Thou shalt have no other gods before me, nor bow down to any carved images
No faith in fossil fuels? Why some religious leaders are speaking out on climate change
Anglican Deacon Michael Van Dusen typically has plans for the Christmas season that do not involve a Toronto courthouse.
Perhaps he would be preparing his Christmas Day sermon or visiting with family. But on Tuesday, he stood beside a painted banner that read “no faith in fossil fuels” and spoke to a small crowd, including some of his parishioners, about what had brought him before a judge — and not of the divine variety.
For the first time in his life, the 80-year-old was arrested and charged with trespassing last year during a sit-in at a Royal Bank of Canada branch in protest of the bank’s fossil-fuel financing.
Canadian banks, he said, were choosing to ignore climate science to profit from the destruction of the planet, and he felt a moral obligation, affirmed by his baptismal covenant, to take a stand.
The golden calf of Climastrology
Van Dusen, a co-chair of the spiritually minded Toronto group Faith and Climate Action, is among the faith leaders who are speaking out, and even facing arrest, for their climate activism. At his court date Tuesday were a handful of other people in the group, including a 78-year-old Catholic sister who had been arrested at two recent bank sit-in demonstrations.
I could agree with them if they were standing up for real environmental concerns, but, perhaps this is the wrong time of the year, and they should focus on the birth of Jesus
Meanwhile, the share of Canadians who consider the environment to be a top issue has cratered in recent years, down to below 20 per cent from as high as 42 per cent in 2019, according to recent polling from the Angus Reid Institute. A strong majority of Canadians say they think climate change poses a serious or very serious threat to the planet, but the number has declined and is now about the same as it was a decade ago.
It’s easy to demand we Do Something about ‘climate change’ when things are going well, but, since the recovery from COVID still goes on, people do not feel the same. Anyway, it’s a very long piece, let’s skip to near the end
When his name was called, the prosecutor indicated the arresting officer had not produced their notes about what happened at the bank. Van Dusen, who stood silently before the judge, was free to go.
As he returned to the street, Van Dusen lingered and turned his thoughts to the future. Toronto would inevitably see more wildfire smoke, floods, and extreme heat in the coming months. So, too, would it see more direct action from him and his partners, he said.
I wonder if he will turn to doing his job as a preacher for Christmas, or just do cult stuff?
