Religion + Nature

Berry’s first chapter, “Recreation and Soteriology,” traces the relationship between nature and religion.  More specifically, he argues that “an explicitly Christian understanding of salvation grounded the environmental movement’s orientation toward nature” (5).  While I’m convinced by his argument I can’t help but hear Mawmaw’s voice in the back of my head saying, “It’s all in God’s hands,” and “He has a plan.”  So often I hear conservative Christians respond to natural disaster with some iteration of these phrases.  We are in a moment when (1) the U.S. is facing unprecedented natural disaster in just about every direction you turn, and (2) politically conservative folks, and maybe this is particularly prominent in the south (idk), root their ideas about environmental degradation in the idea that God himself will provide the salvation.  I guess what I’m saying is interesting, is that American environmentalism was born from the idea that God’s creation, Nature, has the potential to provide salvation, and yet, currently, policy makers and conservative followers deny policy to combat human-made environmental degradation by flipping the ideology around, insisting that God will provide the salvation from nature.  (Side note- referring to “conservatives” when discussing a denial of environmental destruction seems strange.  I’m always like “whuuuuut” when trying to read or write about two groups with opposing idealogoies that go by the same name: political conservatives and environmental conservatives.  We gotta get a name change going can I get an amen…)  

I have another point and I’m not sure I can articulate it in a way that makes sense for this class yet— so I’ll put it out there for other folks to think about too.  When considering the ways in which we think about nature, we should acknowledge the gendering and maternalization of her.  Mother Nature is viewed as a force that can hurt us, heal us, and nurture us, just as a woman or mother may do.  This deeply interpolated perspective influences the ways people respond to nature, both personally and politically.   If we think nature is chaotic and unstoppable (sometimes a stereotype of women) then we perpetuate the belief that hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. are out of our hands.  If we think nature is all-providing and nurturing (often a stereotype of mothers) then we can take take take without giving back to her.  When these ideas, of the woman and mother are projected onto nature, I think that they strengthen the “it’s all in God’s plan” mentality.