Paul Kingsnorth is a self-described "recovering environmentalist" (by which he means former left-wing Green activist - he is still very pro-environment) who recently converted to Christianity, specifically Eastern Orthodoxy. In the interview linked above he details his spiritual journey and reflects on some theological topics. "Protecting Veil" seems to be an Orthodox YouTube channel.
Kingsnorth, who is British, was originally an atheist or agnostic, but when looking back, he believes that his love of nature (or perhaps Nature) was really a kind of religious impulse, since he appreciated it for its own sake, rather than for some kind of pragmatic or utilitarian reasons. Kingsnorth connects the Christian virtue of humility with the ecological notion that humans must live within limits, accept reality as it is, and refrain from conquering Nature or remake God´s creation. Unsustainable modern civilization and its ideal of unlimited freedom is a kind of sinful rebellion against God. There is also a connection between our exploitation of Nature and the fall. The fall didn´t just stop direct communion between humans and God, but also our communion with the rest of creation. We have become alienated from both God and the world. The way back entails a kind of sacrifice, which once again means accepting limits to our actions and desires, but also difficult new behaviors such as loving our enemies.
In other interviews, Kingsnorth expresses his belief that climate change can´t be stopped, since most individual humans and the system itself simply can´t and won´t change. It certainly isn´t possible "within ten years". Modern capitalism will continue to super-exploit Nature until the entire structure comes crashing down all by itself. However, Kingsnorth also fears a trans-human or post-human future, and that´s the aspect he emphasizes in the interview with "Protecting Veil". It´s not clear whether he believes trans-humanism can actually work for an extended period, or whether it will simply add new strains to a system that is already fundamentally unstable. Trans-humanism is the ultimate sin against God, trying to make sinful rebellious man immortal through technological means. Man "becomes divine".
Kingsnorth didn´t become Christian until (I think) about ten years into his spiritual quest, which started with Zen Buddhism. He eventually found it unsatisfying, since there was no god or cosmic intelligence at the heart of it. The next stop on the journey was - somewhat surprisingly - Wicca, where Kingsnorth found both a reverence for Nature and worship of personal deities (two of them, in fact). His conversion to Christianity seems to have been more "irrational", prompted by dreams, strange premonitions and synchronicities. At one point during his Wiccan period, his wife (who is a Sikh) told Kingsnorth out of the blue that he would soon become a Christian! As for Orthodoxy, Kingsnorth was drawn to it due to its mystical and monastic character, but also its (supposed) ancient traditions. He clearly believes that one of the reasons why the modern West is falling apart is precisely its lack of a real tradition expressing a spiritual core welding society together.
Kingsnorth is extremely critical of attempts by modern Churches to "stay relevant" by diluting the Christian message. The tactic doesn´t work, since there is no need to be a Christian in a secular society if Jesus was simply some nice guy who lived 2,000 years ago, dispensing some (perhaps intriguing) moral advice. If you don´t believe that Christ was the Son of God and was resurrected, there is no point in believing the Christian religion. What drew Kingsnorth to the Orthodox Church was precisely its uncompromising nature: the hard fasting, strict rules, and the "anti-modern" theology, which takes even the most "crazy" or "strange" (his words) parts of the Bible seriously. The Protestant Reformation removed the heart of Christianity - the saints and the monastics - who demonstrated in practice what it actually means to be a Christian. (It´s not clear why Kingsnorth, who lives in Ireland, didn´t become a Catholic.)
In passing, Kingsnorth mentions that both the Church of England and the Catholic Church on Ireland are becoming less and less English and Irish, respectively. Many active members of the Church of England are actually African immigrants. In Ireland, the Catholic Church has difficulty convincing Irishmen to become priests. Kingsnorth has met Nigerian, Indian and Polish priests on Ireland! He wonders whether Europe must be re-Christianized by missionaries from Asia and Africa. That would, I suppose, be richly ironic...
I admit that Paul Kingsnorth´s eco-orthodoxy isn´t quite my cup of Irish coffee, but I nevertheless found his musings interesting, since I too am a spiritual seeker, but apparently my own "journey" is the exact opposite of his. I was more sympathetic to Christianity in the beginning of my quest, one of the reasons being that I tended to interpret the Christian religion in (broadly) "progressive" terms (I´m almost tempted to say "anthropocentric" ones). "Christian humanism is the most consistent form of humanism", that kind of thing. The more I move away from a simplistic anthropocentric perspective, the more "Buddhist" or "pagan" I sound! It´s also fun to note that I was a radical leftist in my younger days, but a decidedly anti-Green/anti-vegan one. It´s almost as if I´m this man´s strange mirror image...
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