Earth Day 2007 Statement by the Heathen Freehold Society

Statement for Earth Day 2007

Earth to be Honoured

Humanity finds itself on the verge of its greatest evolutionary leap since the control of fire. Not coincidentally, it is the rampant use of combustion technology that has brought us to the brink of ecological catastrophe threatened by global warming. Unknown to humans until recently was that the byproducts of combustion were to have a profound effect on the planetary climate and the health of the entire ecosystem.

Many argue that the solution is technological, indeed we will have to put our best technology forward, and conceive of entirely new technologies, to solve this problem. But any simply technological solution is just window dressing, unless the more fundamental problem is addressed, and that is the way we look at, and live in, the world.

The changes that are most drastically needed, right now, are a change of heart and of mind, an evolution of human spirit. The way we view the world impacts our choices, and our every choice impacts the environment. Were these changes in outlook to be affected, the course ahead would be obvious.

At this point in history it is religion which purports to administer to affairs of the human spirit, yet the great religions seem to be late on the bandwagon. Some refuse to even recognize the problem, such as some American fundamentalists recently complaining that all the talk of global warming was taking away from the promotion of family values. Most organized religions, despite their claims to wisdom, offer no teachings regarding the responsibility of humanity to the environment. Here, in our greatest hour of need, when spiritual transformation is needed most, organized religion threatens wholesale to fail us.

Many modern religions reject the world in favour of the higher spiritual plane of the afterlife. These religions see the world of form and flesh, in whole or in part, as somehow flawed or corrupted, illusory or, in some cases, inherently evil. Some teach that whatever our pleasure or suffering in this world, it will not compare to the rewards and punishments to be received in the afterlife. The main priorities are preparing the believer for the afterlife, and to varying degrees, during this life, promoting kindness between humans. Little attention is paid to how humans are best to live in the world, with all the other creatures and life-forms that share in it. Perhaps the great religions have been too concerned affairs of the spirit, too fixated on the after-world, and not as concerned as they should have been with this world and how to live in it.

In sharp contrast, tribal folk-religions, including those of the ancient European cultures, have been described by some anthropologists as "world-accepting religions" for very good reason. Tribal folk-religions, as varied as the many cultures which gave them rise, are distinguished by the fact that they accept and celebrate the world. Respects should be paid to the many unique tribal cultures the world round, but generally they teach that the world is sacred and that wilderness must be protected, in order that future generations of our tribes may continue to survive for all time. More than merely world-accepting, tribal religions are world-protecting.

That our entire planet has come to be known by the name of the ancient Nordic Goddess named "Earth" is gratifying to those of us who seek the ancient wisdom of our own tribal European ancestors. The goddess Earth is the mother of the god Thor, protector of women and children.

The old Nordic religion, like many other tribal religions, reveres the wilderness, and teaches that the tribes must live in harmony with the land and its many creatures, today, tomorrow and until the end of time. What is honourable and right supports life, and life supports our families, down through the generations.

As Earth Day approaches, the Heathen Freehold Society, dedicated to the revival of Nordic folk-religion, has a special prayer for this important juncture in human history. That we all, whatever our religion, think of future generations with every choice we make. In ancient times, our ancestors did no less, but somewhere along the line we dropped the ball. Now we must seize the moment, for the good of future generations, and for the good of the world.

In short, the Freehold Society hopes, that for Earth Day and every day thereafter, that we put the children first.

In troth,
Heathen Freehold Society of B.C.,
Earth Day, 2007