Holding It In?
According to the Globe & Mail, we are in the midst of a "religious war on bottled water." According to an online article by Martin Mittelstaedt published yesterday:
Bottled water has never gone down smoothly with many environmentalists, who view it as an extravagantly wasteful way of quenching a thirst, but the product is facing criticism from an unexpected source — religious groups.
Some churches in Canada have started to urge congregants to boycott bottled water, citing ethical, theological and social justice reasons. Bottled water, they argue, is morally tainted and should be avoided....
"Water is seen increasingly as a saleable commodity, [being used] to make a profit," said David Hallman, a United Church official, "as opposed to our perspective of it being an element of life and good for all creation."
Concerns about bottled water in Canada's churches is just the latest controversy to erupt over a product that few people used a decade ago, but which is now almost ubiquitous....
Many environmentalists regard bottled water with a disdain usually reserved for the most egregious polluters.... The religious objection to bottled water extends beyond the excessive markup, however. Water is mentioned throughout the Bible and is an important sacramental item for religious rituals, such as baptism. That's why the objection to selling it can be intensely theological.
Is the phrase "product that few people used a decade ago, but which is now almost ubiquitous" referring to the bottled water or to the religious fundamentalism?
[As any devout Catholic can tell you, not even Holy water is free. See "Urban Oasis" on April 2, for more information on the subject of global water shortages.]
Bottled water has never gone down smoothly with many environmentalists, who view it as an extravagantly wasteful way of quenching a thirst, but the product is facing criticism from an unexpected source — religious groups.
Some churches in Canada have started to urge congregants to boycott bottled water, citing ethical, theological and social justice reasons. Bottled water, they argue, is morally tainted and should be avoided....
"Water is seen increasingly as a saleable commodity, [being used] to make a profit," said David Hallman, a United Church official, "as opposed to our perspective of it being an element of life and good for all creation."
Concerns about bottled water in Canada's churches is just the latest controversy to erupt over a product that few people used a decade ago, but which is now almost ubiquitous....
Many environmentalists regard bottled water with a disdain usually reserved for the most egregious polluters.... The religious objection to bottled water extends beyond the excessive markup, however. Water is mentioned throughout the Bible and is an important sacramental item for religious rituals, such as baptism. That's why the objection to selling it can be intensely theological.
Is the phrase "product that few people used a decade ago, but which is now almost ubiquitous" referring to the bottled water or to the religious fundamentalism?
[As any devout Catholic can tell you, not even Holy water is free. See "Urban Oasis" on April 2, for more information on the subject of global water shortages.]
posted by jp at 13:33
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