Climate Change Meets New Age Mysticism

Every year Saint Petersburg has a maze with lights around it for kids to walk through. This year they decided to give it a theme:

The labyrinth is The Pier Aquarium's free outdoor activity in South Straub Park for St. Petersburg's family-oriented New Year's Eve Celebration. Traditionally a labyrinth is used as a walking meditation or spiritual practice and we have adapted ours, built in the Classic 7 Circuit Pattern dating back some 4,000 years, to include an interactive educational science component on Climate Change. The walkers strolling the labyrinth will pass by (and hopefully read!) luminary bags decorated with environmental messages and the posted Climate Change information signs.

Critics of climate change theories have questioned the theories based on their apparent lack scientific rigor. Some critics think the people who tout climate change due so out of a belief system that deifies nature. So, imagine my shock to see climate change tied to an ancient religious ritual that deified nature.

Beyond the fact that this isn't a very inclusive event (I saw parents dragging their children away from it!) are signs on paper lanterns the proper format to have a vigorous debate? And don't think that's a facetious question, because one of the first signs literally asked "Does climate change exist?". This display pretended to debate the question. For five-year-olds.

Sermon of a carpenter: 1859

"Nay, Seth, lad; I'm not for laughing at no man's religion. Let 'em follow their consciences, that's all. Only I think it 'ud be better if their consciences 'ud let 'em stay quiet i' the church--there's a deal to be learnt there. And there's such a thing as being oversperitial; we must have something beside Gospel i' this world. Look at the canals, an' th' aqueduc's, an' th' coal-pit engines, and Arkwright's mills there at Cromford; a man must learn summat beside Gospel to make them things, I reckon. But t' hear some o' them preachers, you'd think as a man must be doing nothing all's life but shutting's eyes and looking what's agoing on inside him. I know a man must have the love o' God in his soul, and the Bible's God's word. But what does the Bible say? Why, it says as God put his sperrit into the workman as built the tabernacle, to make him do all the carved work and things as wanted a nice hand. And this is my way o' looking at it: there's the sperrit o' God in all things and all times--weekday as well as Sunday--and i' the great works and inventions, and i' the figuring and the mechanics. And God helps us with our headpieces and our hands as well as with our souls; and if a man does bits o' jobs out o' working hours--builds a oven for 's wife to save her from going to the bakehouse, or scrats at his bit o' garden and makes two potatoes grow istead o' one, he's doin' more good, and he's just as near to God, as if he was running after some preacher and a-praying and a-groaning."

--From Adam Bede--

Meaning has a way of overflowing anything you try to hold it in. It wont stay in a book, it wont stay in a painting; and if you look for it, it will cover you, and you will carry it everywhere you go and see it in everything you do.

Youthful rebelion: circa 1750

He had an only son, destined to be of a still more extraordinary character than his father, and who, in his early youth, having run away from school, and turned chimney-sweeper, in his mature age renounced his country, and turned mahometan.

--From La Belle assemblée--

Clocks: 1685

Yea verily, the Creator of this beautiful World, who is the Master of this Clock-work, hath pointed us to and given us such a way, by means of which we may know when this Clockwork will have accomplished its Period, or when this World (which comprehends in it self all the Wheels of this Clock-work) will have wholly wrought out it self to its own perfection in one onely harmony, as well above as below, in order to the attaining of her proper exaltation and glorification.

--From The Paradoxal Discourses of F. M. Van Helmont--

When you hear people talk about how the world used to be viewed as a watch and God as a watch-maker, they always seem to describe the analogy condescendingly. Using the term "watch" makes it sound as if people had an unrealistic view of the size of the universe, like everything could fit in your pocket. But reading the analogy as it was used early on, with it's archaic language, use of the term "clocks" (so much bigger than watches!), and the idea that everything would eventually stop, seems a heck of a lot more religious to me.

The product of Victorian religiosity: 1914

He hadn't a God, he hadn't a lover - the two usual incentives to virtue. But on he struggled with his back to ease, because dignity demanded it. There was no one to watch him, nor did he watch himself, but struggles like his are the supreme achievements of humanity, and surpass any legends about Heaven.

--From Maurice--

The standard narrative is that the world has become more shallow as it has moved away from religion. But I think that misses the point. Religion, to me, is shallow. It certainly has no more depth than things you can find in the secular world today. And I'm not just talking about romance, but geometry(!), music, economics, biology, interior design, etc.; there's just so much meaning everywhere. How can you even talk about the depth of religion if you can't see how deep other things are?

P. S. There were some protesters at the Pride Parade I went to a few days ago, and they really have me thinking!

Paradise: 1741

This Place may be called, as well as Hang tcheou in the Province of Tche kiang, a City of Pleasure; nothing is wanting here to complete the Pleasures of Life; therefore in the Chinese Books there is an old Proverb that says, Chang yeou tien tang, Hia yeou sou hang, Paradise is above, but below is Sou tcheou and Hang tcheou: One may truly say that these two Cities are the Terrestrial Paradise of China.

--From The general history of China--

I bet if we went back in time and saw those cities we would see all sorts of faults; sickness, poverty and ignorance among them. Which makes me wonder: is there anywhere today someone could call a terrestrial paradise? Perhaps paradise can only exist in our minds, because if anyone came back from "Paradise" they'd be sure to spill the truth and tell us all its faults.

P. S. Using the same logic, I'm pretty sure hell isn't half as bad as some people would have us think.

Superman!: circa 1328

Woman: "Help! My baby is falling!"

Bystanders: "It's a bird... it's a cloud... it's Saint Augustine!"

Ectasy: 1595

It's dark, you're at a club, and some shirtless guy with a smooth chest and muscles, wearing fake angel-wings, picks you up.

Respect: 1315

It is possible to respect God and other people at the same time.

Pascal's Wager: circa 400 BC

Now when we prepare pure wine and millet and offer them with reverence and circumspection, if ghosts and spirits really exist, then we are thereby providing food and drink for our fathers [ghosts of], mothers [ghosts of]...

Of course if ghosts and spirits do not really exist, then it would seem that we are wasting the materials we use, the wine and millet. But though we expend them, it is not as though we were simply pouring the wine in a sewage ditch and throwing the millet away. For the members of the family and the people of the community can all gather to drink and eat them...

--From The Mozi--

It always bothers me when someone brings up Pascal's Wager to prove the existence of God ("it's easy to prove the existence of God!"). I now know to ask the people who use this reasoning if they are sacrificing wine and millet to their ancestors, because according to the quote above, they should be.

A religious observation:: 1591

Promiscuous women may become nuns to feign reform, while obsessive men may enter religion due to some stimulus or excitement. This is why the "schools of clear purity" are always hotbeds of promiscuous and perverted people.

--From the Caigentan--

I think the Catholic Church could cut down on many of its problems (lack of priests, sex scandals) if it allowed all of its priests to be married. I say "all" because it already allows some married men to be ordained as priests.

Philosophical questions: 1668

He let his wit run much on matters of religion: so that he passed for a bold and determined atheist; though he often protested to me, he was not one; and said, he believed there was not one in the world...

--From History of his own Times--

Today people wonder if God exists, then they wondered if atheists exist.

An unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, a power to destroy: 1666

When he heard of any that did not go to church, he did not trouble himself to set a fine upon him: but he set as many soldiers upon him, as should eat him up in a night. By this means all people were struck with such a terror, that they came regularly to church. And the clergy were so delighted with it, that they used to speak of that time, as the poets do of the golden age.

--From History of his own Times--

The government would send soldiers to a family, they would be forced to feed the soldiers until their food ran out, and then they would face starvation. One of the reasons why the United States Bill of Rights includes:

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Concern for the poor: 1665

He continued in his private and ascetic course of life, and gave all his income, beyond the small expense of his own person, to the poor.

--From History of his own Times--

Some leaders try very hard to show how in-touch they are with the common man. They'll do anything short of actually living like one.

Family values: 1685

The king had a very numerous issue, though none by his queen. The duke had by both his wives, and some irregular amours, a very numerous issue.

--From History of his own Times--

 Strong, traditional, Christian, family values.

Government secrets: 1661

Yet he was a very vicious man: and that perhaps made him the more considered by the king, who loved and trusted him to a high degree. No man had more credit with the king; for he was on the secret as to his religion, and was more trusted with the whole design that was then managed in order to establish it, than any man whatsoever.

--From History of his own Times--

If you are in charge of a nation and have some secret ideology you want to convert it to, best to ask yourself why you need to keep your ideology a secret in the first place.

The religion of kings: 1660

But when he talked freely, he could not help letting himself out against the liberty that under the reformation all men took of inquiring into matters of religion: for from their inquiring into matters of religion, they carried the humour farther, to inquire into matters of state. He said often, he thought government was a much safer and easier thing where the authority was believed infallible, and the faith and submission of the people was implicit...

--From History of his own Times--

Post-modernism: 1651

The protestors urged for themselves, that, since all protestants rejected the pretence of infallibility, the major part of the church might fall into errors, in which case the lesser number could not be bound to submit to them...

--From History of his own Times--

 It's like there are multiple view-points and no one can be sure which one is correct, or if any of them are.

A savior is born: 664 BC

Our hectic modern world: 1888

Civilization has become so artificial that many know nothing of such life, or regard it as savagery. The vast horizon and overarching sky, silence and space where the voice of God speaks directly to the soul of man, the mysterious processes of nature, terrify them. They miss conventional forms as much as matutinal [morning] warm water, rocking-chairs and the daily paper. Having learned neither to observe nor to think, they are as lonely, awe-struck and unappreciative as a deserted babe under the dome of St. Peter's.

--From Good housekeeping--

Warm water in the morning, newspapers, and rocking-chairs; it's amazing anyone can feel a spiritual connection to anything with all the decadence which surrounds them, especially the rocking-chairs.