The Killing Fields

[Maryanne Winder Lester]

Good Morning.

I have been upset, appalled, angered, stressed and grieved over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

After all, this catastrophe could have been prevented. But, I don't blame BP alone for this event. I blame myself, and my father's generation and his father's generation for this horrible and seemingly uncontrollable devastation. BP is a business and they are only supplying what we are demanding. They could have shown better care in operating their business, that is a fact. I seriously doubt that Henry Ford could have foreseen this tragedy when he produced his first gasoline powered motor car in 1896. But, then again, neither did the inventors of .paint, glue, tires, deodorant, credit cards, radios, perfume, carpet and parachutes. These are only some of the products that require crude oil in their recipes. Mankind has become very greedy and demanding for the gifts that God gave to us. I have read one blog that even included a post that said, “Stopping the oil spill is interfering with God's plan.”

So, what did God intend? What was His plan? In Genesis 1:20-23, “Then God said, 'Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.' So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them saying, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.' So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” In Genesis 1:26-28 and 31, “Then God said, 'Let us make man in Our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on earth.” And, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Isn't it interesting that God created the animals and the fish and the birds before He created man? But when He created man, He instructed us to fill the earth and subdue it and He gave us dominion over all these creations. Man alone was created in the image of God. Because of this, man was given these instructions to have authority to subdue the earth; to bring the earth under cultivation, not to conquer or vanquish it, and to have dominion over the other creatures; to take responsible care of them and not to exploit them for personal gain. I realize there is some controversy among Bible scholars as to the meaning of the words "Subdue" and "Dominion." These are the interpretations that I believe in.

Now, it's 2010 and this catastrophe has occurred. Were we carrying out God's instructions? No, we were not. Instead of taking responsible care of the birds and the creatures of the sea, we put our own needs first resulting in these creatures dying in mass numbers. We were trying to conquer the earth, not cultivate it.

In Revelation, John wrote of this disaster in a prophecy of the end times, 8:8 states, “Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood.” 16:3 states, “Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.” Is this oil spill a sign of the end times? I cannot say. But I do know that the pictures I have seen of the oil against the beaches looks a lot like blood to me. One observer has even described it as looking like “Blood Stew.” And, it is the blood of men, animals and all living things that create the very fossil fuels that crude oil is made of.

Let me talk about some of these creatures we were instructed to provide responsible care for: First,

sea turtles. In the Gulf Coast there are 5 distinct species. 4 of these are already on the Endangered Species List. 1 is in danger of complete extinction. Over 400 sea turtles have been found dead since this oil spill began on April 20^th. Next, birds. Over 75% of this countries waterfowl use the 3 million acres of wetlands in Louisiana to rest and to nest. This oil spill happened at the height of the nesting season this year. These pristine wetlands are now being referred to as “Killing Fields.” The brown pelican is the state bird of Louisiana. It could be wiped off the face of the earth. It was just removed from the Endangered Species List last year. And dolphins. They come to the shallow areas of the Gulf Coast near the shores each year to bear their young. At the time this spill occurred, there were over 5000 dolphins in this area ready to give birth. As of June 16, over 40 dolphins have been found dead on the beaches of the Gulf Coast. Other sea creatures in peril include tuna, sharks, crabs, stingrays, whales, manatees, alligators, shrimp, oysters, crawfish and all species of fish. Besides death, all of these creatures face chemical burns, respiratory tract damage, gastro-intestinal damage

and brain damage. My numbers stated here come from reliable government websites including NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Please take a moment to see how each of us can modify our dependence on crude oil. Perhaps if we had done this years ago, this tragedy could have been avoided. Start reading labels and see if you can do without some of the oil based products we have come to depend on.

Jesus chose fishermen as some of His disciples. This is an honorable profession and one of the oldest professions on earth. I pray for all the fishermen and their families who have been effected by the explosion and collapse of the oil rig, Deepwater Horizon. I ask that you include them in your prayers as well.

Rev. Theodore Turner, Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Boothville, La. Said, “The oil spill is part of a prophecy. The Bible prophesied hardships. If we believe the word of God is true, and we do, we also know that in addition to prophesying hardships, He promised to take care of us.”

Lastly, let me say that I am not a member of any special interest group, except the Kingdom of God. I am not here to be a prophet of doom. I have faith that God will deliver us from this hardship and that we and our neighbors in the Gulf Coast will be able to prosper. He promised prosperity to us all. Psalm 37:25 confirms this. “I have been young and now am old; yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendents begging bread.” We should all remember this verse in our times of hardship.

Maryanne Winder Lester 6/21/2010