Sarah, I don't think religions are explicitly against birth control any more than they are explicitly against sex. It's all about time and place. In any event, the major monotheistic religions didn't come to be at a time when effective birth control existed. There are reports that Mohammed advocated coitus interruptus, though that may not show today. Also, despite what more conservative elements preach, many, many, many Christians use birth control and believe they are still doing God's will.
Any group who advocates population control is going to find itself bred out of existence--unless there is a concerted effort. A truly concerted effort. The kind that involves everyone and uses every (ethical) method possible to achieve it's goal, be that method religious or not. I don't think denying the power of religion is a useful exercise here... we should be trying to work together. Be we conservationists who ascribe to religion or not, we all support the spread of truth and logic. Thanks for being open to further dialogue! Cheers, Jeanne Coffin On Mon, Dec 5, 2011 at 4:32 PM, Sarah Frias-Torres < [email protected]> wrote: > Interesting thinking, adding religion to the mix.... > One of the major problems explained in Paul Ehrlich's pioneering work is > human overpopulation. As we have reached 7 billion, and still growing, any > call for action should address such massive problem.The religions you > mention in your email are all against birth control. Particularly, against > women taking control of their own reproduction. Obviously, every religion > wants to have more followers, and you get that either by converting those > from other religions (a costly endeavor) or by having more babies. In fact, > a religion that promotes birth control, and negative growth, will quickly > become extinct (less and less followers will be born). > Therefore, in my opinion, I don't think we are going to find any realistic > support from religion (at least the 3 monotheistic religions I'm most > familiar with). Achieving negative growth is against the self-interest of > any religion. > The action should come from using reason and logic, which are not the > realm of religion. Remember that religion is based on faith, while the > massive environmental challenges we face today are based on facts.If > people, based on their religious faith, take pro-environmental action, > great! I'm just curious to see how they've reconciled overpopulation > control with the religious demands of having more and more babies. > In that respect, I think we still have not earned the "sapiens" word we > use when calling our species Homo sapiens sapiens. > > Note: I think I'm respectful of religion in my message, and I'm just > stating the facts. Always open to dialogue. > > > Sarah Frias-Torres, Ph.D. Schmidt Ocean Institute Postdoctoral FellowOcean > Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) 1420 Seaway Drive, Fort Pierce, > Florida 34949 USA Tel (772) 467-1600http://www.teamorca.orghttp:// > independent.academia.edu/SarahFriasTorres > > > > Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2011 15:33:31 -0500 > > From: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] What Can I DO?? Re: [ECOLOG-L] Message from Paul > Ehrlich > > To: [email protected] > > > > Dear Mr. McNeely and Ecolog-L subscribers, > > > > I really like this thread, and I was thinking.... Nothing influences > people > > more than religion, and this has been used as a tool since, well, pretty > > much all of recorded history! Think about the horribly atrocities that > have > > occured with the influence of religion? Bloodshed, death, why not use it > as > > a tool for saving the Earth? For good? The ways it has been used for > death, > > I think, are more distortions of what is actually written (whether it be > > from the Bible or Quran, or whatever!). My point is not that we are > > manipulating text. My point is that it HAS been done, and it is very > > powerful. If you look in these texts, you will see there are messages > > CLEARLY written about saving our planet and protecting it. > > > > What influences the majority of Americans the most? The fear of going to > > hell. That is why you see so many politicians talking about religion even > > though they are really not supposed to... In fact our country is so > > Christian that even though there is supposed separation of church and > > state, our President says Christian prayers on national television. > > > > So... we should (and by we I mean environmentalists, conservationists, > etc) > > become pastors, preachers, fathers, whatever you want to call it, and > start > > preaching the "we must be stewards of the Earth" approach. Our Earth. > God's > > Earth. Or at the very least we need to start having sit-downs and chats > > with said reverends, fathers, etc. and speaking to them about the sins > our > > people are committing against this wonderful Earth "God has blessed us > > with". Also, making the point that by destroying the Earth, we are > harming > > our fellow man (future generations), both in our direct families and > > outside of our direct families. Either way, God said that we should > protect > > each other, did he not? > > > > Ezekial 34:2-4 - *Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; > > prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to > the > > shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not > shepherds > > take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the > wool > > and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. > > You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the > > injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. > You > > have ruled them harshly and brutally. > > > > *Revelation 11:18 - *The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The > > time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the > > prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small > and > > great — and for destroying those who destroy the earth.* > > > > What do you all think? > > > > I also read something very interesting and wonderful about a group of > > Muslims who were VERY environmentalist-thinking (and acting), and it was > > due to their faith. > > > > Environmentalists need to start thinking more pragmatically. I also think > > this is a powerful scripture. It is related to environmentalism because > > "rich" often means greedy and wasteful (though not always). Mathew 19:24 > > Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a > > needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." > > > > How about if people want to choose a faith to follow? They actually > FOLLOW > > IT..... > > > > Kindest regards to all! One people, one love.... > > > > Rachel E. Ford Melendez > > > > Note: Please be respectful and don't turn this into a religion argument. > I > > am not going to say what religion I follow if any. It is no one's > business. > > All I am saying is that these messages are clearly written in the Bible > > that MOST Americans follow. > > > > > > On Mon, Dec 5, 2011 at 1:49 PM, David L. McNeely <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Well, I don't know exactly how to respond to such a claim from a > > > professional biologist. Could the importance of the coal industry to > the > > > endowment of Alice Lloyd and other economic entities in Kentucky have > > > anything to do with this outrageous claim? How much credible science > is > > > needed to convince you? Does the fact that the world's leading > > > climatologists and the National Academies of Science all disagree with > you > > > matter? Does the fact that the "conflict" you claim comes from fewer > than > > > 1% of all reports on the question, while those few reports lack > credible > > > analysis matter? > > > > > > Sincerely, David McNeely > > > > > > ---- Robert Hamilton <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Science works to persuade when it provides real data, not weak > > > > hypotheticals. Consider the issue of ozone vs CO2. Lots of real data > on > > > > ozone, nothing but political hackery on CO2, so we get some action on > > > > ozone and nothing but conflict on CO2. However, we are only as > strong as > > > > our weakest link, so the CO2 argument defines us. > > > > > > > > Robert Hamilton, PhD > > > > Professor of Biology > > > > Alice Lloyd College > > > > Pippa Passes, KY 41844 > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > > > > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bowles, Elizabeth > Davis > > > > Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 12:07 PM > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] What Can I DO?? Re: [ECOLOG-L] Message from > Paul > > > > Ehrlich > > > > > > > > Social and environmental psychologists have known for some time now > that > > > > knowledge does not change *behavior* and that information-only > campaigns > > > > rarely are effective. This is because, as opposed to commercial > > > > marketing campaigns, usually you are asking the public to give > something > > > > up, step out of social norms, or do something that does not reap > > > > immediate benefits to them. This requires a completely different > > > > approach, including removing perceived or structural barriers to > > > > sustainable behavior. Ecologists should strongly consider > collaborating > > > > with psychologists on any outreach program in which a behavior > change in > > > > the public is the goal. > > > > > > > > See this paper in conservation biology: > > > > > http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01766.x/full > > > > > > > > and this website: > > > > http://www.cbsm.com/pages/guide/fostering-sustainable-behavior/ > > > > > > > > and this report from the APA: > > > > http://www.apa.org/science/about/publications/climate-change.aspx > > > > > > > > Beth Davis Bowles, Ph.D. > > > > Research Specialist > > > > Bull Shoals Field Station > > > > Missouri State University > > > > 901 S. National > > > > Springfield, MO 65897 > > > > phone (417) 836-3731 > > > > fax (417) 836-8886 > > > > ________________________________________ > > > > From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news > > > > [[email protected]] On Behalf Of David L. McNeely > > > > [[email protected]] > > > > Sent: Monday, December 05, 2011 9:55 AM > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] What Can I DO?? Re: [ECOLOG-L] Message from > Paul > > > > Ehrlich > > > > > > > > ---- Steve Young <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Lawren et al., > > > > > Unfortunately, I think you may be preaching to the choir. I'm not > > > > > trying to be pessimistic, but if every ESA member were to follow > > > > > through and commit to the 'doing something', instead of just > 'talking > > > > > more', what would that accomplish? Just going by the numbers, > > > > > conservatively speaking, ESA membership is around 10,000 and > according > > > > > > > > > to the Census Bureau, the current population in the US is > 312,718,825 > > > > > ( > > > > > http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html) So, what do > we > > > > > do about the other 312,708,000? > > > > > I'm in the education arena and it is a question that I've been > trying > > > > > to figure out how to answer for a long time. I know advocacy is one > > > > > way and something I work on all the time. Maybe this should be > part of > > > > > > > > > the focus of the 'doing something' approach. > > > > > Steve > > > > > > > > I believe when we help to educate others we are doing something. I'm > > > > funny that way, I guess. > > > > > > > > The difficulty comes when our educational efforts fail, as they seem > to > > > > be doing on this matter. So, I need help in knowing what to do that > > > > will actually work. So far as individual effort, I already try to > buy > > > > only what I need and to use old stuff. I minimize my fuel use by > > > > driving a Toyota Prius, walking for local transportation when I can, > not > > > > using air conditioning though I live in a very hot climate, wearing > warm > > > > clothing and keeping the house cool in winter ................ . > But I > > > > have not been able to persuade many others to engage in the same > > > > actions. Reading and understanding the data that come in seems > > > > unconvincing to so many. Science is only trusted when it reinforces > > > > already held beliefs, even if less than 1% of those claiming to be > > > > scientists provide the claims that reinforce. > > > > > > > > So, what can I do? > > > > > > > > David McNeely > > > > > > > > The information transmitted is intended only for the person(s) or > entity > > > to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged > > > material. If the reader of this message is not an intended recipient > or an > > > agent responsible for delivering it to an intended recipient, you are > > > hereby notified that you have received this message in error, and that > any > > > review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is > strictly > > > prohibited. If you receive this message in error, please notify the > sender > > > immediately and delete the message and any hard copy printouts. Thank > you. > > > > > > -- > > > David McNeely > > > > -- Jeanne Coffin Student Masters of Conservation Medicine Tufts University 35 Langley Rd. Apt.1 Brighton, MA 02135 cell: 608.770.9686
