As I write, I am sitting in my garden soaking up the spring sun. I love to feel the sun on my skin, and I hate to be indoors when the sun is shining!
As a lover of the sun, I have noticed over recent years the ramping up of anti-sun rhetoric. That may sound ridiculous, but have a think about it. For decades we have been told to ‘protect’ ourselves from the sun with sunscreen or to cover up so our skin is not exposed to the sun. Fear of skin cancer is used to drive this message home.
As a fair-skinned English girl I am no fan of sunburn, but I am also skeptical of the idea that smearing sunscreen all over one’s body is a good idea. When my children were little I recall one of them touching my car with a hand sticky with suncream. Later, I noticed the handprint on the paintwork which would not wash off. That’s when I decided to research the chemicals in sunscreen, which led me to conclude this was not a good thing to put on any skin, and especially that of a young child. My policy now is to cover up or stay out of the sun if my skin is starting to burn. Building up a gradual tan through gentle exposure to the sun works for me and my children, giving us a healthy glow and that all-important sun on the skin for vitamin D production. Did you know that vitamin D is crucial for bone health, immune system function, fighting infection and cancer, regulating sleep, nervous system function, cognitive function, mental health and blood pressure? Amazing!
I have also been interested to discover that alleged links between sun exposure and skin cancer are not as straightforward as often implied, and in fact ‘the science’ on this is far from ‘settled’ (a term often used by those who know little about science). There are also serious questions to be answered around the apparent increases in skin cancers since the use of modern sunscreens.
The spring of 2020, five years ago, brought the first of the ‘lockdowns’ as well as some beautiful sunny weather. I soon realised that vitamin D was likely to be critical for helping those vulnerable to covid-19 (or in fact any illness) so their immune systems could fight back. Yet people were being encouraged, and later commanded, to stay indoors. Soon the ridiculous ‘maximum of one hour outside to exercise’ was introduced. People like me ignored such stupidity, and I also had the luxury of a garden. But many had no such luxury, and could not wander about unchallenged in the countryside. There was no acknowledgement of the health benefits of the sun, not just for immune function but also the benefits to mental wellbeing. I know I am not the only one who finds a sunny day the best tonic for a low mood!
Recent years have also opened up another space for anti-sun rhetoric: ‘climate change’. When I was young the buzzword term was ‘global warming’ and the notion that the ‘hole in the ozone layer’ would allow harmful sunrays to penetrate and warm the earth. In more recent years the focus has shifted to ‘climate change’, presumably because whatever the climate does it can be reliably classed as ‘change’ and therefore blamed on human activity. Nevermind that climate has never remained static. The narrative seems to be that human activity (or just humans themselves) causes ‘climate change’ which is a bad thing for ‘the planet’ and for ‘nature’. The answer is to have fewer humans and/or less human activity; hence the insane drive to ‘net zero’ (with carbon as the enemy), endless talk of ‘climate crisis’, and the emergence of a climate religion replete with a god to worship (the planet), sacrifices to be made (to reduce your carbon sins or ‘footprint’), high priests to follow (climate ‘scientists’ and ‘experts’) and rules to adhere to (net zero goals and climate targets). This twisted cult sets humans as the sinners, but also the saviour. We can ‘save the planet’ if we make the right sacrifices, follow the rules and use our ingenuity and technical brilliance to manipulate the climate. Is there no end to our hubris?
Ironically, in addition to human activity the other enemy of this religion is the sun. Once worshipped by pagans as a god, the sun is now seen as something to avoid, to deflect and to shield the earth from. Since beginning this article some weeks ago, our government has admitted they are planning to ‘experiment’ with geoengineering in an effort to block the sun. Those of us with eyes to see know perfectly well that this has been going on for some time, and now they are admitting it. To think that we humans know better than God, the Creator of the sun, the earth and life itself. So we will engage in ‘weather modification’, ‘cloud seeding’, ‘geoengineering’, ‘solar radiation management’ - pick whichever term you like but it amounts to the same thing; creating cloud cover to block the sun by spraying heavy metals and chemicals into the sky. All in the name of ‘saving the planet’ and tackling the ‘climate crisis’. What could possibly go wrong?
As I said at the beginning of this piece, I am a lover of the sun. I am very happy to defend the sun from this onslaught and to advocate a healthy appreciation of and respect for the sun. Why? Because God created the sun, an awesome powerhouse which he placed at just the right distance from the earth to give us the light and warmth we need for life, yet also just the right distance to ensure we are not instantly fried to a frazzle or frozen to a block! In the first chapter of Genesis we are told:
And God said “Let there be light” and there was light. God saw that the light was good. Genesis 1: 3-4
As well as providing the heat and light we need as humans (essential for animals too), the sun powers photosynthesis for plant growth (with a very useful by-product: oxygen), the sun regulates sea temperatures which influence complex weather systems, the sun provides the warmth necessary for cold-blooded creatures to operate (such as lizards and snakes), the sun powers evaporation which is a necessary part of the rain cycle and the sun warms the soil which is essential for plant germination. What an amazing creation!
To conclude, the sun is a good thing, created and sustained by God for us, to give us the light and warmth and energy we need for life. The sun is not to be feared if we trust in God and follow him, for he determines when it rises and sets until the end of days, when Jesus will return to earth in judgement.
So we should be thankful for the sun, for our incredible immune systems which harness goodness from the sun, for all the living creatures who depend on the sun for their growth and sustenance, and for the joy which can be experienced in the beauty of a sunrise, sunlight or sunset. Woe to those who regard the sun as an enemy and attempt to block it. I am thankful for the sun, I will continue to enjoy the sun and I will praise God for his amazing creation!
From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised! Psalm 113:3
Well put. I particularly liked the false god/false worship elements. It's important to show a largely religiously illiterate culture that the gods, and other spiritual things, and matters of wisdom, are still as relevant now as they've always been. Our technology and our (always changing) 'knowledge' hasn't changed the basic nature of humans and the important questions we must ask and resolve in our lives.
Such a lovely piece and all so very true. Thank you.