Global Warming
For those people out there who think ancient Pagans were perfectly in tune with nature, as I’ve said before, there is no such thing. Everything we do, everything animals do, impacts nature. We can’t help but change our environment. Ancient industry, as I’ve discussed before, caused a great deal of pollution. So too, as it now turns out (at least according to this study), did ancient farming.
I’ve submitted the story to Digg if you want to take a look at it (ignore my facetious comment – many of my extended family are still farmers in SE Minnesota (and I’ll be seeing some of them this weekend at the 150th anniversary of the Amundson clan – my own, who were just in time to steal land from the Dakota (not being facetious).
All kidding (and not kidding) aside, it behooves us to be honest about our past. Yes, our ancestors were more in tune with nature than Christian cultures which followed. Very much so, in fact. You don’t see Christians in history asking animals and trees for forgiveness before killing them, for example. But we must not kid ourselves that even our polytheistic ancestors walked in complete accord with nature. It just can’t be done.
Obviously, there is argument among scholars – there always is. Some say the impact of activities so long ago was very small, others (like this study) argue for a bigger impact. Either way, the environment was impacted, whether a little or a great deal. Food for thought, my friends.
Hrafnkell Haraldsson is the author of A Heathen’s Day, which since 2005 has addressed the life and thoughts of a modern day Heathen. He is also the founder of the Mos Maiorum Foundation (www.mosmaiorum.org) which is dedicated to the study and support of Paganism as ethnic religion and writes for PoliticusUSA (www.politicususa.com) 
Very interesting article, thanks for bringing it to our attention. I agree that it's problematic to automatically assume that people in the ancient world revered nature in the same way that Pagans do today. While being animists, they were still interested in their own survival – more so than preserving natural "purity".
It seems to me that people back then were involved in nature in a very different way than we are today – not as something to be visited, protected and admired, but as the foundation of their livelihoods, the frame around their lives and simply the world they lived in.
I read an interesting study years ago – I'll try to find out exactly who wrote it. It was an art historian who had been studying medieval illuminations. While his study concerned a much later era in history, his conclusions were interesting. As is plain to see, nature is depicted in a very symbolic, nearly abstract way in medieval art – the reason, he proposed, was that people in the medieval world had no concept of nature as being something different, something apart from their daily lives, to be closely studied and depicted. In later art, especially from the industrial revolution and onwards, nature became the subject of both philosophical thought and very accurate artistic depictions.
With these things in mind, it's clear to see that Pagans today cannot revere nature in the exact same way as our ancient predecessors – in an equally profound manner, perhaps, but not the same manner.
I thought it was good food for thought too, however much we may agree or disagree as to his findings. I think you bring up a very good point too, about how views of nature (and other things – marriage, anyone? Or sexuality?) change with time and with culture and even within a culture over time. People hearken back to the past with no clear understanding of what they're talking about. That study you speak of sounds VERY interesting!
While I think there are many issues related to this, I think a huge factor in it all is the Abrahamic view that this planet is *ours* and that we are the masters and mistresses of it, to do with it's inhabitants as we please. Rather than what I think is the more ancient view of humanity being a part of this world like a cog in a clock.
I love various quotes from, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" Klaatu is the alien.
"Now, please; tell me why have you come to our planet."
Klaatu: "*Your* planet."
"Yes; this is our planet."
Klaatu: "No, it is not."
I also like:
Klaatu: "We can't risk the survival of this planet for the sake of one species."
Good movie if you haven't seen it.
I agree Gran, and that is a movie I want to see. It's on my list but the list just keeps getting longer and I can't figure out how to add more hours to the day
On your advice, I'll move it up a bit.