Global warming and the Christian Right agenda

[vaneramos]

Photo: ghostsandrobots today at The Bookshelf café.

~~~~~~~~~~

We spent part of the afternoon driving around the city looking for okra. I have never cooked with okra before, but I needed it for the groundnut stew recipe. It's the kind of thing I always see when I'm not looking for it, but when I want it, it isn't there.

Ziggy took me to my usual Zehr's store and I stocked up on a lot of canned goods, ramen noodles and frozen juice concentrate, which means I can probably avoid the supermarket for several weeks. But they didn't have okra. I asked about it; they wouldn't have any until the truck arrives tonight. So we headed to the little grocery store downtown, which offers a good selection of produce, but no okra today. I was give up, but we conferred and decided our adventure might as well continue; we had no shortage of ideas to engage in entertaining ourselves. We finally headed over to the Zehr's superstore on the far side of town, where at last we found our culinary holy grail.

Groundnut stew is another keeper. Just the right amount of spiciness, with the accompaniment of a sour lassi. The aroma of sweet potato, cabbage, onion, garlic and cayenne as they sautéed practically gave me an orgasm. Apricot juice adds a pleasing fragrance.

Earlier this afternoon we took in Fair November, an upscale art and craft sale at the university. I have been looking for an unique pottery mug to keep me company each morning (my sunflower mug broke a couple years ago), but usually the nice ones are too expensive, and the plain ones I have function well enough. I found an eccentric one with vivid shades of green and blue for only $20, so I splurged.

While we were talking about religion and politics (I even drew out her argument for vegetarianism) I had a significant revelation. Ziggy remarked how the main character in my NaNo novel showed appreciation for nature, and she could see how a Christian might relate to God that way. Unfortunately, I had to contradict her. Indeed, many Christians do see God's handiwork in the world around them. But in its fundamental form, evangelical Christianity does not teach a healthy appreciation for the environment.

Ziggy's remark showed me the answer to a question I have had. Recently in this journal I asked, "Why aren't our legislators paying more attention to climate change?" In particular I had George W. Bush in mind. His scientific advisors have warned him that environmental degradation poses a more dire and immediate threat than terrorism, but the President doesn't seem to care. I couldn't figure out why.

Now I understand: he is an evangelical Christian, and probably believes the End Times are coming soon. According to his way of thinking, people of the God will be caught up in the Rapture, while nonbelievers will be consigned to everlasting torment.

And what about nature, this beautiful world and all it contains? Nothing. They will pass away. Since corruption entered the world through Adam and Eve's fall, all creation remains tainted. Ultimately the world will be destroyed and a new one set up where the glory of God will never dim. That is what fundamentalist Christians believe. I know, because I used to be one. The extreme evangelical slant on environmentalism frustrated me even then; now I realize how dangerous it really is.

Bush's regime probably doesn't give a damn about global warming. The universe is going to become a hell of a lot worse for the unrighteous, he's thinking. He might even be gloating inside while he and his righteous friends look forward to leaving the party before it gets too hot.


From Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, in the chapter from sub-Saharan Africa:

Groundnut Stew

Serves 6

2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons peanut or vebetable oil
½ teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chiles
1 teaspoon pressed garlic cloves
2 cups chopped cabbage
3 cups cubed sweet potatoes (1-inch cubes)
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup apple or apricot juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated peeld fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 chopped tomatoes
1½ to 2 cups chopped okra
½ cup peanut butter (the book recommends the unhomogenized variety but I used regular)

Sauté the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne and garlic and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the cabbage and sweet potatoes and sauté, covered, for a few minutes. Mix in the juices, salt, ginger, cilantro, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the okra and simmer for 5 minutes more. Stir in the peanut butter, place the pan on a heat diffuser and simmer gently until ready to serve. Add more juice or water if the stew is too thick.

Comments

[poetbear.livejournal.com]

George Bush can claim to be anything he
likes, but the Christian Right is just like
Grape Nuts. all evangelicals are not alike.
what we have for a pResident right now is a
moron who never got a legitimate job on his own
in his life. his dad got some of his friends to finance a couple of companies, which were then
looted and driven into the ground. then he ran for and unfortunately for Texas, won the governorship of that state. he ran Texas into the ground as far as he could. many evangelicals have the misguided notion that Dubya is a Christian, but he is not. neither am i, but i was raised by one and i know many evangelical Christians today, and most of them are not like Dubya at all. i'm not talking about hypocrites who think everyone else is going to hell, Van. i can't really call them anything that can be repeated in polite society.
end of rant for today
~paul

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I realize not all conservative Christians hold the same views on everything, in fact a large number of percentage of people who comment on my nature articles are Christians, and clearly they are concerned about environmental issues. On the other hand I was frustrated with the degree of apathy in my former church, where people believed we were living in the end times. The fact that I was concerned proves there is a diversit of worldviews even in the most extreme rightwing sectors.

Do you think Dubya claims to be an evangelical to attract the Christian vote?

[poetbear.livejournal.com]

yes, i think that's exactly why he
says he's evangelical! his whole political career has been fear-driven, hasn't it?~paul

[jwg.livejournal.com]

Okra is frequently found in crossword puzzles! HTH

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

HTH?

[jwg.livejournal.com]

oh, sorry for the jargon
HTH = hope that helps... :-)

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Oh hahaha!

[stephe.livejournal.com]

It's not just that Bush thinks the end times are near, but he apparently also believes that God has intervened to put him in the White House to lead God's chosen nation (the U.S) in the end times. The man is, quite literally, insane.

So, um, how are Canadian immigration laws these days?

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Funny: Ziggy was curious about that, too. Unfortunately Canada is unlikely to escape Armageddon. ;-)

[stephe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I suppose when the house next to yours is engulfed by flames, you end up being in danger as well.

[poetbear.livejournal.com]

ps: people have been saying "it's the end
of the world!" for the past 10,000 years>

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a tedious and improbably prophecy. Meanwhile, however, civilizations have risen and fallen. Ours, too, is bound to collapse sooner or later.

[poetbear.livejournal.com]

one can only hope.~paul

[art-thirst.livejournal.com]

I thought groundnut stew would be more African since peanuts, from my understanding, is an African nut. I guess this recipe has been adapted. The recipe I have from Ghana uses chicken but, also hot peppers (even though cayenne pepper is probably hot enough).

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

The book includes a lengthy preamble explaining the diversity of groundnut stew, which varies from region to region. The only essential ingredients seem to be groundnuts and cayenne.

Very thick here, almost a soup there. Fiery hot or mildly piquant with lots of fresh ginger root, a hint of ground giner, or no ginger at all. Garli or not. Maybe one of those stews was made with only okra, others with many different vegetables, including some that most of us in the United States have never tasted or dreamed of. The liquid used my abe coconut milk, water, stock, or fruit or vegetable juices.

The writer of this section, Nancy Lazarus, indicated the cabbage, sweet potato and okra combination is used in the maffes of Senegal and mali.

[daisydumont.livejournal.com]

such a pretty girl. :)

yes, i think you're right about that complete disregard for the environment. it makes me want to smack somebody around until they wake up, but i won't. i remember that pres. reagan was similarly cavalier about the end of the world. it's a terrible attitude for a head of state.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Politicians should have to find some test for IQ and critical thinking.

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine said that you should never give control of a nuclear arsenal to a person who believes in the afterlife. (Or reincarnation, for that matter.)

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

That's an excellent point. I'll remember that one!

[leafshimmer.livejournal.com]

My Faery Teacher, Gabriel, makes a *mean* groundnut stew. I've been bugging him for the recipe for over a year now. But now that I have yours, I can adapt it for myself. Many thanks for posting this truly luscious treat!

Your friend, Miss Ghost, looks charming!
lovely portrait of her.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I quoted a few of the author's suggestions for variations in my reply to art_thirst's comment. She also suggests using eggplant with plenty of ginger; or steamed greens.

Thank you, Shimmmer, we had wonderful time.

[leafshimmer.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks for those extra comments. It sounds like the minestrone of Senegal! (I just made an immense vat of minestrone last night.)

Perhaps I'll cook this for my meal on Thursday. We have the day off, and I'm in a soup/stew mood these days.

It's good to know I can make it with ginger (instead of garlic) and have it still be "traditional". Gabriel made it with a lot of leafy greens that were growing in his own back yard garden.

[verian.livejournal.com]

Zig is three and half times prettier in real life (on the imperial scale rather than metric of course).

[writer00.livejournal.com]

Well, you know us Americans and the Metric System. It's terribly intimidating.

[verian.livejournal.com]

I love the word imperial, it’s so much fatter and rolling than metric, which seems so cold and impersonal a measuring system, it’s no fun at all. As part of Europe we are no longer allowed to use imperial in shops and such but some of us older folk still ask for half a pound of cheese out of spite.

[writer00.livejournal.com]

You go, you wacky culture jammer!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

She really is a gorgeous person. She showed me your drawing in her notebook. You should be a doctor, your handwriting is atrocious.

[verian.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I aim for atrocious.

[writer00.livejournal.com]

I also aim for atrocious, but sometimes can only muster banal. How disappointing!

[currawong.livejournal.com]

The man's a hick, for a hick constituency. Thees people wouldn't have any concerns about corporate totalitarianism...they think the world's problems are solved if you say the word "Jeeee-sus" often enough. I've never met a fundamentalist who understands the theory of evolution, or for thar matter, understands some of the history of the Bible or of the Christian church that they rabbit -on about. Their focus is so narrow that they have no geographic or historical perspective. Bush is a prime example...a world "statesman" who didn't even have a passport until he was president.

On another note...cilantro, that's coriander isn't it?

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

As a kid I was fascinated with dinosaurs before they became a fad, in fact they were the topic of my grade four speech, which I took to county finals. As a university student I decided I didn't believe in evolution because it contradicted my new faith. So much depended on believing the lies. I know how people close their minds. It was such a relief to let go of my deliberate ignorance a few years later.

Stores here call the seed coriander and the fresh greens cilantro, same plant though.