Gaia, a New Pagan Religion, and Environmentalism (Part I)
By Dr. Carl S. Parnell
The Gaia Hypothesis was developed in the mid-1960s by James Lovelock. Mr. Lovelock views Gaia “as a complex entity involving the Earth’s biosphere, atmosphere, oceans, and soil; the totality constituting a feedback or cybernetic system which seeks an optimal physical and chemical environment for life on this planet.” (1) For centuries, the idea of comparing the Earth to a Mother has been associated with human culture. However, what or who is Mother Earth? (1)
The Hopi Indians have their own name for Mother Earth. They call her Tapuat, which means mother and child. To the Hopis, Mother Earth symbolizes “the cycle of life, the rebirth of the spirit, its earthly path, and, possibly, its return to the spiritual domain.” (1) As a result, mankind must follow this plan of enlightenment in order to be in harmony with the Earth.
However, the Hindu goddess Kali offers a more definitive view of Mother Earth. She represents the good and bad forces in the universe. Her powers join the power of destruction with the greatest gift that man possesses, the gift of motherhood and creation. Kali is noted for her ability to create, to preserve, and to destroy. She is also known as the “Black One” and her name means “The Ferry across the Ocean of Existence.” (1)
The Earth goddess of the ancient Greeks was named Gaia. Mother Earth, according to Gaia, is composed of living and non-living entities. Gaia was considered to be feminine, nurturing, and gentle. However, she was extremely violent toward anyone who angered her. Also, the basis of the Gaia hypothesis is the belief that the Earth is a single living entity. James Hutton, the Father of Geology, viewed the Earth as a superorganism. (1) Lewis Thomas, in his collection of essays entitled “The Lives of a Cell,” gave the following description of the Earth: “Viewed from the distance of the moon, the astonishing thing about the earth, catching the breath, is that it is alive. The photographs show the dry, pounded surface of the moon in the foreground, dry as an old bone. Aloft, floating free beneath the moist, gleaming, membrane of a bright blue sky, is the rising earth, the only exuberant thing in this part of the cosmos. If you could look long enough, you would see the swirling of the great drifts of white cloud, covering and uncovering the half-hidden masses of land. If you had been looking for a very long, geologic time, you could have seen the continents themselves in motion, drifting apart on their crustily plates, held afloat by the fire beneath. It has the organized, self-contained look of a live creature, full of information, marvelously skilled in handling the sun.” (1)
What is the association of Gaia with present-day environmentalism and pagan worship? According to Jennifer Rast of Contender Ministries, “Gaia is a revival of Paganism that rejects Christianity, considers Christianity its biggest enemy, and views the Christian faith as its only obstacle to a global religion centered on Gaia worship and the uniting of all life forms around the goddess of Mother Earth.” (2) Gaia has become a serious threat to the Christian Church with its unification of science, feminism, eastern mysticism, and paganism. In fact, one of the main components of the United Nations’ environmental policy is the worship of Gaia and the saving of Mother Earth. Many of the leading political figures in the world are promoting this ungodly agenda. Sadly, former Vice President Al Gore in his book Earth in the Balance blamed the tenets of environmentally unsound Christians as the reason for the downfall of the worship of Mother Earth (Gaia). (2)
The worship of Gaia is very prominent in the workings of the United Nations. Presently, the United Nations is deeply involved with environmentalism and its effect on Mother Earth. As a world organization, it has been responsible for many new environmental treaties, such as the Endangered Species Act, the United Nations’ Biodiversity Treaty, and the President’s Council on Sustainable Development. As a result, the United Nations and its Gaia beliefs are rapidly gaining control over people in the United States and the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the majority of Americans, especially Christians, are clueless to the United Nations’ new world agenda, the worship of Gaia replacing the worship of God. (2)
What then is the true essence of the new cult of Gaia? Basically, it is another form of paganism that is condemned by the God of the Christian faith. The new twist involves the collaboration of the evolution theory, science, and modern space age influences which make it more credible now. Also, the unification of other movements, such as environmentalism, new age, and Eastern religions, has given Gaia a new religious impetus. Unfortunately, even some Christian religious denominations have accepted some of the tenets of Gaia. (2)
James Lovelock, as stated earlier, was the founder of the Gaia movement. Mr. Lovelock has theorized that “the earth’s ‘biota’, tightly coupled with its environment, act as a single, self regulating living system in such a way as to maintain the conditions that are suitable for life.” (2) Also, according to Mr. Lovelock, “All of the life forms on this planet are a part of Gaia - a part of one spirit goddess that sustains life on earth. Since this transformation into a living system, the interventions of Gaia have brought about the evolving diversity of living creatures on planet Earth.” (2) Of course, this theory violates the beliefs of the Christian Church.
Mother Earth has been viewed as a divine spirit for many years. According to the Greek philosopher Plato, “We shall affirm that the cosmos, more than anything else, resembles most closely that living Creature of which all other living creatures, severally or genetically, are portion; a living creature which is fairest of all and in ways most perfect.” (2) As a result, Gaia has been endorsed by the new age movement, Eastern mysticism, and scientists worldwide. Also, evolutionists and humanists have joined the bandwagon.
What then is the call of Gaia? According to Barry McWaters, a psychologist, “The call is to serve the wellbeing of the living planet, Gaia … to enter into a holistic consciousness.” (3) Also, as stated in the Sierra Club’s sourcebook, “The more you contact the voice of the living Earth and evaluate what it says, the easier it will become for you to contact it and trust what it provides.” (3) Therefore, Gaia is being promoted as an alternative religion that replaces God with Mother Earth. As a result, Mother Earth becomes man’s provider rather than God. Also, Gaia requires mankind to contact the pagan god Mother Earth on a regular basis. Mother Earth basically attempts to usurp God’s omnipotent and omnificent power.
The teachings of Gaia demand that Mother Earth must be protected from mankind. As a result, the United Nations’ environmental and sustainable development policies reflect its goal to return the world to a more primitive lifestyle. Of course, as usual, Christianity has become the main obstacle to the views of evolutionists, spiritualists, and the followers of Gaia. In fact, a United Nations’ sponsored convention, Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Biodiversity Assessment, developed a document that blamed Christianity for separating humans from nature. Also, this same document blamed Christianity for the violation of nature’s sacredness. As stated in the document, “Conversion to Christianity has therefore meant an abandonment of an affinity with the natural world for many forest dwellers, peasants, and fishers all over the world.” (2) However, the same document gave praise to worshippers of Buddhism and Hinduism. It states, “They did not depart as drastically from the perspective of humans as members of a community of beings including other living and non-living elements.” (2)
Therefore, the members of the Gaia movement, also called the Green Religion, blame the global ecological crisis on Christians. According to Jennifer Rast of Contender Ministries, “They believe that the Judeo-Christian belief that God assigned man to rule over the earth has caused us to exploit and abuse it. Monotheism, they assert, has separated humans from their ancient connection to the earth, and to reverse this trend, governments, the media, our education system, artists, and other areas of influence must revive earth-centered myth and reconnect us to Earth’s spirit.” (2)
Former Vice President Al Gore, in his book entitled Earth in the Balance, stated, “The richness and diversity of our religious tradition throughout history is a spiritual resource long ignored by people of faith, who are often afraid to open their minds to teachings first offered outside their own systems of belief. But, the emergence of a civilization in which knowledge moves freely and almost instantaneously through the world has spurred a renewed investigation of the wisdom distilled by all faiths. This pan religious perspective may prove especially important where our global civilization’s responsibility for the earth is concerned.” However, the Bible clearly states the reason Christians should not accept Vice President Gore’s philosophy. As written in Colossians 2:6-10, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” (2)
References
1. Chamberlain, Dr. Sean. “The Gaia Hypotheses” Ocean World. 1 December 2005<http://www.oceansonline.com>.
2. Rast, Jennifer. “Gaia Worship-the New Pagan Religion” Contender Ministries. 1 December 2005<http://www.contenderministries.org>.
3. Kjos, Berit. “Is Earth our Mother? (Chapter Two)” Crossroad. 5 December 2005< http://www.crossroad.to>.
Dr. Parnell is a retired public school educator and presently teaches social science courses at a private, Christian high school in Georgia. He is the author of From Schoolhouse to Courthouse: Exposing America’s New Terror From Within (Wheatmark Publishing, ISBN: 1-58736-613-4). He is also a guest columnist on several online websites.
