The Evil and the Environment Shattered World - Research Paper Example

The Evil and the Environment Shattered World I. Introduction A. The model of Evil and Environment Shattered World Structure and function of evil and environment shattered world 2. The symbols of evil and environment shattered world B. The use of evil and environment shattered world in the study of religion and culture 1. Use in context of time 2. Use in context of place 3. Use in context of culture II. Elements of Evil and the Environment Shattered World A. The significance with regards to social, contemporary and cultural experience 1. Symbols representing the Canadian Water crisis 2. Canadian water crisis as an experience B. Different symbols of idea associated with the environment 1. Canadian Water Crisis 2. The Danger of Bottled Water C. Questions about Evil and Environment as symbols evil in study of religion and culture 1. How do people believe in these symbols of evil? 2. How is evil and environment explained in terms of religion and culture? 3. What are the most consistent evidence of evil and environment as symbols of evil? III. Conclusion A. Current research revealed relationship between evil and environment and the study of religion and culture. B. The most radical paradigm is the Christian cosmological approach which sees the issues of the Canadian water crisis as a spiritual crisis. 1. The world's spiritual and religious traditions which presupposes that universe and all life processes are spiritually meaningful and material. 2. Dialogue with several cultures and science which presupposes that water symbolizes evil and environment as it has its own subjective and intrinsic values in the world. The Evil and the Environment Shattered World Evil is a threat to human reason as it challenges the perception that the world makes sense. For instance, the Lisbon earthquake which occurred in the eighteenth century was manifest evil. In the study of religion and culture, Suzuki views evil as a matter concerning human cruelty and Maude Barlow as an extreme incarnation. Whether expressed in secular or theological terms, evil denotes a challenge about the world's intelligibility and it confronts religion with fundamental questions. According to Suzuki et al (23), water is essential in the today's world as it sustains the life of human beings on earth. Water is usually a natural resource which to some peoples it is given free to the world. However, the situation has changed with World Bank reporting water shortages in 80 countries around the world. Groundwater depletion and population growth are the two primary challenges resulting to global water crisis. According to the environmental advocates, Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke as well as David Suzuki views water crisis as an experience of evil and environment as they describes it as the tragedy of the time. They ask individuals to consider the consequences of what they are practicing in the present day environment. For centuries, people had knowledge that they were embedded in the environment and they promised and prayed to always do the right thing. Suzuki finally concludes that people live in a shattered world where they do not see themselves as part of the larger problem. Clarke and Barlow draw attention of the society to the exponential growth of the global water crisis and provide a world perspective on it. They posit that the development of a crisis does not happen in a systematic or incremental manner but, rather appear out of nowhere and suddenly, despite developing for years or months without being noticed prior to their surfacing. Species are also dramatically lost concurrently with the world's looming water crisis. Barlow and Clarke examine the key issues concerned with the global water crisis. They examine water pollutants such as chemicals and sewage that wash of the environment poisoning the world's waterways. They give the example of American and Canadian waterways which are heavily polluted prescription drugs and synthetic chemicals that pass the water recycling plants without being filtered. In addition, factory farms contribute to water run-off pollution as a result of the large quantities of antibiotics and nitrogen from fertilizers (Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke 54). Andy Riga, in his article 'Canada's water crisis escalating' shares the perspectives of Barlow and Clarke. Riga comprehensively explores the Canadian water crisis and sets out the dimensions of the crisis and identifies issues related to it. For instance, he explores water pollutants, algae, drought, Canadian's water consumption rates, climate change, water myths, problem-solving strategies and future risks to water system resulting from climate change (Andy Riga 37). David Suzuki also writes about bottled water as a bone of contention between the general public and environmentalists in his article 'Message in a Bottle'. According to Suzuki, as a matter of reality, bottled water is an environmental disaster and a marketing phenomenon. He notes the sale of bottled water in United States which is more expensive than the ordinary tap water to support his case. Suzuki argues that bottled water is no better than tap water with regards to quality and the several tests have found coliform bacteria, synthetic and arsenic chemicals in bottled water (Suzuki et al., 109). Suzuki questions the suppliers bottled water source and the quality and manufacturing of the plastic bottles. Despite taking large quantities of oil to manufacture, plastic bottles are not recycled, rather tossed in garbage bins. He brings into light research suggesting that bottled water may contain some components of plastic which filter into the water itself. Some of the components are endocrine disrupters which are synthetic chemicals that disrupt the normal body's process and block body's hormones when absorbed into the blood stream. The chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in the manufacture of hard plastic bottles known as polycarbonates. Today the economy of the world is everything and in instances that the economy is challenged, people do not imagine protecting the environment at the expense of the economy. People feel that they are helpless and know that they are doing evil things, but they still feel there is little they can contribute to the global economy. Scholars of modern philosophy argue that a demon, which is no less powerful than God, subject humanity to different crisis or terror and controls reality of life. Some of the scholars believe that the earth, heavens, external things, and figures can never be trusted to be true. This is an intellectual exercise which uses tradition to explain the human mind with regards to the water crisis. The guiding thought in explaining the Canadian water crisis in relation to the religion and culture is the problem of evil. Susan Neiman refers to evil to mean absolute wrongdoings that does not allow expiation or account. She further notes if the society cannot order evil, then both theoretical and practical reasons are under threat. David Suzuki also notes that evil and environment shatters the trust people have in the world forcing them to try to senseless things to make sense (Chamberlain 83). The meaning of the current Canadian water crisis differs among philosophers and Christians. Several approaches operate with different assumptions, theological resources, questions, realm of concern and goals resulting to some Christian paradigms such as eco-justice, stewardship, cosmology, and eco-feminism. For example, Stewardship advances the argument that water is to be preserved and protected as it is a natural resource essential for health, life and betterment of humans. It works with existing religious, political and socio-economic systems to address problems such as water pollution, water crisis as it relates human flourishing. The primary theological stewardship resource is Genesis 1: 26-31. Human beings are then required to respond to the Canadian water crisis to manage and care for water as a resource from God for human well-being in a partnership between humans and God. The Christian Cosmological approach of theology in the American tradition provides the most dominant paradigm for interpreting the Canadian water crisis to symbolize evil. The water crisis is understood and believed to result from the disorder that entered into the religion or as a form of punishment for sin. The purpose of this water calamity which signifies evil is to drive human beings to reliance on God and repentance. It is a common belief that when human race suffer calamities such as water crisis, then it is God teaching people to have peace and patience. Christianity makes things appear devilish by teaching Christians the torments of the damned. The Christian dogma and contradictions concerning God are exposed by evil, whether moral or natural. As noted by Suzuki, the experience of natural and moral evil is the desired consequence of the challenges or imperfection of the human race. Therefore, evil is a necessity which is metaphysical in nature. The water symbolizes this crisis and reveals that universe conform to the natural laws of science as it is not necessary for divine intervention to be present to keep the world moving. According to Maude Barlow (226), nature and calamities in it are essential in providing the necessary conditions within which human beings exercise their freedom to become human. This is a psychological and historical process that involves suffering and conflict which is the proper subject of religion and culture. That human nature is dynamic and subject to evil which means that evil occasionally plays a constructive role in the natural calamities that befall human beings in the world. Therefore, it is right to say that the Canadian water crisis is an experience of evil and the environment. This is because it is clear that evil and environment comes from the doings of human beings such as pollution as opposed from the hand of hand. It then becomes essential for people to worry and be concerned about the evil and environment which they are responsible for. To this end, the only way to tackle the experience of evil in religion and culture in the world is for human beings to examine their responsibility for evils they commit. The tragedy of human existence should no longer live on opportunities missed, wrong identifications and grabbed in the power of the contingent, rather people should desire to know the world and God fit together in order to penetrate contingency. The problem of water crisis is a problem human beings in the world brought to themselves by creating ideologies and cultures that put life in the wrong. Some religious philosophers see the water crisis as a judgment on the unfaithful people of the world. The Canadian water crisis seems both contingent and intelligible as all that is needed for evil and environment to prevail is for religious and good men to show no effort to address it (Chamberlain 69). Works Cited Andy Riga, “Canada’s water crisis ‘escalating’,” CanWest News Service, Vancouver Sun, 23 February 2008 Chamberlain, Gary. Troubled Waters: Religion, Ethics, and the Global Water Crisis. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print. Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World’s Water, Chapter 3: “Dying of Thirst,” Maude Barlow published a related book in 2007, entitled Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water( Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2007). Suzuki, David, Amanda McConnell, and Adrienne Mason. The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2008. Internet resource. Read More