By Dean Dwyer for
Harbinger's Daily
If I was to use the word “theology”, most Christians would have an accurate understanding of what it means. However, for the benefit of those who may be unclear, the word is composed of two Greek words: theos (“God”) and logos (“word”). In the literal sense, the study of theology refers to the study of words about God, specifically the revelation of God through His true and trustworthy Word. Therefore, the knowledge of God is the goal of theology.
Now, what if I used the word “ecotheology”? Well, if you want to know more, this is an excerpt from the Harvard Divinity Bulletin: “This course surveys constructive religious reflection, drawn from a variety of religious and spiritual traditions, that is informed by an ecological worldview and accountable to various forms of environmental activism. In constructing the syllabus, I sought to include constructive or ‘theological’ texts from as many different religious traditions as possible. As a result, the course functioned as an introduction to comparative theology as well as to the ways people of diverse faiths think about environmental issues.”
The reading list for the course is somewhat eye-opening but the last one really caught my attention. It is entitled “When God Was a Bird: Christianity, Animism, and the Re-Enchantment of the World”. In the description of the book, it reads: “Many environmentalists today identify as animists, which means they affirm the personhood of all living beings. In this volume, Wallace explores what it might mean for Christian theology to embrace the animist worldview.”
Might I say very strongly that no Christian should be adopting an animist worldview. However, syncretism between Christianity and animism is, sadly, being promoted. The website christiananimism.com claims as follows: “Animism is the word most widely used to describe humanity’s original spirituality and worldview. We believe it is the original biblical Christian belief; this is why we choose to speak of ‘Christian Animism’”. In short, animism is the belief that everything has a soul or spirit and since they believe this to be the case, animists believe each anima (Latin for “breath” or “spirit”) is a powerful spirit that can help or hurt them and therefore they should be worshiped or feared. Generally, animists will deify animals, stars and idols of any kind. As part of their belief system, they practice spiritism, witchcraft, divination and astrology. To protect themselves from evil spirits and placate the good spirits, animists use magic, spells, enchantments, talismans and charms. The Bible very clearly prohibits such practices!
More
harbingersdaily.com
Harbinger's Daily
If I was to use the word “theology”, most Christians would have an accurate understanding of what it means. However, for the benefit of those who may be unclear, the word is composed of two Greek words: theos (“God”) and logos (“word”). In the literal sense, the study of theology refers to the study of words about God, specifically the revelation of God through His true and trustworthy Word. Therefore, the knowledge of God is the goal of theology.
Now, what if I used the word “ecotheology”? Well, if you want to know more, this is an excerpt from the Harvard Divinity Bulletin: “This course surveys constructive religious reflection, drawn from a variety of religious and spiritual traditions, that is informed by an ecological worldview and accountable to various forms of environmental activism. In constructing the syllabus, I sought to include constructive or ‘theological’ texts from as many different religious traditions as possible. As a result, the course functioned as an introduction to comparative theology as well as to the ways people of diverse faiths think about environmental issues.”
The reading list for the course is somewhat eye-opening but the last one really caught my attention. It is entitled “When God Was a Bird: Christianity, Animism, and the Re-Enchantment of the World”. In the description of the book, it reads: “Many environmentalists today identify as animists, which means they affirm the personhood of all living beings. In this volume, Wallace explores what it might mean for Christian theology to embrace the animist worldview.”
Might I say very strongly that no Christian should be adopting an animist worldview. However, syncretism between Christianity and animism is, sadly, being promoted. The website christiananimism.com claims as follows: “Animism is the word most widely used to describe humanity’s original spirituality and worldview. We believe it is the original biblical Christian belief; this is why we choose to speak of ‘Christian Animism’”. In short, animism is the belief that everything has a soul or spirit and since they believe this to be the case, animists believe each anima (Latin for “breath” or “spirit”) is a powerful spirit that can help or hurt them and therefore they should be worshiped or feared. Generally, animists will deify animals, stars and idols of any kind. As part of their belief system, they practice spiritism, witchcraft, divination and astrology. To protect themselves from evil spirits and placate the good spirits, animists use magic, spells, enchantments, talismans and charms. The Bible very clearly prohibits such practices!
More
'Eco-Theology': The Latest Departure From The Faith
Rather than refute the claims made under the banner of ecotheology, it appears that many churches and seminaries are jumping on board, keen to “repent” for their climate crimes and adopt the pagan religion of animism into their beliefs, all in the name of supposedly saving the earth from man.
harbingersdaily.com
