I deeply appreciate Thom Hartmann, a writer and commentator with an amazing range and depth of thinking on so many topics, both political and philosophical. I was struck by a column he published today called "What is mankind's true salvation?" Hartmann points out that in order to "save" our planet (of which we are the main culprit in destroying), we must abandon Cartesian and salvationist thinking. Salvationist thinking means that we place our hope in an external savior (such as God or a demagogue or science). By Cartesian thinking, he is referring to the 17th century French philosopher/mathematician Descartes who provided a useful logical framework for modern science but failed to account for the complexity of organic life because of his analytic and mechanic approach.
This critique is very similar to that of Howard Brinton, the Quaker theologian/physicist that I have written about and been influenced by. Brinton felt that life could better be explained through holistic rather than mechanistic thinking--in living organisms the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. He also believed that organisms are not machines and cannot be fully understand analytically. As a Quaker, Brinton also rejected the idea of an external God or Savior. The Divine is both within us and beyond us. For this reason, we must learn how to cooperate and synergize with the Divine. We must choose by an act of will whether to be part of the process of saving, protecting and restoring the world or be complicit in destroying it. For Christians, that means following the guidance of the Holy Spirit and using our minds, hearts and strength to love and serve a God who is intent on saving the world with and through us.
I highly recommend Thom Hartmann's provocative essay.
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