Are Tribal Religions More Environmentally Responsible than Christianity? (Continued)
In my last blog article, I pointed out that many “spiritually-minded” non-Christian environmentalists believe that non-Christian religions are better equipped theologically to promote environmental ethics and stewardship than Christianity. We then looked at reasons why tribal religions, in particular, are not better alternatives than Christianity. In this and next week’s article, I will continue to demonstrate this. Later we’ll look at similar claims by Eastern religions.
Tribal societies before contact with Christianity are often portrayed in popular culture as virtual utopias: paradisaical societies inhabited by carefree, happy natives. Sustenance is no more difficult than scaling a coconut tree, picking breadfruit, spearing fish, or stalking abundant game with homemade weapons. Religion has the appearance of Halloween-like ceremonies consisting of bizarre but innocuous (and always fascinating) fireside chants and dances. Nature is esteemed, revered, and respected. Here in America, this belief has been proliferated by myriad books on Native American cultures and by Hollywood movies such as Dances with Wolves. In the animated Disney movie Pocahontas, the Indian maiden sings about herons and otters who are her “friends” and of the “hoop that never ends.”
Do fiction books and movies accurately depict life in aboriginal societies? Were religious practices gleeful occasions of social fellowship and communal worship? Did tribal people live in spiritual harmony with their environment, loving and venerating Mother Earth? In particular, for our purposes, do the religious beliefs of tribal cultures embrace ethical principles and guidelines that can be applied remedially to modern environmental and ecological issues?
In the mid-nineteenth century, the new science of anthropology increased American and European contact with tribal cultures. Most of these scientists (as well as explorers and other adventurers) agreed that an enormous gulf existed between civilized man and the “savage,” and that the former was far superior to the latter in every way. Charles Darwin visited the coast of Tierra Del Fuego and spent several months among some of the most “impoverished people on earth.” Nothing in their way of life appealed to him. Darwin wrote in his journal: “These poor wretches were stunted in their growth, their hideous faces bedaubed with white paint, their skins filthy and greasy, their hair entangled, their voices discordant, their gestures violent. . . . I could not have believed how wide was the difference between savage and civilized man: it is greater than between a wild and domesticated animal, inasmuch as in man there is greater power of improvement.” (Quoted in Nature’s Economy: The Roots of Ecology, 171)
The assumption that before contact with Christianity tribal people lived in an idyllic relationship with their physical and spiritual surroundings is a fairly recent and largely mythical notion. It has only been since the last century that Darwin’s demeaning view was replaced by the “noble savage” image. Tribal Man became Natural Man. The truth, however, is far different from this popular sentiment. The fact is that before Christian missionaries liberated many of them, tribal cultures were in bondage to religious beliefs that were embedded in a deep-seated fear of the spiritual world—and even of their physical environments. The world of tribal societies was not friendly and innocent; it was hostile, threatening, and had to be constantly appeased.
Animism
The religion of all tribal societies, including Native Americans, is collectively called animism. Technically, animism is not so much a distinct religion as a belief or component of many religions, including Shinto, some forms of Hinduism, and neo-paganism. In the United States, animistic beliefs are especially prevalent in New Age channeling and personal spirit guides. Nevertheless, for the purpose of classification, animism can be considered the “religion” of indigenous cultures worldwide.
Like most religions, animism embraces a multiplicity of beliefs and a variety of religious practices. Nevertheless, one fundamental doctrine is shared by all tribal cultures, and it has a direct bearing on what actually motivates their reverence for nature and apparent ecological sensitivity. In order to grasp the actual relationship tribal cultures have with nature, we need understand this fundament belief. We’ll explore it in my next blog article. It will reveal any entirely different reason, than what’s popularly assumed, for the apparent harmoniously relationship tribal cultures have with their natural environments. ©
* The blog articles in this series are adapted from my book Should Christians Be Environmentalists?, published by Kregel Publications in 2012. The blog articles do not contain all the chapters, data, quotes, references, or my personal experiences, which the book includes. So, for “the rest of the story” you will need to purchase the book, which is available in both paperback and Kindle. This and the following articles are copyrighted material and may not be reproduced in book or article form. But feel free to send links to these articles to your personal email list, Facebook friends and groups, Twitter followers, or other people who may enjoy them. I encourage interested reader to subscribe to my blog or request to be added to my personal email list. This will ensure that you receive notices whenever I post a new blog article or other ministry related materials.