Wendee,
You have championed the "simple" lifestyle in a number of your recent
postings.
e.g. "It was truly a pioneer lifestyle, and I absolutely cherish it and the
impact it made on my life and my values."
This sentiment is often expressed by what I think of as the
environmentalist types. But I don't understand the thinking behind it (in
the sense of claiming the simple life to be the moral one) very well other
than to say that it is basically an anti-technology position. The premise
appears to be one in which we are living morally when we have as little
impact on nature as possible. I don't think this is in keeping with a
Christian view of stewardship. Of creation, we are to be caretakers, yes,
but we are also to use and enjoy God's creation. Finding appropriate uses
of God's creation is part of responsible technology and burning fossil
fuels is, to a certain degree (we may have gone too far), an appropriate
use.
For example, we could all try to live in hand built log cabins with waste
treatment and such performed by low tech means (we could all construct our
own little settling ponds and wetland systems by hand). We could not
support the same kind of population levels under this scheme. Things would
be much more difficult. People would be separated from each other.
Mortality rates would be much higher. This does not appear as responsible
technology to me. It may be enjoyable and appropriate for some (such as
yourself) but it is not the answer to developing a Christian view of how to
do technology.
The question isn't "How do we, as Christians, avoid the forming and use of
technology and encourage others to do the same?" It is "How do we, as
Christians, participate in the forming and use of technology in a manner
consistent with our commitment to have a right relationship with God, right
relationships with others, and to be good caretakers of God's creation?"
Joel
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