Swimming in Worldviews, at the Aquarium
August 10, 2006
This past weekend, my wife and I took our youngest daughter and some out-of-town friends to visit one of our favorite attractions, the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The wildlife displays truly are spectacular, educational and entertaining for all ages. During past visits, my eyes have been drawn to the spectacular and entertaining. This time, I tried to focus on the Aquarium’s educational efforts.
In addition to the wealth of information describing the animals, their habits and their habitats, several exhibits included descriptions and pictures of environmental damage caused by the human race. This is not surprising given that the Aquarium’s stated mission is “to stimulate interest in, develop knowledge about, and inspire stewardship of aquatic environments” (emphasis added).
What interested me most was trying to identify the worldview(s) to which the Aquarium is appealing in order to “inspire stewardship of aquatic environments.”
A placard near its entrance gives one clue:
Eastern religions and their Western New Age offspring teach the fundamental reality that we humans, together with the animal kingdom, form part of the same divine, cosmic oneness, “the One.” Moreover, these religions teach that we could repair what ails the human condition and the world if only we could overcome the illusion that we are distinct beings, separate from the One. The Aquarium’s petition that we “imagine a planet . . . where [we are] one with the wonders of the animal kingdom” seems like a direct appeal to this view of the world.
Another sign, found deeper in the exhibits, provides an added hint in the form of a quote from Russell Train, long-time environmental activist, chairman emeritus of the World Wildlife Fund and head of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Nixon:
To me, Train’s plea does not seem based on an Eastern/New Age worldview. If we are part of the same cosmic oneness, what sense would it make to say that we “owe a massive debt to our environment [i.e., ourselves]”?
Instead, the notion of owing a “debt” suggests that humans stand beneath some higher being. The Christian, of course, calls this being God. Russell Train chooses to name it “our environment.” While I don’t pretend to know Russell Train’s heart or his professed religious beliefs, I can say that his portrayal of this greater being differs greatly from the God of the Bible. “Environment” is neither a merciful nor gracious god. Our debt “won’t be settled in a matter of months, and it won’t be forgiven us.” The Christian God, in contrast, goes well beyond offering us forgiveness. In fact, He sent His only Son to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sins and to restore our relationship with Him.That our sins are forgiven does not relieve Christians of their continuing responsibility to care for the environment. God has mandated that we exercise stewardship over the earth (Genesis 1:28), guarding and caring for it (Genesis 2:15). He instructs us to love our neighbors (Mark 12:28-31), including future generations of neighbors who will live on Earth. Finally, we are told to care for the environment because it reflects the glory of God and gives us a glimpse of His majesty and power (Psalm 19; Romans 1:20). These principles motivate Christians to steward aquatic and other environments. If the National Aquarium is appealing to any of these principles in their educational program, I’m sorry to say that I completely missed the message.
Comments
Sweet, and succinct(sp?).
Mike
Posted by: Mike | August 28, 2006 09:05 PM