The Diversity of Sacred Lands in Europe - IUCN

The borders of science
In two areas of life, this has been particularly clear to see. One is the scientific/
technological domain. Within its framework, western man has approached life as
if there were no borders on the landscape, thus permitting him to go as far as his
knowledge and ability allow.
In the areas of biomedicine, genetic engineering and virtual technology, we are at
present in unknown territory. Here for once we have to ask whether there is a sacred
border beyond which we may not go. The old maps provide no help. It is for
this very reason that we need humility, sensitivity and respect so much, and they
stem from an awareness of human borders and what is holy.
This is a special challenge for Christian theology of creation. The challenge is on
an altogether different scale compared to the conflicts between Christian belief
and the natural sciences that date back to the 19 th century. Now it is of fundamental
importance to ask whether the borders of mankind are marked by anything
more than intelligence and ambition. Should we be going on a voyage of discovery
in all areas, or are there borders that cannot be crossed from the perspective
of humanity and life, borders at which we have to stop, just like we do when we encounter
the holy?
The borders of economics, business and consumerism
The other area is economics and business. They now dominate our culture. It is on
their terms that we decide what is important and what is not.
Within this sphere of influence, the basic relations of human existence are shaped
in a whole new way. How someone relates to economic activity is crucial. People
are seen to be fundamentally dependent on it. It has a surplus value, with some
features of the holy, but it does not point beyond mankind. One’s relationship with
it is not the same as that with the holy or God, which indicates something outside
man. There is of course room for God, but the limits of human activity or existence
are not seen through Him, but through the economy.
In the current climate, there is a danger that the holy, and symbols denoting the
holy, will simply become a commodity, like everything else. There will be products
that people acquire in order to experience what is holy. There is some demand for
this, because a need for the sacred lies deep within a person, just like the desire
to live. But, at the same time, the holy ceases to be holy. It becomes banal and
metamorphoses into a momentary experience. It no longer allows us to identify human
borders and territory.
If people are primarily understood in relation to economic activity, the whole field of
human endeavour is in danger of being perceived as one of market relations, pro-
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