I really love your last paragraph, Christine. Evangelicals do such a shitty job of managing resources, and I see this play out in my own life to this day having grown up with beliefs that resources are disposable and there will always be more. It's so validating to read your writings about these feelings that I felt so strongly back when I was at church at least 3 times a week, but couldn't articulate due to young age, lack of context and preference (ability? escape? lots of things going on?) to bury myself in music while there as a way to cope. I can only hope that more of us than not will try to do the hard work of preserving the only planet we currently have, but like you, the concept of "grandkids and things people typically seem to dream about" is elusive for me. Future, what future? Rapture or hell on earth? So difficult sometimes to move beyond that binary/black and white thinking. And yet we can acknowledge the feelings, breathe through them, and do the work. Thanks, as always, for your post!
It's so good to hear you feeling validated and how others have shared these feelings and experiences! I hope enough of us wake up..in time...but I think if not, the earth will do what she has been forced to and we and the other living beings will be forced to reduce our populations. Because of our selfishness and short-sightedness. :( Acknowledge, breathe, do the work! Yes!
"Growing up evangelical in the era of the Left Behind books and Y2K seems to have created an expectation in me that the world is imminently going to end." Yes! These days, with climate anxiety rather than Rapture terror, I get the most hope from watching climate scientists on social media and learning from them about the work that is being done. I also take hope by working on my own mental health and surrounding myself with a community that is safe so that, when things are bad, we can work together in some kind of resilience that allows us to work for the good of the world community.
Ok I'm going to have to follow climate scientists on social media now! I didn't think of that! Hooray for building a supportive, mental health aware community! :)
Such a huge topic, Christine, and you tie it to the rapture and religious trauma so well. Not being a leader, I just focus on trying to do my small part--use less, recycle more, and clean up the trail when I hike. I do worry about the rapid death of so many species. If our population declines so we aren’t actively destroying everything, I think the earth (plants and oceans) will regenerate. But can new animal species spontaneously generate? Would it take millions of years? I don’t think anybody knows. I also worry about poorer human socities that may suffer horribly. It’s too much to bear, too overwhelming, so I come back to focusing on doing my small part; it’s all I can do--and VOTE for candidates who will act on climate change.
I bet it would take millions of years for new species to regenerate! It's inconceivable how many species are being wiped out right now that we don't even know about it. It is too much to bear and too overwhelming. We do need to do the best we can with what we're given, though!
I love that your writing about this. I have so many thoughts and feelings about the changing climate. I think humans have played a huge part in accelerating the climate problems but I wonder as the earth has gone through significant climate changes in the past is it inevitable? Regardless we need to check our behaviour, take our heads out of the sand and do what we can. I think the last couple of generations in the west have known a fair bit of stability it's quite a shock for us to be facing so many unsettling challenges alongside an expectation of a settled prosperous life. I really dont think that's a universal expectation. But here we are we have to be honest, lament and do what we can. I wish I had more hopeful things to say
Also in terms of the rapture I came to that idea as a young adult and the whole idea was terrifying but I think less influential then if I heard it as a child. I know many people who cannot accept climate change they are so focused on the bible 'predicting' all these end of world signs, its majorly frustrating
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I suppose that yes, the earth's climate periodicially changes anyway but maybe with our acceleration, we're not going to be able to evolve fast enough to keep up (or we'll have massive population reduction). Strange to imagine alternate universe / future universe scenarios.
Gosh that's so true about how we're accustomed to stability and the idea of an uncertain future is kind of shocking to us, but that's not the case for so many people around the world. Thanks for pointing that out!
And regarding your other comment - interesting how exposure later in life to the Rapture might be different than for those exposed younger!
Very relatable. I think the merging of American Christianity and capitalism is one of the most destructive forces in the world. The idea that JESUS would want us to just “save” people’s “souls” and watch his beautiful creation go down in flames is just mind boggling to me now.
I agree!!! I know climate change wasn't evolving as fast when we were kids, but the way that people can just outright ignore this now because *Jesus* is mind-boggling!
You remind me of these lines from Marla Taviano's poem She Was on a Mission, illustrating her former worldview: "Someday (maybe soon) this world would burn, so recycling is pointless and climate change is who cares? God would make a new one." This is one of the poems I've turned into a song for unbelieve: the musical - it had to be done!
I really love your last paragraph, Christine. Evangelicals do such a shitty job of managing resources, and I see this play out in my own life to this day having grown up with beliefs that resources are disposable and there will always be more. It's so validating to read your writings about these feelings that I felt so strongly back when I was at church at least 3 times a week, but couldn't articulate due to young age, lack of context and preference (ability? escape? lots of things going on?) to bury myself in music while there as a way to cope. I can only hope that more of us than not will try to do the hard work of preserving the only planet we currently have, but like you, the concept of "grandkids and things people typically seem to dream about" is elusive for me. Future, what future? Rapture or hell on earth? So difficult sometimes to move beyond that binary/black and white thinking. And yet we can acknowledge the feelings, breathe through them, and do the work. Thanks, as always, for your post!
It's so good to hear you feeling validated and how others have shared these feelings and experiences! I hope enough of us wake up..in time...but I think if not, the earth will do what she has been forced to and we and the other living beings will be forced to reduce our populations. Because of our selfishness and short-sightedness. :( Acknowledge, breathe, do the work! Yes!
"Growing up evangelical in the era of the Left Behind books and Y2K seems to have created an expectation in me that the world is imminently going to end." Yes! These days, with climate anxiety rather than Rapture terror, I get the most hope from watching climate scientists on social media and learning from them about the work that is being done. I also take hope by working on my own mental health and surrounding myself with a community that is safe so that, when things are bad, we can work together in some kind of resilience that allows us to work for the good of the world community.
Ok I'm going to have to follow climate scientists on social media now! I didn't think of that! Hooray for building a supportive, mental health aware community! :)
Such a huge topic, Christine, and you tie it to the rapture and religious trauma so well. Not being a leader, I just focus on trying to do my small part--use less, recycle more, and clean up the trail when I hike. I do worry about the rapid death of so many species. If our population declines so we aren’t actively destroying everything, I think the earth (plants and oceans) will regenerate. But can new animal species spontaneously generate? Would it take millions of years? I don’t think anybody knows. I also worry about poorer human socities that may suffer horribly. It’s too much to bear, too overwhelming, so I come back to focusing on doing my small part; it’s all I can do--and VOTE for candidates who will act on climate change.
I bet it would take millions of years for new species to regenerate! It's inconceivable how many species are being wiped out right now that we don't even know about it. It is too much to bear and too overwhelming. We do need to do the best we can with what we're given, though!
I love that your writing about this. I have so many thoughts and feelings about the changing climate. I think humans have played a huge part in accelerating the climate problems but I wonder as the earth has gone through significant climate changes in the past is it inevitable? Regardless we need to check our behaviour, take our heads out of the sand and do what we can. I think the last couple of generations in the west have known a fair bit of stability it's quite a shock for us to be facing so many unsettling challenges alongside an expectation of a settled prosperous life. I really dont think that's a universal expectation. But here we are we have to be honest, lament and do what we can. I wish I had more hopeful things to say
Also in terms of the rapture I came to that idea as a young adult and the whole idea was terrifying but I think less influential then if I heard it as a child. I know many people who cannot accept climate change they are so focused on the bible 'predicting' all these end of world signs, its majorly frustrating
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I suppose that yes, the earth's climate periodicially changes anyway but maybe with our acceleration, we're not going to be able to evolve fast enough to keep up (or we'll have massive population reduction). Strange to imagine alternate universe / future universe scenarios.
Gosh that's so true about how we're accustomed to stability and the idea of an uncertain future is kind of shocking to us, but that's not the case for so many people around the world. Thanks for pointing that out!
And regarding your other comment - interesting how exposure later in life to the Rapture might be different than for those exposed younger!
Very relatable. I think the merging of American Christianity and capitalism is one of the most destructive forces in the world. The idea that JESUS would want us to just “save” people’s “souls” and watch his beautiful creation go down in flames is just mind boggling to me now.
I agree!!! I know climate change wasn't evolving as fast when we were kids, but the way that people can just outright ignore this now because *Jesus* is mind-boggling!
If your Jesus is a capitalist, then money is your gospel.
You remind me of these lines from Marla Taviano's poem She Was on a Mission, illustrating her former worldview: "Someday (maybe soon) this world would burn, so recycling is pointless and climate change is who cares? God would make a new one." This is one of the poems I've turned into a song for unbelieve: the musical - it had to be done!
Ooh I bet that'll make a great song!!
Thanks - I gave it the rock opera treatment!