Divine Destruction: Dominion Theology and American Environmental Policy (Melville Manifestos)

By Stephenie Hendricks

The story that Stephenie Hendricks has uncovered affects the entire globe. In Divine Destruction , she charts important connections between Wise Use-a rabidly anti-environmental philosophy-and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976658348
• ISBN13: 9780976658344
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Melville House
• Length: 150 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.2" x 0.4" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

How to mask an agenda of greed

"Divine Destruction" by Stephanie Hendricks discusses Christian extremism and the environment. Importantly, the author shows how misguided Christian ideologists play themselves into the hands of the anti-environmental agenda of big business. While the book is small and could benefit from additional research and historical context, its cogent message is timely, urgent and relevant. Ms. Hendricks explains that Reconstructionists care little for preventing environmental destruction; rather, they seek to gain dominion over government in the belief that Biblical prophecy must be fulfilled in order to herald the end of time and the return of Jesus. The author profiles many of the prominent Republicans who belong to and/or support such extremist Christian organizations including some of the most powerful members of congress, the Supreme Court and of course, President George W. Bush. In that light, we learn that many of the anti-environmental policy decisions made by the current administration might be explained in part by the irrational religious ideologies adhered to by its leaders. However, Ms. Hendricks' investigative reporting reveals that Christianity is also used to mask an agenda of greed. Recalling that the cry of Manifest Destiny cloaked the imperial ambitions of 1840s America with the sanctity of a religious calling, the author explains that timber, mining, off-road vehicle manufacturing, theme park tourism and other corporate interests are benefiting immensely from the roll back of environmental protections called for by self-identified Christian politicians. Nevertheless, she is hopeful that progressive Christians such as Fred Kreuger and Peter Ilyn might succeed in helping the faithful understand that stewardship of the planet is a core Christian value and that the skewing of the Bible to support short-sighted and unsustainable policies is inherently immoral. I recommend this book to everyone but assign it only 4 stars due to its brevity.

A somewhat thin analysis of an incredibly important issue

This is a very timely book on a very important issue that is unfortunately somewhat marred by a lack of depth on some of the issues. The timeliness stems partly from the popular success of Al Gore's extremely fine documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH and partly from recent polls that indicate some fragmentation in the Religious Right, as some evangelicals have broken rank over environmental issues. Over the past several decades poll after poll has shown the vast majority of Americans to be avid supporters of a wide range of environmental issues. From the famous memo written by future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell the sixties when he was a corporate lawyer (Google it if you are unfamiliar with the memo--for the record Powell later regretted writing it), the Right has understood that the American people sided with the Left on nearly every issue. Their response was an attempt to cultivate a media that was more friendly to right wing viewpoints (the creation of the myth of the liberal media was one of their first initiatives) and the attempt to literally redefine the terms in the debate. In this light, "Wise Use" is the latest in a tradition of verbal distortion by the Right. As Hendricks explains, "Wise Use" really just means using land for whatever economic purposes people desire. The term is deceptive because "Wise" implies "Responsible," whereas the opposite is the case. Hendricks does not delve much into the history of American or European attitudes towards nature. This lack of detail and depth severely limits the usefulness of the booklet. But the background is crucial. Until the late 18th century Europeans evaluated land and nature entirely in terms of its usefulness. The Alps, for instance, through most of history were literally considered a waste. You couldn't do anything with them. You couldn't farm on them. There were no trees at the upper reaches, so they didn't supply lumber. You couldn't fee sheep on much of them. They were simply useless. But gradually new aesthetic categories cultivated by people like Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Edmund Burke, and Schelling enabled Europeans to view nature in a different light. Specifically, Kant's contrast between the "beautiful" and the "sublime" gave them new concepts for evaluating nature. A lovely garden, for instance, came to be considered "beautiful," while a raging waterfall was "sublime," partly for the feelings of awe and wonder that it engendered in the spectator. These ways of thinking were reflected in American attitudes and developed to new heights. The early Puritans and other settlers viewed the land primarily in terms of its usefulness. Even well into the 19th century, well after changing attitudes in Europe, Americans primarily viewed the landscape in terms of usefulness and cultivation. The landscape was beautiful only to the extent that something was done to it by humans. Things began to change first with artists, especially with Thomas Cole and the Hudso

Yikes!!

Please read this horror story, made all the more horrible because it is actually happening. We owe it to our children to become informed about the machinations of some of our politicians and their corporate allies. It is painful to realize, but we must take action before the destruction is irremediable. We must unite in our protest.