Amid all the Earth Day hype, did you happen to hear anything about the Cornwall Declaration?
Didn't think so. It's a manifesto for free-market environmentalism grounded in religious faith. Can't have that.Not on a holiday dedicated to pagan socialism.
The declaration grew out of a meeting of theologians, economists and scientists held in West Cornwall, Conn., in October 1999. They summed up their conclusions in three sentences:
The 20th century brought unprecedented improvement in human health, nutrition, life expectancy and environmental quality;
We have an opportunity, and a moral obligation, to build on these advances, and share them with less fortunate people in America and developing nations;
None of this would be possible, were it not for the religious, economic and scientific traditions now under assault.
They established a group called the Interfaith Council for Environmental Stewardship, on the Web at (http://www.stewards.net), and expanded their conclusions to a two-page statement named, as such declarations often are, after the place where they met.
They released their declaration last Monday, along with a list of distinguished signers and were resoundingly ignored.
I happened to hear about it from the Rev. Robert Sirico. Sirico is co-founder and president of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, in Grand Rapids, Mich.Acton has published a volume of essays, "Environmental Stewardship in the Judeo-Christian Tradition," which explore the theological basis for man's relation to the natural world from Jewish, Catholic and Protestant perspectives.
If you're tired of Earth Day cant, these essays are a nourishing alternative.
Linda Seebach is an editorial writer for the Denver Rocky Mountain News.