Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Cultivation of Cardinal Virtues for Environmental Ethics
Aquinas's articulation of the Cardinal Virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude provides us with a model for growing closer to Christ. The cultivation of virtue in our own lives has social and cultural implications. Those implications within the realm of environmental ethics, as particularly related to Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTR) are explored:
Virtue and Environmental Ethics
Virtue and Environmental Ethics
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Story of Stuff
A great 20-minute animated resource for children and adults alike! (See Katie's post "Buy Nothing Day")
The Story of Stuff
The Story of Stuff
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Annual Buy Nothing Day
I am in the middle of writing a paper for my Theological Ethics course about conscience as it relates to social sin. The social sin on which I have chosen to focus is Capitalism. While the paper will probably not be published here in its entirety, I believe that it is vital for those of us in ministry to draw a connection between one's spending habits and one's Catholic identity. There are moral implications when we shop. We need to acknowledge these implications which include, but are not limited to, the following:
1) "Sweat Shops" and other abuses that relate to globalization
2) An ever-widening gap between rich and poor, both in our own country and world wide
3) The environmental impacts of consumerism
Each year, Adbusters.com sponsors a Buy Nothing Day. AdBusters is not a faith-based organization, but its message speaks to the spirit of Christianity and to Catholic teaching. First, AdBusters adamantly decries the environmental effects of consumerism and promotes efforts towards sustainability. (See Care of God's Creation in Catholic Social Teaching; Genesis 1 reminds us that human beings are merely stewards of the Earth.) Second, AdBusters observes that, "You may find that it’s harder than you think, that the impulse to buy is more ingrained in you than you ever realized" - and encourages us to fight back! Why is buying such a large part of our culture? Jesus reminds us that we cannot "serve two masters... You cannot serve God and wealth (Lk 16:13)." We need this reminder more often than not.
Buy Nothing Day is also known as Black Friday. This year, it takes place just two days before the beginning of Advent. How poignant! Will you take a stand and say NO! to consumerism? Will you truly help to "Keep Christ in Christmas" by avoiding this social sin?
The Website: AdBusters
The Event: facebook
The Poster: Advertise
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue! Please comment!
1) "Sweat Shops" and other abuses that relate to globalization
2) An ever-widening gap between rich and poor, both in our own country and world wide
3) The environmental impacts of consumerism
Each year, Adbusters.com sponsors a Buy Nothing Day. AdBusters is not a faith-based organization, but its message speaks to the spirit of Christianity and to Catholic teaching. First, AdBusters adamantly decries the environmental effects of consumerism and promotes efforts towards sustainability. (See Care of God's Creation in Catholic Social Teaching; Genesis 1 reminds us that human beings are merely stewards of the Earth.) Second, AdBusters observes that, "You may find that it’s harder than you think, that the impulse to buy is more ingrained in you than you ever realized" - and encourages us to fight back! Why is buying such a large part of our culture? Jesus reminds us that we cannot "serve two masters... You cannot serve God and wealth (Lk 16:13)." We need this reminder more often than not.
Buy Nothing Day is also known as Black Friday. This year, it takes place just two days before the beginning of Advent. How poignant! Will you take a stand and say NO! to consumerism? Will you truly help to "Keep Christ in Christmas" by avoiding this social sin?
The Website: AdBusters
The Event: facebook
The Poster: Advertise
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue! Please comment!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Eden and Mountaintop Removal Mining
In Old Testament on Tuesday, we talked about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Dr. Bucur emphasized that these first few chapters of Genesis are a liturgical text, and connected them with the temple worship in later books of the Old Testament; The Garden of Eden is the place where God dwells; the Temple. Adam and Eve are the Levites, or priests; they tend the garden, following the Order God has set out. Thus, their dominion is not one of exploitation of “natural resources” for human gain; it is one of responsibility and loving care; an act of worship, of following God's precincts.
Thursday evening, Sheila and I arrive for the Army Corps of Engineers hearing in Pittsburgh an hour early. The Corps is soliciting input regarding the suspension of permits to coal companies which presently allow them to dump solid waste from Mountaintop Removal (MTR) mine sites into waterways. We know we're at the right convention center when we spot a line of people dressed in casual, baggy clothing of subdued colors. Hippies. When we get inside, security checks our bags and wands us. It's getting crowded. They have seating for 400 people, one of the guards tells me. It looks like there are about 300 people. Most of them are wearing teal shirts that say “Coal=Job+Energy” and “FORCE: Families for PA Coal”.
It becomes clear that, as clothing has indicated, there are two distinct sides represented tonight. Each frames the issue at hand differently. The people in the teal shirts are CEOs of coal mines, miners, and family and friends of miners. They are against suspending the permits; it would mean increased operating costs for mines, which they argue would lead to the closing of mines, and thousands of jobs lost. One speaker illustrates his point by citing the loss of 6,500 mine jobs in Kentucky as a result of new regulations for the coal industry. The mismatched hippies counter that any reduction in coal production would easily be replaced with renewable energy. Many of them traveled from West Virginia to voice their support for this proposed suspension of dumping permits. They tell stories of friends and communities that are effected by MTR's impact on water quality: how toxic metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury from sludge dams on MTR sites leech into water tables, polluting drinking water and causing toxic metal poisoning and other health complications. They speak of streams they used to fish in, which can no longer support wildlife. An ecologist spoke of the Myth of Reclamation. Mycorrhizae, the microscopic fungi found in top soil, which delivers nutrients to plant roots, dies when top soil is piled up, for instance during the process of surface-mining coal. Thus, even when the original top soil is replaced at a mine site and seeded, it can no longer support the indigenous plants and original ecosystem, as the mycorrhizae are gone.
More philosophical issues connected to Mountaintop Removal Mining in particular and environmental degradation in general were raised. Why do we “soil our nest”, ruining our home and the natural habitat of so many species that also call Appalachia home? What about our grandchildren? What kind of natural environment will they enjoy? This reminded me of Tuesday's class. Are we being good stewards of God's creation? Or do we weigh other concerns, like our thirst for cheap energy and the availability of high-paying jobs, as more important? Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden for eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now that humanity has that knowledge, will we use it to serve God and care for His creation?
Thursday evening, Sheila and I arrive for the Army Corps of Engineers hearing in Pittsburgh an hour early. The Corps is soliciting input regarding the suspension of permits to coal companies which presently allow them to dump solid waste from Mountaintop Removal (MTR) mine sites into waterways. We know we're at the right convention center when we spot a line of people dressed in casual, baggy clothing of subdued colors. Hippies. When we get inside, security checks our bags and wands us. It's getting crowded. They have seating for 400 people, one of the guards tells me. It looks like there are about 300 people. Most of them are wearing teal shirts that say “Coal=Job+Energy” and “FORCE: Families for PA Coal”.
It becomes clear that, as clothing has indicated, there are two distinct sides represented tonight. Each frames the issue at hand differently. The people in the teal shirts are CEOs of coal mines, miners, and family and friends of miners. They are against suspending the permits; it would mean increased operating costs for mines, which they argue would lead to the closing of mines, and thousands of jobs lost. One speaker illustrates his point by citing the loss of 6,500 mine jobs in Kentucky as a result of new regulations for the coal industry. The mismatched hippies counter that any reduction in coal production would easily be replaced with renewable energy. Many of them traveled from West Virginia to voice their support for this proposed suspension of dumping permits. They tell stories of friends and communities that are effected by MTR's impact on water quality: how toxic metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury from sludge dams on MTR sites leech into water tables, polluting drinking water and causing toxic metal poisoning and other health complications. They speak of streams they used to fish in, which can no longer support wildlife. An ecologist spoke of the Myth of Reclamation. Mycorrhizae, the microscopic fungi found in top soil, which delivers nutrients to plant roots, dies when top soil is piled up, for instance during the process of surface-mining coal. Thus, even when the original top soil is replaced at a mine site and seeded, it can no longer support the indigenous plants and original ecosystem, as the mycorrhizae are gone.
More philosophical issues connected to Mountaintop Removal Mining in particular and environmental degradation in general were raised. Why do we “soil our nest”, ruining our home and the natural habitat of so many species that also call Appalachia home? What about our grandchildren? What kind of natural environment will they enjoy? This reminded me of Tuesday's class. Are we being good stewards of God's creation? Or do we weigh other concerns, like our thirst for cheap energy and the availability of high-paying jobs, as more important? Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden for eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now that humanity has that knowledge, will we use it to serve God and care for His creation?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Faces of Jesus
Please see this link for the Seminar instructions. See this link for the handouts.
Objective: To use pop culture (specifically the Harry Potter series) as a starting point for theological reflection about the nature and meaning of Jesus Christ. At the end of the seminar, participants should be on their way in developing a personal Christology.
Sessions: There are 5 sessions associated with this seminar. Each session will last approximately 60 minutes. Between sessions, participants should answer reflection questions in the provided Workbook in order to decipher their own Christology. The 5th session will be devoted to open discussion of individual Christologies. The sessions will consist mostly of open, guided discussions.
Audience: Adults; including parents, catechists, teachers, and young adults. Participants should have a general acquaintance with the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling, or the movies (Warner Bros.).
Objective: To use pop culture (specifically the Harry Potter series) as a starting point for theological reflection about the nature and meaning of Jesus Christ. At the end of the seminar, participants should be on their way in developing a personal Christology.
Sessions: There are 5 sessions associated with this seminar. Each session will last approximately 60 minutes. Between sessions, participants should answer reflection questions in the provided Workbook in order to decipher their own Christology. The 5th session will be devoted to open discussion of individual Christologies. The sessions will consist mostly of open, guided discussions.
Audience: Adults; including parents, catechists, teachers, and young adults. Participants should have a general acquaintance with the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling, or the movies (Warner Bros.).
CST With Youth
Please visit this link to download this retreat.
Who and What:
The following is a retreat experience designed for High School-aged youth. It can be easily adapted and used with young adults. This retreat is especially appropriate with groups of Confirmation or R.C.I.A. candidates, or with Religious Education groups. The objectives of the retreat are to:
1. Introduce the participants to some of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching as defined by the USCCB
2. Encourage the participants to consider how they are applying or how they can apply the principles to their lives
3. Reinforce the importance of putting Catholic Social Teaching into practice in order to live a Catholic Christian lifestyle
The retreat is best used with groups of 10-25 youth who are put into small discussion groups of 4-5. Mature “table leaders,” whether they are adults or peers, are essential to the retreat experience in order to foster understanding and productive discussions.
Method:
There are four sections in this retreat. Each section is based on a different principle of Catholic Social Teaching:
1. Call to family, community and participation
2. Solidarity
3. Care of creation
4. Life and dignity of the human person
Each principle is introduced to the participants in two ways: first, they are given a Church statement that indicates why the principle is a Catholic teaching; second, various media (ie. a movie clip or story) are used to show that principle being lived (or, conversely, ignored) in pop culture. The participants are then invited to explore what that principle means in their everyday life through small group discussion questions that consider Church teaching and pop culture. Finally, the small group is given an activity to do together that reinforces the concept that has been presented.
Who and What:
The following is a retreat experience designed for High School-aged youth. It can be easily adapted and used with young adults. This retreat is especially appropriate with groups of Confirmation or R.C.I.A. candidates, or with Religious Education groups. The objectives of the retreat are to:
1. Introduce the participants to some of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching as defined by the USCCB
2. Encourage the participants to consider how they are applying or how they can apply the principles to their lives
3. Reinforce the importance of putting Catholic Social Teaching into practice in order to live a Catholic Christian lifestyle
The retreat is best used with groups of 10-25 youth who are put into small discussion groups of 4-5. Mature “table leaders,” whether they are adults or peers, are essential to the retreat experience in order to foster understanding and productive discussions.
Method:
There are four sections in this retreat. Each section is based on a different principle of Catholic Social Teaching:
1. Call to family, community and participation
2. Solidarity
3. Care of creation
4. Life and dignity of the human person
Each principle is introduced to the participants in two ways: first, they are given a Church statement that indicates why the principle is a Catholic teaching; second, various media (ie. a movie clip or story) are used to show that principle being lived (or, conversely, ignored) in pop culture. The participants are then invited to explore what that principle means in their everyday life through small group discussion questions that consider Church teaching and pop culture. Finally, the small group is given an activity to do together that reinforces the concept that has been presented.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)