Overview of Lynn White

In the beginning of Genesis, God instructs Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it… have dominion over …every living thing that moveth upon the earth." This controlling attitude towards the natural world fuels White’s surmise that Christianity should take some responsibility for the current destructive environmental mess.

White lays this environmental and ecological crisis at the feet of Christianity claiming that the human race has been programmed since the beginning of time, through biblical readings and claims, to have dominance over the Earth. From the earliest plow which “attacked the land with such violence” to the industrial revolution; mankind has dominated over the natural world. At first our dominance may have been with “good” intentions, but now it is simply because we can. White argues that in order for the Earth to recover from these man-made devastations such as deforestation, industrialization and over consumption, advanced science and technology are not going to do it, instead, we need a new religion that will combat this present ecological crisis.

I’m sure several claims were made against White’s article; after all it challenges belief. There are claims that White makes in which I believe, for instance the realization that we do, as a race, inevitably rule over everything. However, I do not agree with this claim that we need to create a new religion or fix the old one. Relying on anything but ourselves seems like a quick fix, one that I am not willing to wait around for. White alludes to a religion that would promote more earth-friendly human behavior; if we are to rely on another religion, what ideas should we adapt… Buddhism, Hinduism or how about Taoism? All those religions incorporate some sort of earth-friendly belief. For instance, Taoism emphasizes compassion, moderation, and humility. Meanwhile Hinduism refers to spiritual enlightenment, Karma etc. (I apologize if I get this wrong) If this is the case, then why do East Asia, India and other areas that strongly believe these religions have the worst environmental records? If religion is the reason, according to White, why we are in our current environmental crisis, then why rely on religion to get us out?

Whether we try to understand God’s mine through natural theology or play the role of God, we have forever been in control of all that surrounds us.