November 2003 - Tower - Page 14

Church and Society

Russell Fox, Captain

A society of peoples must endeavor to be in harmony with its natural environment. We must be cognizant of the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we occupy. History tells us of the many conflicts different societies have had over natural resources. For example, the Bible relates an event in which Moses, after fleeing from Egypt, became involved in a dispute over water from a well used for watering sheep. Controversy over water rights are frequent. More recently we are in a dispute over where to drill for oil in Alaska. Environmental groups are formed to protect the forest, to lobby for legislation protecting our atmosphere from global warming and ozone depletion. In the northwest there have been disputes between farmers and the fishing industry over the damming of the rivers for irrigation. And so it goes. Here on the Peninsula, we are concerned over the health of the Chesapeake Bay and our rivers. We are concerned about barges from out of the state bringing garbage up the James River for landfill. And speaking of the James River, we are concerned over the disposition of the "Idle Fleet," that oil leakage will create a health hazard. And so it goes.

America has been blessed with much in the way of natural resources and nature itself, so much so that we tend to be insensitive as to how we use them. The Bible, in Genesis 2:29, tells man to "Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it." I doubt that God had in mind the excess to which we have tried to fulfill these words. He said, "subdue," not "exploit."

One of the ways we can help our environment, and ourselves, is by recycling. Our cities have instituted not only plans for conserving our resources, but also ways to help economically. It pays to recycle.

A modest suggestion involves teaching our youth the advantages of recycling. I would like to see our church initiate a recycling program for aluminum. This program would involve the youth collecting aluminum cans, plates, etc., and taking them to an aluminum recycling center. The proceeds would then be used for one of the youths' projects. I believe that we would be happily surprised at the amount of money this can raise, and at the same time be educational for our youth. In fact, we should all become more sensitive to our individual impact on our environment, and we should find ways to be more sensitive to how our life style impacts upon it.

Page 14

If you have any comments on any of these pages, please email me: Robert W.(Bob) Mckitrick, thanks.

Last update: November 4, 2003