Articles
Nature: Respect or Worship?
Until recently the idea of worshiping nature sounded primitive and backward. In every age mankind has stood in awe of the natural world, whether in the ignorance of the ancient mind or the more complex knowledge of modern science. And God’s creation is awe-inspiring. But like everything else, that awe must be tempered by truth within a divine framework that keeps values and priorities in perspective.
The modern, humanistic mindset, however, is becoming retrograde. There is mounting evidence that reverence for nature, particularly the planet Earth itself, is increasingly influencing economic and political decisions. And rest assured, whenever mankind decides to prioritize the creation above the Creator there will be unintended, destructive consequences.
For example, the nation of Panama recently passed legislation that bestowed “rights” upon nature which resulted in shutting down one of the largest copper mines in the world. “Behind the effort in that country was Callie Veelenturf, a 31-year old American marine biologist from Massachusetts who has spent much of her career studying and advocating for the protection of sea turtles … [She] said a book, ‘The Rights of Nature: A Legal Revolution That Could Save the World,’ helped … her to make it ‘a mission’ to advance the concept across the globe” (Movement to Give “Nature” Same Rights as Humans Gains Steam in U.S, Fox News Online, 12/10/23).
Veelenturf’s observation that should rivet our attention: “It prioritizes the needs of the ecosystems and not the needs of humanity.” In her mind, the inanimate world and animals take precedence over that which God created in His image and which stands at the apex of value in the entirety of the cosmos: mankind. There is, among such elitists a clearly articulated hatred for humanity and a corresponding ambition to curb human influence and even depopulate the planet – all in the desire to prioritize and protect “nature.”
Paul opined on the pagan rejection of God: they “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator …” (Rom 1:25). Paul doesn’t merely say they valued the creation; rather, they deified it and worshiped it. This is evident in ancient civilizations: “Egyptian religion was very local in its practice and horizons. The Egyptians in each district tended to worship principally their particular local deities rather than some greater figure of national or cosmic scope. As was commonly the case in ancient paganism, the gods of Egypt were in large measure the personifications of the powers of nature (e.g., fertility), and of natural phenomena (e.g., the Nile) and their supposed attributes (e.g., of falcon gods, bull gods, etc.). Some were cosmic (sun god), and some were the embodiments of certain concepts (e.g., Maat, goddess of ‘truth’ and right order” (ZPEB, Vol. 2 251).
It is against this backdrop that God said to Moses, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn … both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord” (Ex 12:12). Note especially that the false gods imagined and served by the Egyptians did not prohibit the attempted genocide of the Hebrews. When men create gods in their own images and according to their own desires and values, they can be used to justify any faults, immorality or atrocity which they wish to perpetrate upon others.
It is not that difficult to imagine how humanism degenerates into an inordinate preoccupation with nature. We are currently spending $billions in an effort to colonize the Moon, Mars and to travel to the nearest star outside of our solar system, Proxima Centauri, a mere 4.25 light years from the sun (distance conversion: with current technology it would take about 70,000 years to reach it). Much of this research is generated by the godless conclusion that the earth is eventually going to become uninhabitable, either by man’s wasting of its resources, damage to the environment or natural catastrophe (viz., a wayward asteroid).
From the standpoint of catastrophism, and the corresponding reverence for the Earth as our “home,” influential scientists, celebrities, entrepreneurs and globalists have fallen into “save the planet” mode with a fervor that strongly resembles religious devotion. They are out to “save” (the planet, not man); they have their “clergy” (John Kerry, Bill Gates, Greta Thunberg, etc.); they offer “sacrifices” (the voluntary reduction of energy consumption that, if implemented, will do most harm to poor, undeveloped countries) – even child-sacrifice (in the form of abortion or childlessness, which many choose in the growing belief that it is immoral to bring more people into the world); they have their “theology” (many speak in quasi-divine reverence for the planet and cite endless statistics to prop up their argument that man is destroying their god; i.e., planet Earth).
All of this might be a pointless debate if it weren’t for the serious ramifications of humanism. As we are already witnessing, many decisions are made which elevate nature over the welfare of humanity (examples: reintroducing grizzly bears into populated areas of the Pacific Northwest; the push to ban meat consumption; threats to ban gas stoves and heaters, etc.). This is not a purely political issue; it has its roots in a pagan outlook on planet Earth which denies the existence of God, His creation of the Earth and His ability to preserve it until His purposes regarding it are completed. It is also a moral question in that humans will be made to suffer needlessly via such zealous idolatry.
One thing is evident in our drift into environmental worship: humans are constantly duped by the same deceptions. The devil does not need a new playbook. He is leading naïve modernists into ancient mythology in spite of their ballyhooed intellect. They may not see the planet as a literal, personal god, but they revere it as if it were. Satan must take great delight in hoodwinking the intellectuals with the same recycled bankrupt ideologies.
Granted, we do not have license to abuse and squander what God has made. He has created a magnificent habitation both in relation to physics and esthetics. But this planet serves a purpose beyond itself; it is the home of mankind as they seek to know the architect of that home while they live and breathe. The planet is not the be-all and end-all; the redemption of man is. When God is through with it, the planet will be annihilated by Him – and not one second before. So don’t let the prophets of doom scare you. We have a personal relationship with the Creator, Himself, and He will sustain us and future generations until His purpose is complete.
