EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Ten, Number One November/December 2000 Successive Dominant Religions1 of the West by John B. Cobb, Jr CHRISTIANISM In the centuries after Constantine made the Christian church the official church of the empire, Christianity became the organizing principle for society. In Western Europe its use of Latin allowed educated people to communicate no matter what their original language. It provided the basic identity of most people and was that for which they were prepared to make personal sacrifices. NATIONALISM The horrors of the religious wars of the early 1600s led Christians to give over power to the political realm. The sovereign of each locale then decided what kind of religion would be allowed there. Beginning in 1650 a new organizing principle for society appeared — nationalism. People began to identify themselves as French, English, and German instead of Christian. It was for their nations that they were now willing to fight and die. This brought peace among religions, but war between nations. ECONOMISM After the two world wars of the 20th century there was general revulsion against nationalism. The devastation of Europe called for vast sums for rebuilding. Economics became the new organizing principle. The European Economic Community was formed, and meetings at Bretton Woods led to creation of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and indirectly, the World Trade Organization. Although the United Nations was formed as an international organization, it has progressively lost out to the Bretton Woods institutions in real power to deal with economic issues. The globalization of the economy to which this led empowered corporations and disempowered nations. Governments were reduced to picking up the pieces, providing infrastructure, and education. The goal of education and life in general now became to gain wealth. Economists became high priests of the new religion of Economism. EARTHISM The most powerful check on the forward advance of global capitalism is peoples' concern for the earth. More and more people are prepared to subordinate their economic interests to slow and reverse the devastation of the earth that results from Economism. A new spirituality centering on the earth is emerging. Nations and corporations are beginning to pay lip service to this concern and to make some concessions. The top-down approach remains dominant, but Earthists are calling for a reversal, and some bottom-up approaches to the organization of society are gaining ground. Where is the American Church? The American church has recognized the importance of paying attention to the environment, but it has added this as another concern alongside the others. Only a few church people have reoriented themselves so as to view all their issues from the bottom up. Nevertheless, much in the Bible and tradition encourages this shift, and a Christian form of Earthism is growing in influence and conviction. A Christian Earthism will recognize that even the Earth is too limited an object for ultimate devotion and will emphasize the value of individuals, especially human ones, in the whole scheme of things. 1. "By religions I mean ways of organizing life and society by which people identify themselves." From a lecture October 6, 2000, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Minneapolis MN. John Cobb is a founder of Center for Process Studies and professor at Claremont School of Theology, CA; 909/621-5330. Home     Table of Contents