Resembles the Pre- Crisis Earth On this Earth, an African-American Superman with vast mental powers has conquered the entire planet and has outlawed all superpowered beings save for those who work under his command. The United States provided covert operations in Czechoslovakia in and the Soviet Union still exists as a superpower in the s. Superman's Reign limited series.
Arena 2 February cameo , Tangent: Superman's Reign 1 March full. Alternate versions of characters from Quality Comics publications, such as the Freedom Fighters , and Nazi-themed versions of several DC characters. Resembles the Pre- Crisis Earth-X. This Earth's Justice League reflect their Earth's values and as such are composed of Nazi counterparts. Superman Beyond that English is a dead language on Earth This Earth's version of Supergirl, called Overgirl, is a human girl who was injected with genetic material from Overman and gained his superpowers.
This Earth has been shown at war as Wonder Man leads his male Amazons against the Justice League in retaliation for his expulsion from the League, following the killing of Maxine Lord. Arena 1 February and Countdown Presents: Characters and settings shown in the DC animated universe , such as the Batman Beyond television series [51]. Arena 1, it is explained that seven Green Lanterns patrol the "seven primary galaxies" and that Hal Jordan's descendant patrols the Milky Way Galaxy.
Resembles the settings of some Vertigo Comics titles. The existence of this reality is based on information from an interview with Keith Champagne. Champagne claimed to have a vague recollection of Dan DiDio's list of alternate worlds and said that Earth was "Vertigo, sort of". A near-Utopian world of highly evolved peaceful heroes, where crime has been virtually eliminated by efficient superheroes.
Arena website, Earth is referred to as a place where heroes "have evolved to become nearly perfect beings". Martian Manhunter and Cyborg were also Justice League members. Characters shown in the Young Justice TV series. Young Justice Episode 1: After a nuclear World War III was fought in its alternate , this world became a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Simians make up much of the Earth's population. As such, an ape is this Earth's Starman. Etrigan bonded with Jason Blood, the son of a Midwestern preacher, who uses the demon's powers and physical form to fight crime.
Magic and science co-exist. Characters shown in the Justice Riders one-shot [51]. Characters shown in the graphic novel Gotham by Gaslight. In Countdown 40, a Monitor identifies his universe as being "in the throes of the Industrial Revolution. Fate" would appear and that he had written a great deal of backstory for this Earth. It has slightly over two billion inhabitants, although the reason for this slower global population growth is unclear. The New Frontier limited series [51]. Characters shown in the Kingdom Come limited series [51]. He later returned to Earth and settled down with his Earth's Wonder Woman, raising a super-powered family and living into the 31st century, the era of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
The Superman of this world is from Vathlo Island on Krypton and wears a reversed version of the normal Superman shield, with a yellow-S on a red shield. The Wonder Woman of this world is an alternate version of Nubia , a supporting character from the Wonder Woman comic book. Recent interviews with Grant Morrison state this world will reappear in the Multiversity limited series.
Intelligent, anthropomorphic, talking funny animals, led by superheroes Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew , and the Scarab, a being made up of millions of carnivorous blue beetles. Featured in the Captain Carrot and the Final Ark limited series, Earth is rendered uninhabitable and the Zoo Crew are stranded on Earth-0 by means of a New Dogs ' kaboom tube , where they take on normal animal appearances and find themselves unable to communicate with the humans of Earth The renegade Monitor Nix Uotan later manages to restore their original forms and powers.
Characters shown in the Superman: Red Son limited series. In Countdown 40, a Monitor identifies his universe as one where "the last Kryptonian became a representative of the Soviet empire. Red Son 1 February This Earth's Batman is a dark vigilante who fights against crime and corruption while Superman is a federal agent for the government.
Characters shown in the Batman: In Darkest Knight one-shot [51]. A magical version of the DC Universe which is home to characters such as "Batmage, master of the Dark Arts, Kal-El, wielder of Kryptonian magics, and Lady Flash, keeper of the Speed Force", [67] as well as Black Bird an alternate version of Hawkgirl , an alternate version of Starman , heroic versions of Weather Wizard and the Shade , and an anthropomorphic blue beetle called Ted.
Characters shown in the Wonder Woman: A world in which the British Empire is under the reign of the sadistic and misogynist King Jack after he murdered Queen Victoria and most of the rest of the Victorian British royal family. Thrillkiller trade paperback [51]. Home to an alternate version of Captain Atom who is the leader of the Atomic Knights.
Home to a teenage version of the original Blue Beetle, Daniel Garrett , who has bonded with his scarab in the same manner that Jaime Reyes has bonded with his scarab. Characters shown in the JSA: The Liberty Files collection. A world in which superheroes are depicted as covert government operatives. The existence of this reality is based on comments made by Dan DiDio about the Countdown: Arena limited series at Wizard World Characters shown in the Tales of the Multiverse: Batman - Vampire collection [51].
A world in which this Earth's Batman has become a vampire. In Countdown 40, Monitor Rox Ogama identifies his universe as being "a world of vampires and the supernatural". Countdown 40 July cameo , Countdown Presents: This world is mentioned in Final Crisis 7, with a shard of Earth colliding with Earth-0 and being used by the heroes as a last-ditch base of operations. The Forerunners , [48]. Native home of the Forerunners, creatures bred by the Monitors from all the alien races of the inhabited solar system after the destruction of all human life on Earth now called War World in a war against the rest of the solar system.
These metahumans are strongly interventionist. Numbered in 52 Week 52 May , this Earth supposedly correlated with the Wildstorm Comics titles following their internal continuity reboot entitled " Worldstorm ". A utopian world where secret identities are no longer needed by superheroes. Nix Uotan successfully recreated his universe, at first making it resemble Earth-0, except that certain people, including the Challengers from Beyond, had never existed there. Solomon, the Monitor of Earth-8, conspired for it to be infected by the Morticoccus virus, triggering the Great Disaster which transformed this Earth into the setting of Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth.
By the time of the events of Final Crisis , Earth has become a "graveyard universe" devoid of life. Characters shown in the JLA: The Nail limited series. This universe is a bright, optimistic place where no one ever dies including the inhabitants of Krypton and Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite brought characters from this universe to Earth-0 to see how they fared. This led to the death of this Earth's Superman. A world of pulp characters, both derived from classic DC characters and also drawing on classic literary pulp characters. It is said that this world lacks a Superman so as not to devalue Doc Savage. Superboy-Prime and the incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes [75]. Similar to our world, superheroes exist only in fiction, outside of Superboy-Prime and the incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
The Antimatter Universe is a "universe of evil". It survived the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis and exists alongside the 52 positive-matter alternate universes. Exists outside of the Multiverse. The first DC Universe appearance of "Limbo" was in Grant Morrison 's Animal Man series, in which Morrison takes the concept of "comic book limbo" where forgotten characters go when they are not being published and makes it literal. The "Library of Limbo" contains only one book, The Infinite Book , which contains the story of all existence and has been described as the one story that contains all other stories.
The Orrery of Worlds [78]. Earth-0 [80] also known as Prime Earth and New Earth [81]. Shares a similar history with the previous amalgamated Earths. This Earth was created by merging Earth-0, Earth, and Earth from the previous Multiverse in the wake of the Flashpoint event.
Flashpoint 5 August [82]. The setting of the Earth One graphic novel series. The ensuing Earth 2 — and Earth 2: World's End — stories depict the formation of a new group of heroes "Wonders" who try and fail to save the Earth from Darkseid's second invasion attempt. This world's Supergirl and Robin were transported to Prime Earth during the war, where they assumed the identities of Power Girl and Huntress ; they later relocate to Earth 2 in World's End. Following the destruction of Earth 2 by Darkseid, the assembled heroes restart human civilisation on a new planet in Earth 2 Society Earth 2 1 July [85].
Home of true evil and the Crime Syndicate. Destroyed by the Anti-Monitor. Justice League 23 October mentioned Justice League Versions of the Charlton Comics line of DC characters presented in the style of the graphic novel Watchmen. It also draws from Watchmen , the Alan Moore graphic novel depicting gritty analogues of the Charlton heroes. Pax Americana 1 Nov [87] [88] [89]. Versions of the Fawcett Comics line of DC characters. Also known as "Thunderworld". Thunderworld 1 December [90] [91] [92]. Guidebook 1 January [93] [94]. Pastiches of characters featured in Marvel Comics ' Ultimate Marvel line of superhero stories.
This world was somewhat similar to Earth-8, but has been destroyed by the Gentry in what is called "The Essential Genocide Crossover", at least on Earth A hero named Thunderer, based on Thor , is the last survivor of this Earth. The Multiversity 1 August [95]. Pastiches of characters featured in rival publisher Marvel Comics' mainstream line of superhero stories. A pastiche of the main setting Earth shown in Marvel Comics ' publications.
These stories are known in comic books put out by "Major Comics" on the other Earths of the Multiverse. This version of Earth is called "Angor" by its inhabitants. The Retaliators are the main superhero team, opposing Lord Havok and the Extremists. The Multiversity 1 August [96]. Characters depicted in the Tangent Comics line. The " Tangent Comics " Universe. Guidebook 1 January [78] [97]. This world resembles the Pre- Crisis Earth-X.
Mastermen 1 February [94] [98] [99] []. A world of reversed-gender characters. Explained in The Multiversity to have an altered history as well; the Amazons of Themiscyra shared their technology with the world, changing it forever and inspiring women to take a lead in its history. The Multiversity 1 August mentioned [].
The universe depicted in the Batman Beyond comics. Batman Beyond 1 February [78] []. Guidebook 1 January [78] []. Originally revealed in The Multiversity as one of seven worlds deliberately left as unknown. Countdown 30 October [78] []. Also known as "Earth-Me". Originally envisioned as Earth [99] as well as Earth [] through various incarnations of The Multiverse. A world where the Justice League did such a good job of fighting crime, their children and sidekicks have nothing really to do.
Designed to have the feel of "The Hills". The Just 1 October [] []. This world suffered a nuclear war in The Atomic Knights struggle to rebuild the ruined world of 21st century Novamerika. The Time Trapper froze technology and culture in the late 19th century of the Old West.
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Modern conveniences such as air travel and the Internet had to be created with 19th century resources. Guidebook 1 January [94] []. Steampunk heroes based on the setting of Gotham by Gaslight. The Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World 1 September [94] [] []. The universe depicted in DC: The universe depicted in Kingdom Come. Home to a black Superman, with the black superheroes of this universe being more prominent than white superheroes.
This world resembles the one seen in Final Crisis 7. In his secret identity of Calvin Ellis, he serves as President of the United States, and has inspired a generation of black superheroes to rise to prominence. This world's Wonder Woman is a black woman named Nubia. Superman leads a predominately African American Justice League. Intelligent, anthropomorphic, funny animals, led by superheroes Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew. This Earth was temporarily destroyed by its version of Starro the Conqueror , but its inherent "cartoon physics" allowed it to survive and bounce back.
The Multiversity 1 August Captain Carrot appears [] []. The universe depicted in Superman: Red Son Features a Soviet symbol. Every superhero of this world is an amalgam of two characters from the regular DC Universe. Earth also known as Earth-Prime. Our own world, where superheroes exist only in fiction. Thus, its sole superhero only exists in the form of a comic book. Ultra Comics 1 March [94] []. Grant Morrison defines Earth and Earth, and possibly other neighbouring Earths, as homes to "copies of copies," home to analogues to Justice League analogues produced by writers Kurt Busiek and Rob Liefeld for rival publishing houses.
Earth is the Busiek pastiche universe. Earth is the Liefeld pastiche universe. This world is based on the works of Howard Chaykin , including Batman: Thrillkiller , Twilight and Weird Worlds. Described as a grim, lawless world of rapid technological advancement in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Their descendants are today's heroes. The Agents of W. A pastiche of the T. This world went to war against Earth five years ago. Conquerors of the Counter-World 1 September [] [].
The Multiversity 1 August Dino-Cop appears [] []. This world contains Chibi versions of DC Comics characters. This world had no evil, death, or violence until Earth's Superdoomsday showed up and killed their Superman. Dick Grayson is this world's Batman. Red Rain , but where the entire Justice League and villains like Doctor Sivana have succumbed to, and embraced, the vampire curse. The Metal League , robotic versions of the Justice League. On this world, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen tried to create their own superhero using thought-powered technology.
The business executives of Overcorp corrupted their creation, turning it into the monstrous Superdoomsday, which went on a rampage through the Multiverse. This world is home to characters that first appeared in Animal Man vol. Also known as Warworld. Home to genetically engineered warriors bred to wage war against Lord Darkseid. One of seven worlds deliberately left as unknown. Listed as being the "most mysterious" of the seven unknown worlds. Based on the Justice Lords' universe depicted in the Justice League animated series.
Justice League Beyond 2. Wild Hunt 1 February [79]. Super Buddies Justice League Home to Keith Giffen and J. Justice League 1 December []. Contains updated versions of characters and storylines present in Milestone Comics , including Static Shock , Icon , and Hardware.
Mystic Revelations of Thirteen: The Key to Earth's Destiny
In addition there are versions of the characters of the DC Universe. Michael Cray 1 December, []. A world where fragments of past DC Comics continuities are collected and preserved. Represented on the Multiverse map as the tiny question mark just below Earth and above the Chaos. Sphere of the Gods [78]. Goblin Market, Land of Nightshades [78]. New Gods, Forever People [78].
Darkseid and the evil New Gods [78]. Zauriel , the Spectre [78]. Godrealms of various pantheons [78]. Underworlds of various Pantheons, including the Kryptonian Phantom Zone [78]. Situated on the border between the Sphere of the Gods and the Monitor Sphere [78]. Former home of the Monitors [78]. It is a microscopic dimension that is visited by the Justice League of America , which is much smaller than the DC Multiverse itself and which is also a way of access to the same Multiverse, here, exists as a dimension where they exist a series of strange beings.
It was discovered by Professor Ray Palmer in his investigations of this dimension. Pocket world that is inside the DC Multiverse, where the different dimensions that connect to each other coexist and some universes are interconnected from the same Multiverse. Deathstroke Annual 01 March []. On this world, Batman forcibly merged himself with the Flash to gain the power of the Speed Force, becoming the Red Death, after he had lost his significant family members, friends and non-metahuman allies.
On this world, Batman merged himself with a digital copy of Alfred Pennyworth's mind after the real Alfred's death, becoming a murderous cyborg. On this world, young Bruce Wayne became a Green Lantern immediately following the death of his parents. Filled with rage, he disabled his ring's safeguard against lethal force and used its powers to murder criminals. The Batman Who Laughs, an insane Batman and successor of his Earth's Joker after being driven over the edge from being intensely tortured by his nemesis.
The Earth Batman became the Batman Who Laughs following a climatic confrontation between the two antagonists, which drove an insane Batman into killing the Joker while turning him into a new Joker from being subjected to a purified form of Joker venom. Like the core Multiverse's Earth, an alternate future-related reality, in which Wonder Woman dies in the course of unspecified combat, and in which Batman engineers fusion with Ares in revenge for her death.
Much like the regular Earth, all genders are reversed here. On this world, Bryce Wayne mass-murdered all metahumans in revenge for the death of her lover, Sylvester Kyle. When Atlantis made contact with the surface world, Bryce murdered their queen, Aquawoman, starting a war with Atlantis. She then had herself surgically altered to gain Atlantean powers. On this world, Batman infected himself with the Doomsday virus and became a version of Doomsday in order to kill a rogue Superman.
This world is shown to be a desolate barren wasteland of a planet, with ruins as far as the eye can see. It is unknown what exactly caused its desolation, though Owlman reasons that it was mankind who destroyed itself. Crisis on Two Earths February The New Frontier February Gotham Knight July Wonder Woman March First Flight July Public Enemies September Characters from the films Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths and Justice League: The Spectre February Under the Red Hood July Jonah Hex July Since the Vatican has refused to release the prophecies.
Strange events tied to the number Was this another message of the solar event? Was this a hint about the Fatima message? He chose the name Francis I from the 13th century saint Francis of Assisi. Find out why this Pope may not be the benevolent person he conveys to the world. Learn why 13 is a number closely linked throughout his life and why he should be known as POPE Were the killings part of mind control and evil agenda?
Although the sun has been strangely quiet, could a solar event cause a mega flares aimed at earth and take down the entire electrical grid? As bizarre events take place worldwide--wars, drought, sinkholes forming worldwide, increased powerful earthquakes, increased volcanic activity, and extreme weather, do these signs foretell of the coming Apocalypse as foretold by prophets of old? The future is ours to create say the prophets and indigenous people.
The choice is ours! Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Mystic Revelations of Thirteen , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Mystic Revelations of Thirteen. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. I double drawn in because another; number 7.
This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature. Each community can take from the bounty of the earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect the earth and to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. Thus God rejects every claim to absolute ownership: The laws found in the Bible dwell on relationships, not only among individuals but also with other living beings.
Clearly, the Bible has no place for a tyrannical anthropocentrism unconcerned for other creatures. In our time, the Church does not simply state that other creatures are completely subordinated to the good of human beings, as if they have no worth in themselves and can be treated as we wish. In the story of Cain and Abel, we see how envy led Cain to commit the ultimate injustice against his brother, which in turn ruptured the relationship between Cain and God, and between Cain and the earth from which he was banished.
This is seen clearly in the dramatic exchange between God and Cain. Disregard for the duty to cultivate and maintain a proper relationship with my neighbour, for whose care and custody I am responsible, ruins my relationship with my own self, with others, with God and with the earth. When all these relationships are neglected, when justice no longer dwells in the land, the Bible tells us that life itself is endangered.
We see this in the story of Noah, where God threatens to do away with humanity because of its constant failure to fulfil the requirements of justice and peace: These ancient stories, full of symbolism, bear witness to a conviction which we today share, that everything is interconnected, and that genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others. In this way he gave humanity the chance of a new beginning. All it takes is one good person to restore hope!
The biblical tradition clearly shows that this renewal entails recovering and respecting the rhythms inscribed in nature by the hand of the Creator. We see this, for example, in the law of the Sabbath. On the seventh day, God rested from all his work. He commanded Israel to set aside each seventh day as a day of rest, a Sabbath , cf. Similarly, every seven years, a sabbatical year was set aside for Israel, a complete rest for the land cf.
This law came about as an attempt to ensure balance and fairness in their relationships with others and with the land on which they lived and worked. At the same time, it was an acknowledgment that the gift of the earth with its fruits belongs to everyone. Those who tilled and kept the land were obliged to share its fruits, especially with the poor, with widows, orphans and foreigners in their midst: They also invite other creatures to join us in this praise: Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
This is why we adore him. The writings of the prophets invite us to find renewed strength in times of trial by contemplating the all-powerful God who created the universe. Indeed, all sound spirituality entails both welcoming divine love and adoration, confident in the Lord because of his infinite power. In the Bible, the God who liberates and saves is the same God who created the universe, and these two divine ways of acting are intimately and inseparably connected: It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm!
He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. The experience of the Babylonian captivity provoked a spiritual crisis which led to deeper faith in God. Now his creative omnipotence was given pride of place in order to exhort the people to regain their hope in the midst of their wretched predicament. Centuries later, in another age of trial and persecution, when the Roman Empire was seeking to impose absolute dominion, the faithful would once again find consolation and hope in a growing trust in the all-powerful God: Just and true are your ways!
The God who created the universe out of nothing can also intervene in this world and overcome every form of evil. Injustice is not invincible. A spirituality which forgets God as all-powerful and Creator is not acceptable. That is how we end up worshipping earthly powers, or ourselves usurping the place of God, even to the point of claiming an unlimited right to trample his creation underfoot.
The best way to restore men and women to their rightful place, putting an end to their claim to absolute dominion over the earth, is to speak once more of the figure of a Father who creates and who alone owns the world. Otherwise, human beings will always try to impose their own laws and interests on reality.
Nature is usually seen as a system which can be studied, understood and controlled, whereas creation can only be understood as a gift from the outstretched hand of the Father of all, and as a reality illuminated by the love which calls us together into universal communion. This tells us that the world came about as the result of a decision, not from chaos or chance, and this exalts it all the more. The creating word expresses a free choice. The universe did not emerge as the result of arbitrary omnipotence, a show of force or a desire for self-assertion.
Creation is of the order of love. Even the fleeting life of the least of beings is the object of his love, and in its few seconds of existence, God enfolds it with his affection. At the same time, Judaeo-Christian thought demythologized nature. While continuing to admire its grandeur and immensity, it no longer saw nature as divine. In doing so, it emphasizes all the more our human responsibility for nature.
This rediscovery of nature can never be at the cost of the freedom and responsibility of human beings who, as part of the world, have the duty to cultivate their abilities in order to protect it and develop its potential. If we acknowledge the value and the fragility of nature and, at the same time, our God-given abilities, we can finally leave behind the modern myth of unlimited material progress.
A fragile world, entrusted by God to human care, challenges us to devise intelligent ways of directing, developing and limiting our power. In this universe, shaped by open and intercommunicating systems, we can discern countless forms of relationship and participation. Faith allows us to interpret the meaning and the mysterious beauty of what is unfolding. We are free to apply our intelligence towards things evolving positively, or towards adding new ills, new causes of suffering and real setbacks. This is what makes for the excitement and drama of human history, in which freedom, growth, salvation and love can blossom, or lead towards decadence and mutual destruction.
Yet God, who wishes to work with us and who counts on our cooperation, can also bring good out of the evil we have done. Human beings, even if we postulate a process of evolution, also possess a uniqueness which cannot be fully explained by the evolution of other open systems. Each of us has his or her own personal identity and is capable of entering into dialogue with others and with God himself.
Our capacity to reason, to develop arguments, to be inventive, to interpret reality and to create art, along with other not yet discovered capacities, are signs of a uniqueness which transcends the spheres of physics and biology. The biblical accounts of creation invite us to see each human being as a subject who can never be reduced to the status of an object. Yet it would also be mistaken to view other living beings as mere objects subjected to arbitrary human domination. When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society.
- Mystic Revelations of Thirteen & The Angel-Aliens Agenda;
- Mystic Revelations of Thirteen: The Key to Earth’s Destiny By Betsey Lewis.
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Completely at odds with this model are the ideals of harmony, justice, fraternity and peace as proposed by Jesus. As he said of the powers of his own age: The ultimate destiny of the universe is in the fullness of God, which has already been attained by the risen Christ, the measure of the maturity of all things. The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us. Rather, all creatures are moving forward with us and through us towards a common point of arrival, which is God, in that transcendent fullness where the risen Christ embraces and illumines all things.
Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, and drawn by the fullness of Christ, are called to lead all creatures back to their Creator. Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning; we all remember places, and revisiting those memories does us much good.
Anyone who has grown up in the hills or used to sit by the spring to drink, or played outdoors in the neighbourhood square; going back to these places is a chance to recover something of their true selves. The universe as a whole, in all its manifold relationships, shows forth the inexhaustible riches of God.
As the Catechism teaches: The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: When we can see God reflected in all that exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all his creatures and to worship him in union with them. This sentiment finds magnificent expression in the hymn of Saint Francis of Assisi:. Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour; and bears a likeness of you, Most High.
Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful. Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through whom you give sustenance to your creatures. Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste. The bishops of Brazil have pointed out that nature as a whole not only manifests God but is also a locus of his presence. The Spirit of life dwells in every living creature and calls us to enter into relationship with him.
Otherwise, we would not be doing the creatures themselves any good either, for we would be failing to acknowledge their right and proper place. We would end up unduly demanding of them something which they, in their smallness, cannot give us. The created things of this world are not free of ownership: This is the basis of our conviction that, as part of the universe, called into being by one Father, all of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect.
This is not to put all living beings on the same level nor to deprive human beings of their unique worth and the tremendous responsibility it entails. Nor does it imply a divinization of the earth which would prevent us from working on it and protecting it in its fragility. Such notions would end up creating new imbalances which would deflect us from the reality which challenges us.
Certainly, we should be concerned lest other living beings be treated irresponsibly. But we should be particularly indignant at the enormous inequalities in our midst, whereby we continue to tolerate some considering themselves more worthy than others. We fail to see that some are mired in desperate and degrading poverty, with no way out, while others have not the faintest idea of what to do with their possessions, vainly showing off their supposed superiority and leaving behind them so much waste which, if it were the case everywhere, would destroy the planet.
In practice, we continue to tolerate that some consider themselves more human than others, as if they had been born with greater rights. A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted. This compromises the very meaning of our struggle for the sake of the environment.
It is no coincidence that, in the canticle in which Saint Francis praises God for his creatures, he goes on to say: Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society. Moreover, when our hearts are authentically open to universal communion, this sense of fraternity excludes nothing and no one.
It follows that our indifference or cruelty towards fellow creatures of this world sooner or later affects the treatment we mete out to other human beings. We have only one heart, and the same wretchedness which leads us to mistreat an animal will not be long in showing itself in our relationships with other people. Whether believers or not, we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world for everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged.
This has practical consequences, such as those pointed out by the bishops of Paraguay: This right must be guaranteed so that its exercise is not illusory but real. The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. If we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all. If we do not, we burden our consciences with the weight of having denied the existence of others. Jesus took up the biblical faith in God the Creator, emphasizing a fundamental truth: God is Father cf.
In talking with his disciples, Jesus would invite them to recognize the paternal relationship God has with all his creatures. The Lord was able to invite others to be attentive to the beauty that there is in the world because he himself was in constant touch with nature, lending it an attention full of fondness and wonder. As he made his way throughout the land, he often stopped to contemplate the beauty sown by his Father, and invited his disciples to perceive a divine message in things: Jesus lived in full harmony with creation, and others were amazed: His appearance was not that of an ascetic set apart from the world, nor of an enemy to the pleasant things of life.
Of himself he said: He was far removed from philosophies which despised the body, matter and the things of the world. Such unhealthy dualisms, nonetheless, left a mark on certain Christian thinkers in the course of history and disfigured the Gospel. Jesus worked with his hands, in daily contact with the matter created by God, to which he gave form by his craftsmanship.
It is striking that most of his life was dedicated to this task in a simple life which awakened no admiration at all: In this way he sanctified human labour and endowed it with a special significance for our development. In the Christian understanding of the world, the destiny of all creation is bound up with the mystery of Christ, present from the beginning: One Person of the Trinity entered into the created cosmos, throwing in his lot with it, even to the cross. From the beginning of the world, but particularly through the incarnation, the mystery of Christ is at work in a hidden manner in the natural world as a whole, without thereby impinging on its autonomy.
The New Testament does not only tell us of the earthly Jesus and his tangible and loving relationship with the world. It also shows him risen and glorious, present throughout creation by his universal Lordship: Thus, the creatures of this world no longer appear to us under merely natural guise because the risen One is mysteriously holding them to himself and directing them towards fullness as their end. The very flowers of the field and the birds which his human eyes contemplated and admired are now imbued with his radiant presence.
It would hardly be helpful to describe symptoms without acknowledging the human origins of the ecological crisis. A certain way of understanding human life and activity has gone awry, to the serious detriment of the world around us. Should we not pause and consider this? At this stage, I propose that we focus on the dominant technocratic paradigm and the place of human beings and of human action in the world.
Humanity has entered a new era in which our technical prowess has brought us to a crossroads. We are the beneficiaries of two centuries of enormous waves of change: How can we not feel gratitude and appreciation for this progress, especially in the fields of medicine, engineering and communications? How could we not acknowledge the work of many scientists and engineers who have provided alternatives to make development sustainable?
Technoscience, when well directed, can produce important means of improving the quality of human life, from useful domestic appliances to great transportation systems, bridges, buildings and public spaces. Who can deny the beauty of an aircraft or a skyscraper? Valuable works of art and music now make use of new technologies.
So, in the beauty intended by the one who uses new technical instruments and in the contemplation of such beauty, a quantum leap occurs, resulting in a fulfilment which is uniquely human. Yet it must also be recognized that nuclear energy, biotechnology, information technology, knowledge of our DNA, and many other abilities which we have acquired, have given us tremendous power. More precisely, they have given those with the knowledge, and especially the economic resources to use them, an impressive dominance over the whole of humanity and the entire world. Never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is currently being used.
We need but think of the nuclear bombs dropped in the middle of the twentieth century, or the array of technology which Nazism, Communism and other totalitarian regimes have employed to kill millions of people, to say nothing of the increasingly deadly arsenal of weapons available for modern warfare. In whose hands does all this power lie, or will it eventually end up?
It is extremely risky for a small part of humanity to have it. Each age tends to have only a meagre awareness of its own limitations. It is possible that we do not grasp the gravity of the challenges now before us. Our freedom fades when it is handed over to the blind forces of the unconscious, of immediate needs, of self-interest, and of violence.
In this sense, we stand naked and exposed in the face of our ever-increasing power, lacking the wherewithal to control it. We have certain superficial mechanisms, but we cannot claim to have a sound ethics, a culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and teaching clear-minded self-restraint.
The basic problem goes even deeper: This paradigm exalts the concept of a subject who, using logical and rational procedures, progressively approaches and gains control over an external object. This subject makes every effort to establish the scientific and experimental method, which in itself is already a technique of possession, mastery and transformation. It is as if the subject were to find itself in the presence of something formless, completely open to manipulation.
Men and women have constantly intervened in nature, but for a long time this meant being in tune with and respecting the possibilities offered by the things themselves. It was a matter of receiving what nature itself allowed, as if from its own hand. Now, by contrast, we are the ones to lay our hands on things, attempting to extract everything possible from them while frequently ignoring or forgetting the reality in front of us.
Human beings and material objects no longer extend a friendly hand to one another; the relationship has become confrontational. This has made it easy to accept the idea of infinite or unlimited growth, which proves so attractive to economists, financiers and experts in technology. The effects of imposing this model on reality as a whole, human and social, are seen in the deterioration of the environment, but this is just one sign of a reductionism which affects every aspect of human and social life. We have to accept that technological products are not neutral, for they create a framework which ends up conditioning lifestyles and shaping social possibilities along the lines dictated by the interests of certain powerful groups.
Decisions which may seem purely instrumental are in reality decisions about the kind of society we want to build. The idea of promoting a different cultural paradigm and employing technology as a mere instrument is nowadays inconceivable. The technological paradigm has become so dominant that it would be difficult to do without its resources and even more difficult to utilize them without being dominated by their internal logic.
It has become countercultural to choose a lifestyle whose goals are even partly independent of technology, of its costs and its power to globalize and make us all the same. The technocratic paradigm also tends to dominate economic and political life. The economy accepts every advance in technology with a view to profit, without concern for its potentially negative impact on human beings. Finance overwhelms the real economy. The lessons of the global financial crisis have not been assimilated, and we are learning all too slowly the lessons of environmental deterioration.
Some circles maintain that current economics and technology will solve all environmental problems, and argue, in popular and non-technical terms, that the problems of global hunger and poverty will be resolved simply by market growth. They are less concerned with certain economic theories which today scarcely anybody dares defend, than with their actual operation in the functioning of the economy. They may not affirm such theories with words, but nonetheless support them with their deeds by showing no interest in more balanced levels of production, a better distribution of wealth, concern for the environment and the rights of future generations.
Their behaviour shows that for them maximizing profits is enough. Yet by itself the market cannot guarantee integral human development and social inclusion. We fail to see the deepest roots of our present failures, which have to do with the direction, goals, meaning and social implications of technological and economic growth. The specialization which belongs to technology makes it difficult to see the larger picture. The fragmentation of knowledge proves helpful for concrete applications, and yet it often leads to a loss of appreciation for the whole, for the relationships between things, and for the broader horizon, which then becomes irrelevant.
A science which would offer solutions to the great issues would necessarily have to take into account the data generated by other fields of knowledge, including philosophy and social ethics; but this is a difficult habit to acquire today. Nor are there genuine ethical horizons to which one can appeal. Life gradually becomes a surrender to situations conditioned by technology, itself viewed as the principal key to the meaning of existence. In the concrete situation confronting us, there are a number of symptoms which point to what is wrong, such as environmental degradation, anxiety, a loss of the purpose of life and of community living.
Ecological culture cannot be reduced to a series of urgent and partial responses to the immediate problems of pollution, environmental decay and the depletion of natural resources. There needs to be a distinctive way of looking at things, a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance to the assault of the technocratic paradigm. Otherwise, even the best ecological initiatives can find themselves caught up in the same globalized logic. To seek only a technical remedy to each environmental problem which comes up is to separate what is in reality interconnected and to mask the true and deepest problems of the global system.
Yet we can once more broaden our vision. We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology; we can put it at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral. Liberation from the dominant technocratic paradigm does in fact happen sometimes, for example, when cooperatives of small producers adopt less polluting means of production, and opt for a non-consumerist model of life, recreation and community. Or indeed when the desire to create and contemplate beauty manages to overcome reductionism through a kind of salvation which occurs in beauty and in those who behold it.
An authentic humanity, calling for a new synthesis, seems to dwell in the midst of our technological culture, almost unnoticed, like a mist seeping gently beneath a closed door. Will the promise last, in spite of everything, with all that is authentic rising up in stubborn resistance? There is also the fact that people no longer seem to believe in a happy future; they no longer have blind trust in a better tomorrow based on the present state of the world and our technical abilities.
There is a growing awareness that scientific and technological progress cannot be equated with the progress of humanity and history, a growing sense that the way to a better future lies elsewhere. This is not to reject the possibilities which technology continues to offer us. But humanity has changed profoundly, and the accumulation of constant novelties exalts a superficiality which pulls us in one direction.
It becomes difficult to pause and recover depth in life. If architecture reflects the spirit of an age, our megastructures and drab apartment blocks express the spirit of globalized technology, where a constant flood of new products coexists with a tedious monotony. Let us refuse to resign ourselves to this, and continue to wonder about the purpose and meaning of everything.
Otherwise we would simply legitimate the present situation and need new forms of escapism to help us endure the emptiness. All of this shows the urgent need for us to move forward in a bold cultural revolution.
Mystic Revelations of Thirteen: The Key to Earth’s Destiny By Betsey Lewis – Aquarian Radio
Science and technology are not neutral; from the beginning to the end of a process, various intentions and possibilities are in play and can take on distinct shapes. Nobody is suggesting a return to the Stone Age, but we do need to slow down and look at reality in a different way, to appropriate the positive and sustainable progress which has been made, but also to recover the values and the great goals swept away by our unrestrained delusions of grandeur. When human beings fail to find their true place in this world, they misunderstand themselves and end up acting against themselves: Modernity has been marked by an excessive anthropocentrism which today, under another guise, continues to stand in the way of shared understanding and of any effort to strengthen social bonds.
The time has come to pay renewed attention to reality and the limits it imposes; this in turn is the condition for a more sound and fruitful development of individuals and society. An inadequate presentation of Christian anthropology gave rise to a wrong understanding of the relationship between human beings and the world. Often, what was handed on was a Promethean vision of mastery over the world, which gave the impression that the protection of nature was something that only the faint-hearted cared about.
Neglecting to monitor the harm done to nature and the environmental impact of our decisions is only the most striking sign of a disregard for the message contained in the structures of nature itself. When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities — to offer just a few examples — it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected.
This situation has led to a constant schizophrenia, wherein a technocracy which sees no intrinsic value in lesser beings coexists with the other extreme, which sees no special value in human beings. But one cannot prescind from humanity. There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself. There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology. Human beings cannot be expected to feel responsibility for the world unless, at the same time, their unique capacities of knowledge, will, freedom and responsibility are recognized and valued.
Nor must the critique of a misguided anthropocentrism underestimate the importance of interpersonal relations. If the present ecological crisis is one small sign of the ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity, we cannot presume to heal our relationship with nature and the environment without healing all fundamental human relationships. Christian thought sees human beings as possessing a particular dignity above other creatures; it thus inculcates esteem for each person and respect for others.
Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God. Otherwise, it would be nothing more than romantic individualism dressed up in ecological garb, locking us into a stifling immanence. Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties?
We need to develop a new synthesis capable of overcoming the false arguments of recent centuries. Christianity, in fidelity to its own identity and the rich deposit of truth which it has received from Jesus Christ, continues to reflect on these issues in fruitful dialogue with changing historical situations. In doing so, it reveals its eternal newness. A misguided anthropocentrism leads to a misguided lifestyle.
There is a logic in all this whereby different attitudes can feed on one another, leading to environmental degradation and social decay.