Fracking Threatens God's Glorious Creation

[naomi24]

The Church of England has told parishioners that fracking causes environmental problems and urges believers to consider their Christian duty to act as "stewards of the earth".

Do Christians have a duty to act as 'stewards of the earth', or is that a responsibility that is incumbent upon us all?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10240773/Fracking-threatens-Gods-glorious-creation.html

[McMouse]

I'm not sure the Diocese of Blackburn speaks for the Church of England. To Frack or not to Frack is a local issue and clergy tend to jump on bandwagons as do politicians. When God created shale I don't recall him/her putting up a sign saying "Do not remove gas".

[jim360]

I don't know, I'd tend to side with Ed on this -- it stands to reason that even if an issue goes beyond just your audience you are likely to appeal to them specifically. Then that audience is more likely to listen to you. And it doesn't immediately follow that you exclude all others from having a role just because you haven't specifically mentioned them. "As Christians, we have a duty to give charitably..." but then everyone else ought to help other people as and when they are able.

A more serious objection, I think, would be the question: if Christians have a duty to act as stewards of the Earth, why have they not been doing so for most of the last 2,000 years? Or at least, if they have been trying that it's not been all that effective, has it? The Earth is, at least on the surface, unrecognisable from what it used to be. England was once almost one big forest -- the trees are all gone now, most of that damage being done in the early part of the last millennium. Seems a bit late then, no?

Fracking seems to cause environmental problems to some extent, but no more than many other things that have gone on virtually unchecked -- including deforestation and extraction of coal, metals, other fossil fuels, industrial levels of fishing, industry as a whole polluting the atmosphere... where is the Church's "stewardship of the Earth" on these issues?

[jomifl]

Since god gave man dominion over the earth etc. I think it is our duty to use the gas that he has so bountifully supplied, it would be disrespectful nor to.

[jomifl]

^not

[Octavius]

so you are pro fracking jomifl ?

[jomifl]

Jim, the church had a financial interest in most of the despoilation of the planet, perhaps it's just sour grapes 'cos they missed the boat (if they did) on getting into fracking.

[jim360]

Yes, I'm already aware of what (I think) the answer to my question is. So, really, it illustrates the hypocrisy of it all. At least over the long-term and as a whole, Christians have only been concerned about opposing such things when they can't otherwise benefit from them. Like any group there are individual exceptions, to be sure.

[jomifl]

Octavius, I am neither pro nor anti fracking since I cannot find enough unbiased information to form a view. Releasing methane and CO2 into the atmosphere seems to be a bad idea, but since the nimby/green lobby oppose any solution to the problem of energy supply and most people will not or cannot do without it then it looks as if fracking is better than open cast coal mining. Methane from the continental shelf margins is a huge resource but has its own problems not least of which is global warming.

[Octavius]

Fair enough jomifl, it seems by and large that opinion is generally split depending on where you live and whether the process itself affects your living arrangement. I feel for those people that may be so affected.

[mikey4444]

Ah...Barbara Stanwyck ! She was responsible for my first wet dream, many, many years ago now. I remember it well...I think it had something to do with those leather boots and that whip.

Sorry in advance for sharing this with everybody !

[jim360]

Err... TMI.

[modeller]

So that's it then God has spoken, those miniscule tremors near Blackpool were a reminder of Sodom and Gomorrah it will be London and Birmingham next. :o)

[naomi24]

//Fracking Threatens God's Glorious Creation//

... but then again, it might not.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/16/fracking-opposition-ignoring-fuel-poor-church-of-england

[woofgang]

I was going to remark on this too. The BBC has just reported that the C of E had managed to register its mineral rights...although I understood that in the UK, such rights all belonged to the Crown.

[chakka35]

Since all of the other alleged ways in which fracking damages the environment have been shown to be myths, the only one left is the visual impact of the final installation.
In fact, the resulting structures are very modest and are easily screened by trees and bushes. Contrast this with those huge white windmills which desecrate the countryside and whose contribution to our energy needs is negligible - even when the wind is blowing.
Not for the first time, the clergy have got it wrong.