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Sir David Attenborough yesterday blamed the Book of Genesis for all number of environment ills, from deforestation to the extinction of species : environment
He has a new TV series to promote, so this is just a bit of cynical, publicity-seeking overstatement.
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I don't think so at all.
What if the Bible had emphasized that we were supposed to care for and respect the Earth?
That not doing so was a mortal sin?
I think things would have been very, very different.
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I'm not saying there isn't some truth in what he's saying, but his comments massively overstate the case.
I would take his comments a lot more seriously if he didn't have a TV series to promote.
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I think they're perfectly legitimate comments for him to make after it came to light he's received death threats from fundamentalist christians for failing to credit god for his work...
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So let's get this straight.
The way to respond to extremist nutjobs is with an extremist nutjob statement.
Right, I see where you're coming from.
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No, from reading the actual article (which it sounds like you haven't) he takes aim squarely at the bible's assertation that the earth is here for man to exploit.
Hardly an extremist nutjob statement to say that that could be responsible for the number of enviromental ills we seem to be suffering through at the minute...
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I have read the article and maybe you have as well, but you seem to have conveniently skipped certain parts, like:
"That basic notion, that the world is there for us and if it doesn't actually serve our purposes, it's dispensable, that has produced the devastation of vast areas of the land's surface.
" .
. . it is that attitude which has led to the devastation of so much, and we are in the situation that we are in."
Outrageous, simplistic and extreme are just three words that spring to mind.
Another three words that spring to mind are: "new TV series."
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While on a level I agree, I also think that, to an extent, people will do what they do and then use whatever they can to justify it (e.g.
Religion). I basically think you're giving Christianity too much credit for shaping people.
As an example, do you really think people just saying that, "I believe in Jesus as my savior," really changes all that much who they are?
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You mean, I believe in Jeezus .
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Well, it does say that we are the "stewards of the Earth"...
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So everyone is Christian?
Not so, and many other peoples/cultures/religions abuse the earth.
See Koreth's post above.
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Yes. It's at fault for the extinction of the dinosaurs.
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This is bullshit, and I am a staunch atheist.
Go read "Collapse" by Jared Diamond, for example, and you'll see history is littered with all sorts of (non-Bible-aware) civilizations that have ruined their environments to the best of their technological abilities.
Religion plays a part sometimes -- the people on Easter Island, for example, apparently screwed themselves over in part by focusing their dwindling resources on ever-fancier big stone idols to win the favor of the gods (the "My prayers have no effect!
Must pray harder!" approach to problem-solving) but even there, there were other secular factors at work too.
Simple human psychology in the form of the tragedy of the commons is to blame for most of this stuff, not a particular bit of religious text that isn't even considered divine in many of the parts of the world where ongoing environmental damage is most severe (China and India, to name two biggies.)
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It says "for all number of environmental ills" not "for all environmental ills".
I'd have preferred more clear wording too.
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My point is that it is not to blame for any environmental ills at all .
Absent evidence that believers in Genesis are more likely than nonbelievers to ruin their environments, it can't be a significant factor.
The worst environmental disaster zone in the world is China, a country whose Abrahamic religious population is a tiny percentage of the total (and the ones who ARE there are mostly poor Muslims who are not, by and large, responsible for the country's environmental ills.) That seems to be to be pretty good evidence for the idea that Genesis isn't to blame for these problems.
Maybe it gets used as self-justification after the fact in some contexts, though, I'll grant you that.
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China is a great example.
Hmmm...
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China's current religion is Capitalism.
And before not-blaming Jesus freaks, you might want to consider the difference between Europe and Crazyland in terms of environmental degradation.
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"All number" is still overreaching.
"a number" is more accurate.
But Attenborough has an agenda...
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Whose agenda do you trust more.
Sir David Attenborough, or the Christians?
Hehe.
Anyway, like i said, clearer language owuld have been nice.
I think he's mainly referrign to the mindset "the earth was made for mankind by god" leading to exploitation of the world.
It's not the only motive but it is fairly common.
Not as common as "exploiting the environment will make me rich" of course.
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Hmmm, what agenda do I choose - "Christians" (Although Amish, Quakers, and other more simplistic folk claim that title), Bank Of America, or Attenborough?
Since as Crazybones pointed out, Attenborough has a new television series to promote, none of the above.
Its all marketing.
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Maybe oversimplification, but not entirely bullshit.
Genesis may simply be an expression of humanity's hubris when it comes to resource management, but having it written down in chapter one sure makes it a heck of a lot easier for people of the book to excuse their bad behavior.
My grandfather used to Quote: that shit all the time when it came to discussion of environmental destruction, hunting, etc.
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I first read this as David Attenborough blaming our troubles on the Book of Guinness.
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