I Hate the Green Bible
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Now I know I might make some people mad, but I hate this new Bible. It's called the Green Bible. Admittedly, I have not read any passages in it. But it's the idea and premise that makes me tense.
So what is it?
The Green Bible highlights all the 'environmental' passages throughout the Bible in GREEN. Here's how they put it:
The Green Bible seeks out the word of God for our diminished planet. Its sources range from the Hebrew and Christian scriptures to religious and political leaders, scientists, and environmentalists today. Their voices bring home the urgent task we face: to mend our household which is Creation, and to inspire hope that life will continue—and flourish—for all Earth's beings.
This seems to be an answer/alternative to the red-letter Bible. And I sort of have a problem with it. It's not the I am an eco-destroyer. It's just that I like Jesus. He is key to everything. Everything we do should point to him—not the environment. I appreciate the value of making new ways of creating conversations about God. Heck, my book is called 10 Things I Hate About Christianity.
God warns us in the 2nd commandment not to worship anything but him. Not some image we've created. Not something he created. Not nature. The apostle Paul warns us to worship the Creator over what he's created. We have to be very careful about subtle ways of taking our emphasis off of Jesus.
Is this a neat new conversational tool? Or is it a subtle, but dangerous, deemphasis of the central character and message in the Bible—Jesus and God uniting humanity with himself through Jesus? I don't like diluting Jesus from anything for any reason. It makes me mad.
I think I'd like these Bibles to get recycled. But if you need to grab a Bible while you're on your way to hugging some trees, saving some whales, and eating some falafel, get the Green Bible.
Here's what I would highlight in MY green Bible:
Genesis 1:28 - "...fill the earth and subdue it...Rule over...all the wild animals"
Have you looked up the word "subdue" in the dictionary lately? It's got nothing to do with mending.
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Jason, you hit the nail on the head: this Bible facilitates (if not outright encourages) the worship of creation instead of the Creator.
Jesus said that He Himself is *the* way, *the* truth, and *the* life, and that no man comes to the Father, except through Him. That means that following Jesus is our paramount goal - and Jesus said that the greatest commandments are to love God, and to love others.
Environmentalism fits nowhere in the equation.
So, at the very least, the Green Bible detracts from the salvation gospel thread of the Bible by placing unfounded emphasis on environmentalism. At worst, the Green Bible is inherently sinful, by facilitating/encouraging worship of the environment rather than the One who created that environment.
For all the tree-huggers out there: if you want a truly "green" Bible, go buy a PDA, and install Laridian Bible software on it. (It's actually what I use.)
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Have you looked up the word "subdue" in the dictionary lately? It's got nothing to do with mending.
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I also hate the Great Bible,because I think that this book is meaningless. But a lot of people can can not comply with me!
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