You can never know my dismay and outrage as society and governments – with innumerable social and ecology crises threatening the very existence of us all – are run by mythical edicts from absent gods rather than by truth, logic, wisdom, and knowledge. There can be no human progress or even survival from ecocide if the bastardized words of mythical ancient carpenters and warlords are all we have to go on.

Militant belief and public proselytizing on behalf of competing invisible gods and other nonsensical fairy tales are stopping humanity from urgently responding to clearly visible deterioration and looming collapse of global ecology and society. Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, and Christian fanatics lead mirror-image intolerant, superstitious, and truthless lives based upon false messiahs, failed dogma, a mythical afterlife, religious wars, and other deadly lies that are killing Earth and all life right before our eyes in the here and now.

We need to stop quibbling about whose invisible god is better and focus upon rational solutions to observed decline in the physical reality surrounding and nurturing us, which is collapsing and dying.


Free, Truthful Thinking Will Lead the Way

Our path to future well-being is simple, and rather than waiting for invisible ghosts in the sky to respond to our prayers, it focuses upon expecting more from ourselves. We must learn to rekindle connections to ecosystems, kindred life, each other, and nature, and in so doing to sustain being essentially forever. The power is within each of us to transform ourselves and our shared reality, in the here and now, for the better, based upon what is observably good and true.

Believe in truth and ecology; distrust partisan politics, corporations, organized religion, and the urge for more stuff; and educate and trust in yourself as well. Learn to identify observable threats from antiquated parables. Trust in radical freedom as long as one is not hurting oneself, others, or the Earth. Embrace obvious, scientifically validated truths such as this: together we either stop cutting old-growth forest ecosystems and burning fossil fuels or face final apocalyptic death.

Fairy tales don’t make good ecological policy. Toxic god pollution has a shameful history of killing all with which it comes in contact. Given their scurrilous, predatory, and ecocidal histories, religions including Christianity, Islam, and Judaism offer no basis for justly sustaining ecology. A few green initiatives here and there, after millennia of natural desecration, do not redeem ecocidal faith.

Declare yourself free from religion. Insist that the god-deluded please keep their Abrahamic god mythology to themselves. The key to living a good, truthful life is to think freely, resist indoctrination, unlearn myths and untruths, find your own road, and be about big, truthful ideas larger than yourself. And focus upon loving and defending Earth, the most observable and evident godlike being.

Beliefs in invisible, mythical gods are fundamentally incompatible with achieving a just, truthful, fair, and ecologically sustainable world. Such superstitious fairy tales serve only to lead humans, like lambs, to their unreasoned slaughter.

The issue is the corrosive role of organized religion upon society and ecology, not individual personal faith practiced in the privacy of one’s home. Believe whatever you want personally. But again, I insist that you please keep your god out of government, treading lightly upon Earth, and off of and out of nonbelievers’ bodies. Then all is fine.

I am not sure where we go when we die, yet I am unable and unwilling to accept millennial tales handed down without a shred of evidence to me by those with obvious conflicts of interest. Like fairies, religious belief is comforting and fun to think about for some, yet both are clearly myths. And untruthful myths stop us from focusing upon the here-and-now, observable world before us, which is in great need of reason-based social change.

There is nothing I hate more than being proselytized to by ignorant, small-minded, and superstitious people about ghosts in the sky – whom we can live with, if we follow their dogma. How stupid do you think we are? Geez, get a grip.

If superstitious religious people put half as much thought into caring for the world before our very eyes as they do about a mythical afterlife, everything – particularly global rights, ecology, and fairness – would be much improved.

Mythical gods can’t save ecology, celebrities aren’t able, and the oil oligarchy’s governments won’t. It is up to you and me to save being, based upon a reasoned sense of self-enlightenment. It is time to think freely to solve our problems with an open mind, unfettered by myth, or we are all going to die needlessly as ecology collapses.

Above all else, commit to truth – of all types, particularly Earth truth – as the only just and equitable basis to sustain ecology and universal well-being. Free, truthful thinking enmeshed within ecology’s warm embrace is the answer.

Achieving global ecological sustainability and rights for all living beings will require a sense of rationality and respect for knowledge that is lacking. Throw off indoctrination, mind control, and superstition; and instead THINK FREELY.  And commit to large important ideas like Earth, equity, justice, and other self-evident truths. Together we can make it so. Only then will humanity live forever in an Earthly paradise.

17 comments:

  1. You would find it hard to ferret out someone more deeply, consciously and spiritually connected to Earth than I am, and I agree with the vast majority of what you say regarding the state of our earth and the perils she and we are facing. However, I must caution you in your approach to "truth" and whose truth is legitimate. What I hear you saying above is that your "science" truth is more real than "religious" truths--this is a seriously dangerous and fallacious path. It is not that I don't understand your position or perhaps even experience, but I must stress that truth in its most simple form is not discoverable through science because nothing can stand between the knower and the known or it is no longer truth (which is exactly the problem the religions you denigrate have; it is not so much that they are wrong, but the methodology is problematic). Now, this doesn't mean that science doesn't have a place and a function within the context of this ecological morass we are both extremely concerned about; however, to declare "truth" as the province of science and not religion (or any other process, more importantly) is to display a serious misunderstanding of breadth and depth of the connection between individual and whole, a fact that has a swarm of potentially ugly cascading effects toward your efforts; but, at least as importantly, a potential political alienation of those who could make up, oh, maybe 90% of the active supporters of Earth ecology-related concerns.

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  2. Hello Dr. Glen. The failing of most religions is they focus only on people and their perceived sins. There is barely a word about the environment, stewardship or respect for our share planet. The Hindu and Bhuddist religions plus American Indians revere the earth. We live on the crown jewel of our solar system, the Milky Way and we treat it like trash or more the monsters in War of the Worlds.

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  3. Thank you Dr. Glen Barry - well said!!

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  4. It's funny to wake up and read this text when you are a Christian.
    Could seems contradictory, but I understand and share some of this worries. I call atention only to the fact that this text has the power to speak of one's worries, but don't seem to speak with the one's who seem to be directed. This is a plea of desperation, but not a comunication. It's urging to substitute values, and isn't this a little... ackward? It's crystal clear that the author don't understand the problem and treats it from the outside. This only generates "hate" and separation.

    See, "God", "organized religions", nothing of these things have any problems with ecology, or love for earth and for the creation.

    I can't continue to write now, I have to go to work, but I hope to write more. Thanks for sharing anyway.

    Dada, Brazil

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  5. It always saddens me to see God getting mixed up with RELIGION. God as an entity sitting in the clouds, maybe. That, to me, is man-made rubbish designed to control the masses. But GOD the SOURCE of the Universe from which I spring, from which all of life and nature springs, THAT is God to me, and attainable from within my own temple. When I recognize that in myself and others, would I not also recognize it for my mother earth, naturally? Don't throw out the baby with the bath water- don't throw out God with religion. But otherwise I agree with this article. People who truly connect to God don't profit off of Earth's ruination.

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  6. I'm not a cultural (ideological, religious) determinist, so I can't agree that religion is the sole or even main determinant of earth destruction (or 9/11), but I do agree that people twist religion into some perverted ideology that has harmful impact. I've discussed this "God Pollution" post more fully on my blog: http://catholicecology.wordpress.com/

    As for me, it is my religion, my love of God, creation and neighbor that underlies my environmentalism. As Pope Francis said -- his 1st words after asking people to pray for him -- We need to protect creation.

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  7. Your truth, your contribution, thanks for sharing :-)

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  8. I think it's short-sighted to say Earth is dying. To say that is as anthropocentric as are the organized religions. It's sick maybe, but not dying. Earth will shake us off like a dog shakes off water. Hopefully there is some water left on its coat, so then maybe it will be the next civilization that will succeed. And though I agree with almost everything you wrote, the blog is incendiary and counterproductive to your target, and using such BIG words as Wisdom and Truth puts you in the same category as any charismatic prophet. You catch more flies with honey...

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    1. The statement is well supported by ecological science. See my forthcoming journal article at http://bit.ly/EICollapse that shows we are well beyond several planetary boundaries and Earth is in fact collapsing and dying.
      Dr. Glen Barry

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    2. Wow, that was heavy. I am not discounting the severity of the situation in relation to the future of humanity, or even the future of many species. No doubt our biosphere is in serious danger of collapse. But total extinction? No more life on Earth, ever? I don't know, Earth has survived mass extinction events in the past, events I would argue were more severe and sudden than AGW or biodiversity loss or OA or any other human-caused factors. I simply don't believe homo sapiens sapiens (2 positives make a negative?) are very significant when scaled out to a geologic time-frame. Thanks for the response Dr Barry.

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  9. any view of the world that has the structure of a pyramid is bound to fail in the long run. Any view that a superior being created the world and put it all here for man is also bound to implode. I believe the earth is dying little by little. I believe than somehow man is aware of this somewhere deep in his psyche and this is the reason for the search for another planet home. If the earth system is seen as circular,it might well survive - with man as a part of it but not the ruler and taker within it. Man is however the only creature on earth that is capable of totally destroying his home planet. But put him in the wilderness without a gun with a grizzly bear coming down the path and we soon see that man is also food. Thanks Dr Barry for putting this out there for discussion. Our future is in our hands.

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  10. Hi Dr. Glen. I live in central California, near Tehachapi. I live on 28 plus acres of natural land and am graced by living on what I consider to be holy Indian land of the Kawaii Su Indians. As you know Indians revere the earth, not mythical icons and are people centric hocus pocus that leans to salvation from sins - whatever that means.

    As you know the southwest is on its 3rd year of drought. All man made reservoirs, crops and clean water supply are becoming depleted. I'm observing that the natural land is unaffected by the drought. The natural earth is still stable. Like all the years past since the beginning of the planet, the wildflowers on our property come up just like they have every year. My hubbing, me and the dogs hung out on a rock while I picked wildflowers - 21 different species in just a matter of a few yards - mariposa, coriopsis, sun cups, chia, poppy, golden stars, hairy lotus, comet blazing star, fiddle neck, jewel flower... Every afternoon when I walk the hills with my dogs, I'm reminded that life has a way. Earth will survive the attack on it by mankind. However, man won't survive. Why? Our cultured, altered crops, trees and plants are coming into season very early because they're confused, unlike the wild plants that have become adjusted over the many millions of years. The contrast is stark and unmistakable.

    Peace

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  11. As long as I am not a vegan -- and I'm not -- I doubt I will ever be the serious environmentalist I often like to think I am, despite having long ago read David Ehrenfeld's (former professor of biology at Rutgers University) outstanding 1978 book "The Arrogance of Humanism".

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  12. I appreciate the writing, though I get the sense that your scientific (western) focus also excludes the presence of indigenous spiritual entities and, therefore, systems, that are inextricably linked with the relational nature of the land/earth/Baba Yaga/Pachamama/Tunksila/Wakan Tanka/Kishelemukong/Tenbalu and the cultures that observed them from time immemorial. The omission of those spiritual systems implies that either they are not on your radar or are even more inconsequencial than the Abrahamic male "off-planet deity" (John Lamb Lash) "G-O-D". I agree fully that, largely, the christian context of seeing this "sinful" world and it's people has been a colonial blight on the planet, much current experience to assert that. The close incestuous relationship between christianity and colonial/settler-colonial oppression is clear. We would all do well if the holey roamin catholic church had not had the audacity to usher in the earth's most damaging and destructive epoch of human and environmental rape and exploitation with the vicious dreaming up and manifestation of the papal bulls of the 1400's. But we can not ball up the indigenous traditions that have harmoniously guided humanity in balanced relationship with the earth and nature for millions of years. They are different sorts of cultural systems than the big three religions....totally different in their intent and practice.

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  13. And, unluckily, modern industrial colonial science doesn't fathom the power and magnitude of the energetic called earth. We may be, as modern humans, making it impossible for humans and many other species of plants, animals and ecosystems to live at all, for now....but we are only mainly killing our own human ability to maintain our tenancy here. The earth will shrug and go on living. It will recover, with or without us. Modern European science is to arrogant and unwholistic to realize and sense that Eurocentric anti-culture is not big and bad enough to destroy the planet...as it is attempting right now. It's more an act of suicide than terracide.

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  14. Observable truths ( sciences ) are throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. The problem with our world is when people add to the scriptures or follow some of them and ignore others.

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  15. Agreed brother! Better yet why don't we seek to understand true creator better. ReMove mankind and all that we have made and what I'd left - nature. God's testimony to Humanity. Just remember - nature bats last:) Peace brother.

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