[Vision2020] The Bible and wolves

[keely emerinemix]

The  Bronco's huge victory on the gridiron last month has been attributed to 
Boiseans' prayers for a BSU-favorable outcome.  Now this drivel from the 
Boise-centered Idaho Values Alliance.

I'm beginning to wonder if Boise is becoming a center for dumb theology on a 
level we've previously only seen from the parts of Oklahoma, Florida and 
Virginia that house the ministries of Oral Roberts, Benny Hinn and Pat 
Robertson.

One might wonder if a more holistic reading of the Bible would lead 
believers to conclude that God cares for creation and punishes people and 
policies that violate it.  The weird hermeneutic of the uber-conservatives, 
however, seems to favor a dash of Deuteronomy, a little Leviticus, a pinch 
of the Proverbs and a teaspoon of First Thessalonians to construct a "use it 
or lose it/us vs. them" theology of environmental stewardship that is 
foreign to the entirety of Scripture.

Yes, humankind has sinned enormously in exploiting creation, but further 
enmity against it hardly seems like appropriate penance.

keely




From: Ralph Nielsen <nielsen at uidaho.edu>
To: Vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] The Bible and wolves
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2007 15:13:34 -0800

  From a fundamentalist activist in Boise. It makes me wonder who they
believe designed and created wolves in the first place.

Ralph

The Bible and wolves

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Bryan Fischer, Executive Director

THE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITION AND THE DELISTING OF WOLVES

Although the issue of wolf delisting is outside the charter of the
IVA, the Judeo-Christian tradition does in fact offer a perspective
on the presence of predatory animals.

The book of Leviticus contains part of the civil code for the ancient
nation of Israel. In a section toward the end, God, speaking through
Moses, identifies the results of obedience in the nation’s life and
compares them to the consequences of disobedience.

He says, “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my
commands . . I will remove savage beasts from the land . . . But if
you will not listen to me . . . and reject my decrees and abhor my
laws . . . I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob
you of your children, (and) destroy your cattle . . ” (Leviticus
26:3, 6, 14, 22)

In other words, one sign that a nation is operating under an open
heaven and with the blessing of God is that its people will have
little to fear from predatory animals. On the other hand, one sign
that God is withdrawing his favor from a land due to its rejection of
him is that the nation must once again confront the threat to life
and livestock posed by predatory creatures from the wild.

The odd thing here is that, by deliberating re-introducing non-native
wolves into the wilds of Idaho, we in essence brought this danger
upon our selves. The wolf population is clearly threatening the
livelihoods – and lives - of any number of Idaho families, and it is
consistent with the Judeo-Christian tradition that decisive action be
taken to deal with the threat.

Idaho Values Alliance
PO Box 44873
Boise, ID 83711


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