I recently got lectured to, apparently by some kind of Bible believer, on failing in my duties to follow the God-ordered requirement to be a "good steward."
Ironically, this self-righteous reprimand came from someone who was uber-upset over a cartoon I had done on how reckless and irresponsible human behavior is doing significant damage to the Earth's. planet.
As a basic review before going to the grump's thump, we have all heard from true believers regarding the Eye-in-the-Sky Big Guy's attitude on being a good steward. To quote from the basis of their Bible boosterism:
-"For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." (Titus 1:7-9)
-"Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." (1 Corinthians 4:2)
-"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." (1 Corinthians 4:1)
-"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:" (I Peter 4:10)
("Being a Good Steward," Bible quotes from ESV,
https://www.openbible.info/topics/being_a_good_steward)
And, of course, here's the delicately-danced drill from Mormonville:
"Steward, Stewardship . . .
"A person who takes care of the affairs or property of another. That which a steward cares for is called a stewardship. All things on earth belong to the Lord; we are His stewards. We are accountable to the Lord, but we may report on our stewardship to God’s authorized representatives. When we receive a calling of service from the Lord or His authorized servants, that stewardship may include both spiritual and temporal affairs (D&C 29:34).
-"'Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things,' Matt. 25:14–23.
-"'Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required,' Luke 12:48 (D&C 82:3).
-"Jesus gave the parable of the unjust steward, Luke 16:1–8.
="'Whoso is found a faithful steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord,' D&C 51:19.
-"Every man is to give an account of his stewardship, D&C 72:3–5.
-"'He that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things,' D&C 78:22.
-"The Lord will make every man accountable as a steward over earthly blessings, D&C 104:11–17 (D&C 42:32).
-"'Be diligent that thou mayest be a wise steward,' D&C 136:27.
"("Guide to the Scriptures: Steward, Stewardhship,"
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/steward-stewardshipMore from skittish officialish LDS Inc. in the its website article headlined, "Environmental Stewardship and Conservation":
"All humankind are stewards over the earth and should gratefully use what God has given, avoid wasting life and resources and use the bounty of the earth to care for the poor and the needy.
God created the earth to provide a place for the human family to learn, progress and improve. God first created the earth and all living things spiritually, and all living things have great worth in His eyes.
"The earth and all things on it should be used responsibly to sustain the human family. However, all are stewards — not owners — over this earth and its bounty and will be accountable before God for what they do with His creations.
"Approaches to the environment must be prudent, realistic, balanced and consistent with the needs of the earth and of current and future generations, rather than pursuing the immediate vindication of personal desires or avowed rights. The earth and all life upon it are much more than items to be consumed or conserved. God intends His creations to be aesthetically pleasing to enliven the mind and spirit, and some portions are to be preserved. Making the earth ugly offends Him."
("Environmental Stewardship and Conservation."
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/environmental-stewardship-conservation)
On the specific issue of climate change, the Mormon Church God has been strikingly and irresponsiblly mum/ From an article headlined, "Mormon Silence on Climate Change: Why, and What Might It Mean?":
"Scattered voices of climate concern among members of the Mormon Church can't drown out the veritable cone of silence from the church itself on environmental issues. . . .
"Search online for 'Mormons' and 'Global Warming,' and Google will reward you one-third of a second later with 777,000 results.
"Whether you’ll be any closer to understanding the actual position of the Mormons on the issue — that is of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) — is an entirely different issue. You won’t be.
"That’s the case primarily because LDS has no official position on contemporary environmental issues, says George B. Handley of Brigham Young University, himself a Mormon and generally considered the leading scholar on Mormonism and environmental issues. . . .
"Mormons generally are [clearly not] a hot-bed of concern over and activism over prospects of a hotter planet . . . notwithstanding the efforts by Handley and a small cohort of like-minded Mormons to increase awareness of climate change risks. Mormons overall — like those of other faith groups and of societal interests more broadly — are likely influenced in their approach to climate concerns by their political, societal, and economic characteristics and associations.
"[A] Pew Forum study represents Mormons as 'quite conservative' politically, compared with the general U.S. public, with 66% of Mormons, compared with 37% of the general public, accepting that identification. Nearly three-out-of-four Mormons support the Republican Party compared with 17% saying they generally support Democrats.
"The Pew study found 75% of the 1,000 Mormons surveyed preferring 'a smaller government providing fewer services to a bigger government providing more services,' compared with 48% of the general public. Many studies have associated support for a smaller government with resistance to accepting climate science or the regulatory responses that could be needed. . . .
"On climate change specifically, Handley has written that 'human communities often fail to think in global terms because it brings unwanted complexity, uncertainty, and responsibility …. Climate change tests our culture’s capacity to imagine the remote and often unseen threads of inter-connectivity that knit all human communities together and that make social and environmental concerns inseparable.” He sees the climate issue as “unprecedented in the demand it makes on us to be answerable to unseen, complex, and global processes of degradation.'
"On the politics of the issue, he has written that '[a]ddiction to the idea of unlimited growth . . . is nurtured today by think tanks devoted to fabricating reasonable doubt about climate change and other evidence of the consequences of growth . . . . Much of what can be done to fight climate change is consistent with traditional Christian values of good stewardship and modern living.'
"While recognizing that the availability of cheap and abundant fossil fuels 'has made modern life possible,' he insists that “the fact that fossil fuels still exist is not a theological mandate to make use of them.”
"Simply debating, 'yet again and ad nauseum,' conservative vs. liberal approaches to government in effect would 'allow ideology to trump religious principle,' according to Handley. Instead, he has written, LDS members should be motivated because 'the Church has taken revolutionary steps recently to green its architecture, putting it in the very vanguard of religious institutional action on climate change.'
"Nonetheless, it’s clearly an uphill battle to change the perception that LDS and Mormons as a whole show little real interest in addressing climate change. In some ways, Handley could be justified in feeling himself too often a 'one-man band' in beating the drums on the issue to his fellow LDS members.
"Some Images of Environmentalism a Turn-Off for Mormons
"That’s not quite the case. As with any group, it would be foolish and short-sighted to paint all its members with a single broad-brushed stroke. Another Mormon to have expressed serious concerns over climate change is Jason Brown, currently working as a federal government employee and teaching in Utah.
"'The absence of a robust contemporary Mormon environmental ethic stems largely from a deep polarization of environmental issues on the American political landscape during the past 50 years,' Brown wrote in 'Whither Mormon Environmental Theology?'
“'When those who would advocate for environmental issues become stereotyped with free love, drug culture, and secularism, conservative Mormons tend to stop listening,' he wrote. 'In such a volatile political atmosphere, the Church has increasingly shied away from declarations or sermons on our duty to care for the Earth.'
"At the same time, Brown writes that he is proud of 'a dramatic increase in grassroots environmentally focused Mormon activism, art, symposia, scholarship, blogs, and listserves.' He points to the younger generation of Mormons as a cause for hope about a growing environmental consciousness across LDS.
"Reflecting similar optimism, Handley has written in 'The Environmental Ethics of Mormon Belief' that LDS teachings have “more than enough in common with environmentalism to promote genuine and productive change … Not only is Mormon doctrine environmentally friendly, but it also provides powerful moral incentives for ecologically sustainable living.”
"Yet he fully recognizes that some critics accuse LDS of 'officially encouraging anti-ecological positions,' and he points to one survey showing LDS to be 'one of only a few churches that had no formal environmental policies and no institutional entities dedicated to fostering more sustainable environmental practices.'
"Rejecting any suggestion that LDS formally opposes environmentalism, he urges 'greater dialogue between different value systems and a more sincere effort to find the necessary common ground for that dialogue.'
"Who Speaks for LDS on Climate? No One
"Nature abhors a vacuum just as the policy world deplores a void. In a vacuum in which the church itself does not officially express 'any official position,' a deafening silence can be filled by those concerned about climate and related issues, such as Handley and Brown. Or it can be filled by others not so inclined. At the moment, there appears to be no concerted or substantial effort carefully targeted at Mormons by those in what Handley calls 'ideological and dogmatic denial.” That may be because they see no real need to do so'
"Neither Handley nor Brown, of course, speaks for LDS on the issue, and neither pretends to do so. There are indeed some Mormon local leaders who share their concerns, though no conspicuous ones at the federal level ([Former] Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid is a Mormon, but he . . . barely [took] a visible leadership role on this issue. Reid generally [was] less well-regarded among those polled by Pew than either [Mitt] Romney or [Jon] Huntsman.)
"In the general cacophony of silence that surrounds LDS and Mormons and issues related to climate change and associated energy matters, Handley’s views are heard most often and most emphatically. What is unclear is just how well, if at all, his words are being heard and listened to within the larger official structure of the LDS Church.
"He’s resolute nonetheless. 'Religion needs environmentalism as much as environmentalism needs religion,' he insists.
"That’s of course relevant given the near-certainty of the first Mormon, Mitt Romney, as a major party presidential nominee. A second Mormon GOP candidate, former Utah Governor and former Obama Administration Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, also had run, unsuccessfully, for the GOP nomination. It’s interesting to note as an aside that Romney and Huntsman . . . are the only two of the once-serious GOP 2012 primary candidates to have once taken positions in support of action on climate change. During the course of the primaries, however, all three moved significantly away from their previous positions."
("Mormon Silence on Climate Change: Why, and What Might It Mean?," by Bud Ward, at "Yale Climate Connections," 9 August 2012,
https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2012/08/mormon-silence-on-climate-change-why-and-what-might-it-mean/_____)
But back to the mailbag.
-This from a Complainer (who may or may not be Mormon but who could certainly pass for one):
"People are suffering. You are making cartoons of the suffering. HOW SAD!"
-My reply:
"People are suffering because climate-change deniers are trying to promote and implement their littl deadly Disneyland pseudo world of 'science.'
"That's what's really sad."
-Response from the Complainer:
"Sad I guess you are a hater. Unfortunate that you are not a good steward of the gifts you've been given. You have a platform to make a difference yet you spew hate.
"My condolences."
-My reply:
"I am not responsible for what you allow into your head that makes you sad.
"You are also not my judge as to what constitutes 'good stewardship' of my drawing abilities.
"You simply want me to draw your views for you. That is a non-starter.
"Instead of attempting to channel your opinions through my work or expressing your hate for artists you don’t agree with, may I respectfully suggest that you learn how to draw your own cartoons, hire someone to draw them for you, start your own publication as a platform for venting your personal issues and/or write a letter to the editor expressing your opinion on whatever may be saddening you at a given moment in time.
"Good luck. You can do it. Thanks for writing. Time to move on. Good day and condolences backatchya."
_____
Duck and cover, all ye cowardly believers in Christ/vociferous enemies of clear science.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2017 07:08PM by steve benson.