What do you think about "Walking God's Earth"

[lynnvinc]

Stumbled across this book, Walking God’s Earth, in a series of interviews with the author, David Cloutier, on the “Catholic Ecology” blog – see:

• Part 1: catholicecology.net/blog/interview-dr-david-cloutier-part-1-making-all-things-holy
• Part 2: catholicecology.net/blog/interview-dr-david-cloutier-part-2-b16-wendell-berry-and-reckless-economies
• Part 3: catholicecology.net/blog/interview-dr-david-cloutier-part-3-nature-natural-law-and-life-food-coop

I like Bill Patenaude’s CATHOLIC ECOLOGY blog. Bill is much better than me in terms of environmental background, education in Catholic theology, and being a kinder, gentler person.

What do you think of “Walking God’s Earth” and the interviews?

You can also “look inside” the book at Amazon – amazon.com/Walking-Gods-Earth-Environment-Catholic/dp/0814637094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413996121&sr=8-1&keywords=walking+god%27s+earth

 

[ialsop]

Stumbled across this book, Walking God’s Earth, in a series of interviews with the author, David Cloutier, on the “Catholic Ecology” blog – see:

• Part 1: catholicecology.net/blog/interview-dr-david-cloutier-part-1-making-all-things-holy
• Part 2: catholicecology.net/blog/interview-dr-david-cloutier-part-2-b16-wendell-berry-and-reckless-economies
• Part 3: catholicecology.net/blog/interview-dr-david-cloutier-part-3-nature-natural-law-and-life-food-coop

I like Bill Patenaude’s CATHOLIC ECOLOGY blog. Bill is much better than me in terms of environmental background, education in Catholic theology, and being a kinder, gentler person.

What do you think of “Walking God’s Earth” and the interviews?

You can also “look inside” the book at Amazon – amazon.com/Walking-Gods-Earth-Environment-Catholic/dp/0814637094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413996121&sr=8-1&keywords=walking+god%27s+earth

Well…he seems to take all of catholic faith and channel it all into environmental wishes. Which are good, but when you think of that each and every time you look at our faith, it would seem he has made an idol of being “green”

 

[lynnvinc]

Well…he seems to take all of catholic faith and channel it all into environmental wishes. Which are good, but when you think of that each and every time you look at our faith, it would seem he has made an idol of being “green”

The author seems to have several interests, including marriage and sexual ethics (according to the interview), and has actually written more books about those than on the environment.

I suppose writing on one single topic from a Catholic perspective is sort of what the Holy Fathers sometimes do. They sometimes write on a variety of issues and sometimes on a more narrow issue. And Pope Francis’s first words as pope, after asking us to pray for him, were “We need to protect creation…”

In my thinking one issue doesn’t preclude the importance of other issues, and we all tend to specialize in one or a few areas more than in others. I used to be heavily into minority oppression (studying the untouchables in India) from the 60s thru the 90s, then got heavily involved in environmental issues in the 90s to now, then several years ago got into police effectiveness and crime issues, and am now getting back into untouchable issues in a Catholic village in India, but I am still into environmental issues as well. You might say, I’m very busy.

I’ve ordered the book, but I haven’t read it, so I can’t comment on whether the author seems to have made being “green” an idol. It seems from the interview the book brings forth “green” issues that are already there in the Old & New Testaments, as well as in Catholic teachings…but have perhaps been forgotten by modern people who tend to be detached from the environment and live more in human-built surroundings.

 

[ialsop]

The author seems to have several interests, including marriage and sexual ethics (according to the interview), and has actually written more books about those than on the environment.

I suppose writing on one single topic from a Catholic perspective is sort of what the Holy Fathers sometimes do. They sometimes write on a variety of issues and sometimes on a more narrow issue. And Pope Francis’s first words as pope, after asking us to pray for him, were “We need to protect creation…”

In my thinking one issue doesn’t preclude the importance of other issues, and we all tend to specialize in one or a few areas more than in others. I used to be heavily into minority oppression (studying the untouchables in India) from the 60s thru the 90s, then got heavily involved in environmental issues in the 90s to now, then several years ago got into police effectiveness and crime issues, and am now getting back into untouchable issues in a Catholic village in India, but I am still into environmental issues as well. You might say, I’m very busy.

I’ve ordered the book, but I haven’t read it, so I can’t comment on whether the author seems to have made being “green” an idol. It seems from the interview the book brings forth “green” issues that are already there in the Old & New Testaments, as well as in Catholic teachings…but have perhaps been forgotten by modern people who tend to be detached from the environment and live more in human-built surroundings.

Well, you make a good point. I guess it was a knee jerk reaction because I personally never really tried to stand up on this issue.