Religion and environmentalism
Religion and environmentalism are an emerging interdisciplinary subfield in the academic disciplines of religious studies, religious ethics, the sociology of religion, and theology, with environmentalism and ecological principles as a primary focus. Religion is sometimes defined as the relationship between people and that they regard as holy, often in supernatural terms. Ecology has been defined as the branch of biology that deals with organisms’ relations to one another and their physical surroundings. The environment has been defined as the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. All religions agree that nature is an act of divinity and should be treated as such. It has been realized empirically that all the major religions and their diverse religious associations believe that humans are stewards of the environment and its resources. Therefore, they would account for how they led their lives, including how they treated the biodiversity resources in nature. Almost all religions address the creation of the universe, or universes, in different forms and with varying degrees of clarity or detail. However, all religions agree that creation is an act of God and should be treated as such. Spiritual leaders at all levels are critical to the success of the global solidarity for an ethical, moral, and spiritual commitment to protect the environment and God’s creation. These leaders can become observers, make public commitments, share the story of their commitments and the challenges and joys of keeping them, and invite others to join them. They can also display their sustainable behaviors, serving as role models for their followers and the public.
Religion and ecology
In religion and ecology, religions may be broadly understood as a means whereby humans, recognizing the limitations of phenomenal reality, undertake specific practices to effect self-transformation and community cohesion within a cosmological context. Religions are vehicles for cosmological stories, symbol systems, ritual practices, ethical norms, historical processes, and institutional structures that transmit a human view as embedded in a world of meaning and responsibility, transformation and celebration. Religions connect humans with a divine or numinous presence, with the human community, and with the broader Earth community. They link humans to the larger matrix of mystery in which life arises, unfolds, and flourishes.
Religion and ecology is an emerging area of study, research, and engagement that embraces multiple disciplines, including environmental studies, geography, history, anthropology, sociology, and politics. This article will survey the field of study and some of the broader movements of religion and ecology. The study responds to both historical and contemporary quests for understanding the interrelationships of humans, Earth, cosmos, and the sacred. This field involves explorations of such topics as the creative and destructive dynamics of nature, divine presence and purpose in nature and the cosmos, how environments have shaped and been shaped by human culture, the symbolic expression of nature in myth and rituals, and the understanding of ecology as displayed in traditional practices of agriculture, commerce, fishing, or hunting. In short, it explores the complex and varied systems of human-Earth relations as expressed in religious traditions. Religions are often thought to concentrate primarily on divine-human relations that aim at personal salvation or liberation from earthly travails. They also emphasize the importance of social and ethical relations between humans. The intersection of religion and ecology opens up for the further investigation of humans’ broad interactions as individuals and as communities with the natural world and the universe at large. It underscores the many ways that humans locate themselves employing religious cosmologies within a universe of meaning and mystery. It explores human flourishing varieties concerning nature, whether those interactions reflect reciprocity or respect, domination or manipulation, celebration, or submission. It suggests that human interaction with the sacred often occurs in and through nature and the larger cosmos. Religions have acknowledged that simultaneously with ongoing seasonal and geological changes, there is a wholeness and holiness in the earth. This evolving cycle of life and death is, in part, what has engaged religious systems seeking to integrate their intricate symbolic and ritual structures with life processes. Life, death, and rebirth in the natural world are frequently symbolized in religious traditions. This alignment of human life’s passage with natural systems constitutes a profound dynamic of religious energy expressed in cosmological myths, symbols, and rituals. Along with this alignment, religions have developed injunctions against the overuse of land and species found in numerous scriptures. This interweaving of cosmological religious thought and environmental ethics is explored in the study of religion and ecology.
Religion and environment
There is a close relationship between religion and the environment. Religion has had major positive influences on the natural environment. For example, under animism, a view of the world found among many traditional peoples, a spiritual link is made between humans and nature. Many traditional approaches to conservation are based on various kinds of animism, and traditional beliefs have led to the founding of sacred sites. The Baha’i faith teaches that the grandeur and diversity of the natural world are purposeful reflections of God. Buddhism teaches that respect for life in the natural world is essential, underpinning the interconnectedness of all that exists.
Christianity teaches that all creation is a loving act of God and that humanity may not destroy biological diversity or destroy God’s creations without the risk of destroying itself. In the Christian Bible, the book Ecclesiastes states in chapter 3, verse 19: “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts … as the one dieth, so dieth the other … so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast.” There are other comparable passages in the Bible on the conservation of wildlife (Deuteronomy, chapter 2, verses 6 and 7, and Genesis, chapter 9), agricultural lands (Leviticus, chapter 25, verses 2 to 4), and the preservation of fruit trees (Deuteronomy, chapter 20, verse 19, and Genesis, chapter 19, verses 23 to 25). Christmas itself was originally a pagan celebration of the winter solstice, and Christmas trees came from sacred groves dedicated to a pagan goddess.
Islam teaches that the role of people on earth is that of khalifa, or trustee of God, whereby humans are entrusted with Earth’s safekeeping and its variety of life. The Koran states: “There are not an animal (that lives) on the Earth, nor a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part of) communities like you” (Sura 13 Aya 15). The prophet Mohammed is quoted as saying: “There is a reward in doing good to every living thing.” Jainism, one of the oldest living religions, teaches ahimsa (non-violence) towards human beings and all of nature. It believes in the mutual dependence of all aspects of nature belonging together and bound in an intricate relationship. In Judaism, the Torah outlines a series of ethical obligations, including several relevant to the conservation of nature. The Torah says: “When God created Adam, he showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: ‘See my works, how lovely they are, how fine they are. All I have created, I created for you. Take care not to corrupt and destroy my universe, for if you destroy it, no one will come after you to put it right'” (Ecclesiastes, Rabbah 7).
All Buddhist teaching revolves around the notion of dharma, which means truth and the path of truth. It teaches that people are responsible for their actions and go through a cycle of rebirths before finally reaching Nirvana. Right actions lead to Nirvana’s progress, and bad actions, such as killing animals, cause regression from that goal. Buddhism cares for wildlife and teaches that the protection of biological diversity is respect for nature and that living in harmony with it is essential. Followers of Hinduism believe in the forces of nature and its interconnectedness with life itself. Certain rivers and mountains are sacred, as they give and sustain life. All plants and animals have souls, and people must serve penance for killing plants and animals for food. As expressed in the Bhagavad Gita, the teachings of Hinduism present a clear description of ecology and the interdependence of all life forms, from bacteria to birds.
From the above brief account, it is evident that all faiths worldwide share a common ethic based on harmony with nature. Within this context, in Pakistan, for example, specimens of original tree species can still be found in old Muslim graveyards because of a taboo against cutting such trees. The Maronite Church of Lebanon has protected the forest of Harisa, a WWF Mediterranean Programme “forest hot spot,” for over 1,000 years. Buddhist monks in Thailand have built small monasteries in endangered forests, making them sacred, preventing clogging. Examples of similar initiatives include the Sikh community’s launch in India of an initiative to reduce the number of fossil fuels used in the kitchens of their temples in Delhi. The Church of Germany has installed solar power in 300 churches. It is actively promoting this initiative within each local community, with the result that as many as 30 institutions have switched to solar power under the inspiration of the local church. The feast of Kwanzaa, which has its origin in African harvest festivals, is an important element of the African American community’s cultural identity but is a reminder of the need to preserve the ecological heritage of our planet.
Environment and ethics
Environmental ethics may be defined as a set of norms describing how humans should behave toward nature and its resources. Such norms are often based on a moral attitude revolving around what is perceived as good or bad. The environmental crisis facing humanity is deeply rooted in a complex web of economic, social, and cultural factors, belief systems, social attitudes, and perceptions. The prevailing unsustainable economic growth patterns promoted by modern society are closely linked to belief systems and social attitudes. The root causes of widespread poverty and environmental degradation, such as unsustainable lifestyles, food patterns, and the depletion of natural resources, including marine and terrestrial biological diversity, are related to manifestations of conventional beliefs and unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. The UNEP report Global Environment Outlook 2000 clearly demonstrates that if present trends in population growth, economic growth, and consumption patterns continue, the natural environment will increase stress. The report identifies unsustainable patterns of production and consumption as a major cause of environmental degradation.