tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8577589138128448369.post2258631563382350066..comments2014-01-10T14:35:55.900-08:00Comments on Small Dwelling, Deep Living: Deep Ecology PlatformUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8577589138128448369.post-58302048682014155472012-06-09T16:32:57.658-07:002012-06-09T16:32:57.658-07:00thanks for sharing your thoughts! totally agree wi...thanks for sharing your thoughts! totally agree with what you said above about educating women about birth control/natural family planning. and as for sunsets....yes, you brought up an important aspect of creation that i didn't even think of when writing my stuff above...some things God has created are for nothing other than for us to simply marvel at. thanks for responding to my thoughts!Lizzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09877766275926896397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8577589138128448369.post-84553606982462929972012-06-09T11:37:59.430-07:002012-06-09T11:37:59.430-07:00As for Creation only having value in "fulfill...As for Creation only having value in "fulfilling man's needs"...a sunset has no real value. It can't be "used" for anything. It doesn't produce energy or sequester CO2 or grow food or build anything. It just is, for a few minutes. I would like to think that the fact that God created sunsets, and that they are beautiful, is enough to value a sunset.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07338230862029285285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8577589138128448369.post-73527603177213793512012-06-09T11:18:19.272-07:002012-06-09T11:18:19.272-07:00Number 5 says that "The flourishing of human ...Number 5 says that "The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease."<br /><br />In that statement, there is no mention of HOW this might happen, or the timescale on which it might happen. It simply says that a) we can still have a vibrant human system without so many humans and b) lots of humans means fewer other forms of life. <br /><br />I do NOT ascribe to any form of "forced sterilization" or the like. Perhaps some people who say that they support Deep Ecology do, but as you can see from this platform, that is not needed to still consider myself an evironmentalist. Sex and fertility and children are wonderful things that are all gifts from God. It is ridiculous for us in first world countries, which our obscene levels of consumption, to point a finger at third world countries and say that their population levels are what the problem is. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do ourselves! <br /><br />What I do think is that women should have access to education and birth control/natural family planning methods so that they have more of a say in how many children they have. I love being a mother. I would never consider it morally acceptable to deny someone that role.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07338230862029285285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8577589138128448369.post-22117166391524385242012-06-08T20:22:51.147-07:002012-06-08T20:22:51.147-07:00another thing to consider is the fact that the ent...another thing to consider is the fact that the entire population of the world could fit within the size of Texas. granted, there wouldn't be much room for cultivating resources but there would be plenty of surrounding area for doing that, as we know. i'm not saying it's a good idea to live on top of one another like that by any means, but it does give one a reality check when people say, 'we're running out of room here on our planet'. not true. and even if we were, 'controlling the population' is ethically out of the question.Lizzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09877766275926896397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8577589138128448369.post-45926064017755878802012-06-08T20:16:54.820-07:002012-06-08T20:16:54.820-07:00i'm a bit confused...are you saying you believ...i'm a bit confused...are you saying you believe that we should implement population control and/or advocate for somehow decreasing the human population on the earth in order to allow for 'nonhuman life' to flourish? <br />yikes. that statement makes it out like nonhuman life is more important than human life. these measures are already happening across the globe (forced sterilization, 50 million 'missing women' in China, 40 million in India, babies forcibly aborted, full term children being born and left to die in trash cans or cleaning buckets. i know it's offensive to read but true) and is slowly spreading to the West. from point 5's statement, it sounds like this idea of 'deep ecology' holds to that same dangerous agenda. just a thought to consider.<br /><br />as a Christian, i believe 'inherent worth and value' comes strictly in the form of man (human) for only he has a soul and conscience. He was the only entity within creation who was 'created in God's image'. I'm not discounting the value of animal and plant life but their primary value is found in serving man's needs. In Genesis 1, God says to man “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” i also found this excerpt from letusreason.org that helps to clarify the meaning of this verse:<br /><br />"Does this mean we are to take “dominion” over the creation today?<br /> <br />This dominion means to maintain order, and it is to be exercised over other creatures not people. It was first given to Adam and his wife and was to be the for the whole human race (Psalms 8:6-8). Man was to have sovereignty over the animal creation and other creatures. Because of our being made in God’s image we were given a higher moral and spiritual nature. Our capacity for right thinking, knowledge, holiness, and righteousness, would be expressed in our ruling over the other creatures."<br /><br />We ought to care for and wisely steward this beautiful earth God has given us to live on but He has ultimately given it to Man - not dolphins, not bears, not squirrels. Of course we can bask in the beauty of His handiwork but it all points to Him. nature is a means to an end - to worship the Creator and King of Kings.<br /><br />Thanks for taking the time to read and consider.Lizzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09877766275926896397noreply@blogger.com