Mountain Top Removal and Christianity - Research Paper Example

College Mountain Top Removal and Christianity In the book of Numbers 35:34, God gave humans the instructions that they shouldnot destroy the land they have been given to live in and where the Lord dwells. If the US government had adhered to these instructions, most of the people who are living in the Appalachian region would not have been suffering. The Appalachian mountain is one of the mountains that are experiencing mountain top removal. Mountain top removal is the extraction of coal from the top of mountains. This activity is very dangerous to the environment. People who live in these regions believe that coal is the king, but, in the real sense, the people who control coal mining are the kings. These kings receive many benefits from the mining yet most of them do not live in the region. This is because they know the effects of coal mining to the environment in the area. Current research has shown that mountain top removal has caused serious health impairments to many residents in the Appalachian region. In addition, this mining has made the environment ugly. This activity has caused a lot of destruction: it has degraded ecosystem, driven out communities, caused flooding, and brought about divisions among people. The worst effect of mountain removal is the toxic wastes that it exudes into air and water. These toxic wastes are very harmful to people. Most of the people who live in this region are Christians. They have experienced many health problems due to this coal mining. These Christians have teamed up together to eliminate this menace that have affected their lives for many decades. They are trying to fight this problem with all their strength. However, better ways of reducing the effects of mountain removal on the environment have to be incorporated as quickly as possible, since it is going to destroy the whole environment at large. Residents in Appalachian Mountains have been worried about the effects of coal mining to their neighbors and friends. These effects have been there for several decades, and it seems not to be ending. Many cases of cancer, asthma, skin ailments, kidney diseases, and many other maladies have been related to the coal mining on the mountaintops. Cancer has buried many people in this region, and not all cases are reported. The current government statistics have shown that there are increased cases of illnesses and deaths in these regions that correlate with the mountain top removal. Many studies are going on to diagnose the cause of the calamity. There are increased rates of birth defects that are linked to the mountain top removals. The recent peer-reviewed study shows that the causes of these defects are directly related to the coal mining. This mining emits the highest amount of mercury into the air causing neurological damage to the newly born babies. The Christian community is encouraging every individual in the region to resist further coal mining in the region. (Veit, Heinz, & Thomas 225). Fight against mountain top removal started very long time ago. The first organization to fight this danger was Commission on Religion in Appalachia. This organization came into existence in 1965, and its main aims were to deal with issues of poverty and justice. CORA taught people about the God’s love to the people who reside in the Appalachian Mountains. It was used to train people concerning the community structure of activists and how to fight for the rights of the community members. CORA joined the debate about the effects of coal mining to the people and the environment. It joined hands together with the other West Virginia counties in fighting against the strip mining that was becoming a menace to the people in that society. CORA expanded its role in the society. It stated to fight for many issues that were affecting many residents, i.e. civil rights as well as labor and environmental issues. This organization was inspired by the biblical quotes, one of them being the book of Amos 5:23-24 that says “Let justice role down like water.” It directed the religious values to solving matters related to the environment. This organization continued serving the Appalachian communities until 2006 when they disbanded due to the lack of funds (Catholic Committee of Appalachia 5). Christians for the Mountain (CFTM) became the organization to resume the work that CORA did not complete. This organization educated people on the effects of mountain top removal. This organization fully relied on the biblical references in the matters that concern with the humankind and the environment at large. CFTM relied on the creation care theology, a philosophy that discusses how Christians should take environmental ethics as their responsibility. CFTM emphasizes on both importance of justice and the moral values that all Christians are supposed to show. This organization is against mountain top removal but it formulates its goals in a positive way. It is completely different from the traditional environmentalists who used threats to scare people to do the right things in the region. Many environmental organizations in the world are encouraging people on the importance of taking care of the environment for the future generations. Christians give hopeful messages to the people by telling them that humankind should respect and love what God has created since God made them to take care of everything that He created. It is a duty and privilege for Christians to take care of the God’s creation in the mountains, too. They should try all means to ensure that every living and non-living thing is not destroyed by the human activities. Christians do not place themselves above nature; their mission is just to take care of the God’s creation (Catholic Committee of Appalachia 6). Christians are spreading the message that people should love the God’s creation and take good care of it. They do not fear using militant tone that will make them succeed in their mission on the mountain top removal. There is an issue which cannot be addressed through a soft tone since it is very serious and should be dealt with as soon as possible. The damage that is caused by this activity is going up at a very fast rate. Christians have condemned this activity using religious language. They condemn those who use their greed, apathy, and ignorance to destroy God’s creation. These forceful words must be used to ensure that the people who are controlling the coalfields consider them. This organization influenced many Christians across the Appalachian region and their support increased with time. The number of the group increased and it comprised many Christians from different denominations in Appalachian region. Many religious leaders have declared that they will fight the effects of coal mining in the Appalachian region. West Virginia council of churches, for example, is working to combat the issue. They are people of God who have faith and they work according to their covenant with God in taking care of what God has created. They should not stand and watch mountains being destroyed by the human beings who want to satisfy their needs and greedy nature. They have to work hard to eradicate this destruction. Coal mining causes permanent destruction of the environment, and the environment will endure terrible damage if this harmful cause is not eliminated. They believe that if the enforcement they are putting in place is considered, then the damage caused by the mountain top removal is going to end. Christians have observed that the areas in the states with the highest production of coal are still the poorest states in the country and have diminishing economic growth. These Christian councils should support the mining families by making sure there is just economic transition in all states in the country. They are urging the state leaders to work hard in ensuring that the economies of these states are improved without any further destruction of the environment. Christians believe that they should support the communities which live in the areas with coalfields, which compromises their health. Christian religious leaders called on a rally to pray and remember the 500 mountains that were being destroyed due to the mountain top removal. They wished President Barack Obama to listen to their prayers and end the coal mining that produced million pounds of sulfates in the environment. These religious leaders have been outspoken for many decades on matters concerning mountain top removal. They have tried their best to reduce the activity but the government has never considered their grievances. Many religious denomination issued resolution of faith on anti-mountain removal. This resolution stated that one should not destroy human life sacredness and the environment for gaining corporate profit. The resolution further added that mountain top removal is destroying people, economy and the whole environment in Appalachia. Some of the denominations that believed in this resolution faith were the Religious Society of Friend, Evangelical Lutheran church, the Episcopal Church, the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the United Methodist church. The United States Presbyterian Church also made declarations on the mountain top removal. They stated that mountain top removal is an activity that destroys the beauty of the land and its productivity. This destruction will eliminate the future of the economic activities for most of the Appalachian families. This church quoted the verse in the book of Numbers 35:34 that say God instructed man to take care of the land that he is given to live in and where He dwells. This church urges the United States government to ensure it regulates the mining activities and the companies that own the mining sites. The government must also do away with mountain top mining and look for alternative sources of power that are less harmful to people and the environment. West Virginia churches published a book called “Mountain Tops Do Not Grow Back, Stories of Living in the Midst of Mountain Top Removal Strip Mining.” This book talked about the human cost and violations that take place in the coalfields of the Appalachian Mountains. The Catholic Committee of Appalachia sponsored a trip to the mountain top removal areas. Several evangelistic leaders went to the trip. Their main intention was to vote against the coal mining. They were to testify to the other people about what they have heard and seen in the coalfields through writing, sermons, and conversation. Emeritus Walter Sullivan, Catholic Bishop, visited the area in 2004. He released a statement that encouraged Christian to live and help the hopeless and helpless in the society. The statement notes how some leaders have gained profit from the coal minds while destroying lives of many residents there. West Virginia council of churches issued a statement in 2007 about mountain top removal. Mission of this statement was to ensure that the calamity was reduced. In this statement, Christians expressed their concerns about protecting the environment and the people who live in the coalfields. The statement stated that Christians are the people of faith and they cannot stand and watch God’s creation destroyed through mountain top removal. The destruction was permanent, and everything destroyed was never to be recovered. They say that the Surface Mining and Control Act put in place in 1977 did not end the abuse of the surface mining. The destruction was still going on. The statement quotes Psalms 21:1 that reminds humankind that “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” The statement also quoted Genesis 2:15 that says God created man to be responsible and faithful in everything he has been given. The coal mining has destroyed the beauty of West Virginia environment, and it is the duty of the Christians to prevent further destruction. This statement notes the importance of coal mining, i.e. job opportunities it provides; however, the destruction it causes has outweighed the advantages people have due to this activity. Christians call is to support those who have been affected by the mining activity and who have their ancestral homes taken and buried in the minefields. Many prominent Christian leaders have signed this statement. It was to spread the awareness about the effects of the mountain top removal. The CFTM directed a DVD called Mountain Mourning that showed the violence related to mountain top removal and health problems this activity causes. This film brings together the culture, religion, environment, and how all these are affected by the coal mining. This film shows how the government has gained from the mountain top removal for last decades. It informs viewers that this requires attention from everybody in the society because any surface destroyed will never be recovered. The mountains will bear these scars for a very long time. The film shows all disasters that have been caused by the mountain top removal, one of them being the one that occurred in 2000 in Martin County. This was caused by a slurry pond that broke, and many communities were flooded with toxic water. It shows the effects of the toxic water on the people in the region that was flooded. This film points out how God’s creation have been destroyed by some greedy people who want to gain profits from natural resources without considering the effects they are causing to the environment. This film has been used by the Christians to teach viewers about the effects of coal mining and their right to oppose this activity. In conclusion, it is clear that the effects of mountain top removal have concerned many Christians in the region, so they started struggling against this menace. It is a responsibility of each Christian to ensure that God’s creation is taken care of to ensure that the next generations benefit from the resources also. Christians also should defend the weak and powerless in the society and ensure they are treated justly. They all meet together to discuss issues that are affecting the residents in the region and come up with ways in which they can cope with those issues. Christians are responsible for reforming issues related to mountain top removal and for connecting this issue to other related problems affecting the residents. Works cited This Land Is Home to Me: A Pastoral Letter on the Powerlessness in Appalachia. Paintsville, Ky: Kentucky Highlands Pub. Co, 1975. Print. At Home in the Web of Life: A Pastoral Message on Sustainable Communities in Appalachia Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of This Land Is Home to Me. Webster Springs, W.V: Catholic Committee of Appalachia, 1995. Print. Veit, Heinz, and Thomas Scheurer. "Mountain Research Across Boundaries." Mountain Research and Development. 26.4 (2006): 372-373. Print. Moyers, Bill D, Gail Ablow, Wayne Palmer, and Michael Bacon. Bill Moyers Journal: September 7, 2007. Princeton, NJ: Films Media Group, 2007. Print. Leadership Development and Support for Church Education in Appalachia. Memphis, Tenn: Frontier Press, 1976. Print. Cora: Our Christian Commitment in Appalachia. Knoxville, TN: Commission on Religion in Appalachia, 1971. Print. Read More