Ho-hum. Another former priest who came of age in the 1960’s is telling the Church that it’s wrong on the environment and contraception. And he wrote a book all about it.
Paul Collins recently wrote and is now selling a book on why the Church is responsible for the environment being in ruins. Here’s some quotes he gave in a recent interview, interesting mainly not because of his devotion to the environment but how little he thinks of humanity.
The problem with both Christian- with Christianity generally, with Protestantism and Catholicism – the problem was that in that period the emphasis was very much on human kind.
You’ve got to remember that this was a period when human population was growing inexorably. I mean, the take-off human population begins in the, if you like, in the late 18th century. It’s been increasingly before that but… And so the kind of emphasis is very much on the social.
If you for instance look in the 19th Century you’ll find a very social doctrine. For instance, within Catholicism, you’ll find it within Methodism, within the Protestant tradition. So the churches I think were- had become, if you like, myopically focused on the human.
Myopically focused on the human? And that’s a bad thing?
You know when Jesus was nailed to the cross and asked His Father to forgive them I don’t think he meant for cutting down the tree to make the cross.
Collins added, later in the interview:
“I’m not supporting the Church’s teaching on contraception because I see population as the greatest environmental problem that we’re facing and I’m one of the few Catholics who is prepared to say that.”
One of the few? I love how these guys create their own laurels and announce to everyone how brave they are for saying what everyone around them agrees with.
Collins believes that the Church is too focused on humans and wants to make sure that people contracept to avoid making more humans. Methinks that Collins’ problem with the Church is that the Church likes humans.
October 5, 2010 at 3:22 am
Heaven help him….
October 5, 2010 at 3:43 am
This would be the same Church who has a founding member talking sympathetically about the way "all creation groans" together as it waits to be redeemed by the Lord? The same Church whose Father in Heaven notices when sparrows fall? The same Church whose current head was so popular with the cats of Rome that they used to trail behind him as he walked to work? The same Church whose 13th c. saint altered the way the world looks at animals? The same Church whose 5th c. saint used to stop and remove worms from his path, lest they be stepped on?
Ah, yes, THAT Church.
This stuff is so tired, and so ignorant. And, alas, so widespread ("one of the few," indeed–what nonsense).
October 5, 2010 at 3:48 am
Oh, and it's also the same Church whose Creation account places the blame for animal death on mankind's sin (Gen. 3: 21).
But we don't care a bit about the natural world.
Sigh.
October 5, 2010 at 10:53 am
Another human myopically focused on himself. Another petulant individual projecting his own inadequacies on to others.
October 5, 2010 at 11:31 am
I'm one Catholic who is prepared to say that if you're prepared to say the inane sort of rubbish Mr. Collins is quoted as saying (and saying it so very inarticulately), you're one of the many who are not Catholic – even if you manage to say it articulately and with great style!
October 5, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Well, technically, since he is against procreation as God intended, he is projecting, hoping he will be "one of the few." Personally, I hope he becomes "one of the few" who will spout such stupidity, or even better, that he becomes one of the truely brave, who stands up to the culture of death and it's relentless drum beat that no one should have children, no one should do anything but go around wiping down rocks to provide them with relief from our sulling presence and thanking the trees for tolerating us and trying desperately not to exhale.
October 5, 2010 at 4:08 pm
I'd like to ask him what he thinks about the damage that contraceptives do to the environment.
October 5, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Well said, Tori. Birth control pills leach so much estrogen into the water supply that is is now common for male fish to have female eggs inside them, and may be hampering their ability to reproduce.
I've always thought it was fine if selfish, narrow minded, God-hating idiots decided to have no children. But they're messing with my family's water when they do it.
October 6, 2010 at 2:14 am
@ Tori and Blackrep…No, no sillies! Hormones that are affecting our bodies can only be found in milk! Not our water! come on now!
Okay, to be serious, I find it ironic that I'm reading this today on the anniversary of the enforcement of China's "one child policy". Subvet has a great article on global warming, it's graphic, but really good, that you all might want to check out. This guy is at the root of it all. Global warming is an agenda pushing movement to force population control, end of story.
October 6, 2010 at 2:14 am
@ Tori and Blackrep btw…I was being facetious.