There’s a 186-year-old Quaker meeting house just up Route 201 in the picturesque hamlet of Vassalboro, Maine that—-and I know they’re pacifists, so this is my term, not theirs—-kicked a little fossil-fuel tail this month. They’ve gone solar in a conspicuous way, and they’d like the world to know about it. I’m happy to oblige, via The Portland Press Herald: The solar panels will meet almost all the building’s energy needs, but just as importantly, it demonstrates the group’s dedication to social and environmental causes, said John Reuthe, the congregation’s assistant treasurer…. They want to influence other churches and community organizations to consider investing in energy-efficiency improvements such as solar panels and building weatherization. Humans have contributed to the environmental destruction of the planet, Reuthe said, and taking these kind of steps can make a difference. “We may not be able to change the environment in our lifetime, but we can stem the bleeding,” he said.
I devote a lot of time, energy, brain cells, and column inches to so-called “Christians.” I’m referring to people who believe the Bible to be a club useful for bludgeoning those who live, love, think, and/or believe differently. There’s a never-ending supply of such stories. Good, God-fearing, Conservative Christians demonstrate every day why religion in the hands of the small-minded may be the worst thing ever invented by mankind. More human beings have been murdered in the name of religion than for any other reason.
As depressing as that is, religion at its most basic remains a very positive and uplifting concept. What could possibly be wrong with peace, love, and understanding? Every now and again I run across something that reminds me that religion can be so much more than a justification for elevating oneself above other, “lesser” mortals.
Sometimes, it really IS about making the world a better place and about trying to leave things better than they were. When the faithful focus on their faith, instead of how that faith might be forced upon those less enlightened, good things can and sometimes do happen.
Part of the honest practice of virtually any religious faith is the idea of trying to make things better, to figure out how to lessen the damage done by mankind. Whether it’s the environment or another topic, the true and honest practice of a faith tradition revolves around valuing what you have and preserving it for those who come after you.
The sad thing is that this stories of this nature, more common than we might think, receive so little attention. In a world addicted to shiny objects like strife, righteous indignation, and rage, those who go about their business and quietly attempt to live their beliefs are often roundly ignored.
It can be good for the soul to reflect on the truth that rarely is anything ever as good as it looks…or as bad as it seems.
