Religion and Environmental Issues (from lot of resouces), by me.

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Cornelia Juwita Cintya Dewi M. Rifky Refinaldi Senny Oktarina Rahman Yayan Firmansyah

 

Religion and Environmental Issues

Background

The environmental crisis is one that is well documented in its various interlocking manifestations of industrial pollution, resource depletion, and population explosion. The urgency of the problems are manifold, namely, the essential ingredients for human survival, especially water supplies and agricultural land, are being threatened across the planet by population and consumption pressures. With the collapse of fishing industries and with increasing soil erosion and farm land loss, serious questions are being raised about the ability of the human community to feed its own offspring. Moreover, the widespread destruction of species and the unrelenting loss of habitat continue to accelerate. Climate change threatens to undermine efforts to reverse these trends and to move toward a sustainable future for humans and nature.

Clearly religions need to be involved with the development of a more comprehensive worldview and ethics to ground movements toward sustainability. Whether from an anthropocentric or a biocentric perspective, more adequate environmental values need to be formulated and linked to areas of public policy. Scholars of religion as well as religious leaders, and laity can be key players in this articulation process. Moreover, there are calls from other concerned parties to participate in a broader alliance to halt the loss of species, topsoil, and natural resources as well as to mitigate the effects of climate change. This alliance of scholars, religious leaders, and activists is creating common ground for dialogue and creative partnership in envisioning and implementing long range, sustainable solutions to some of our most pressing environmental problems. This is critical because the attitudes and values that shape people’s concepts of nature come primarily from religious worldviews and ethical practices. The moral imperative and value systems of religions are indispensable in mobilizing the sensibilities of people toward preserving the environment for future generations.

One of the greatest challenges to contemporary religions, then, is how to respond to the environmental crisis which some believe has been perpetuated by the enormous inroads of materialism and secularization in contemporary societies, especially those societies arising in or influenced by the modern West. Others such as the medieval historian Lynn White have suggested that the emphasis in Judaism and Christianity on the transcendence of God above nature and the dominion of humans over nature has led to a devaluing of the natural world and a subsequent destruction of its resources for utilitarian ends. While the particulars of this argument have been vehemently debated, it is increasingly clear that the environmental crisis presents a serious challenge to the world’s religions. This is especially true because many of these religions have traditionally been concerned with the paths of personal salvation that frequently emphasize other worldly goals and reject this world as corrupting.

How to adapt religious teachings to this task of revaluing nature so as to prevent its destruction marks a significant new phase in religious thought. Indeed, as the historian of religions, Thomas Berry, has so aptly pointed out, what is necessary is a comprehensive reevaluation of human-Earth relations if the human is to continue as a viable species on an increasingly degraded planet. In addition to major economic and political changes, this will require adopting worldviews that differ from those which have captured the imagination of contemporary industrialized societies that view nature as a commodity to be exploited. How to utilize the insights of the world’s religions is a task of formidable urgency. Indeed, the formulation of a new ecological theology and environmental ethics is already emerging from within several of the world’s religions. Clearly each of the world’s religious traditions has something to contribute to these discussions.

Environmental Issues

Industrial pollution, resource depletion, population polution are the elements of Environmental Crisis. The urgency of the problems are manifold, namely the essential ingredients for human survival, especially water supplies and agricultural land, are being threatened across the planet by population and consumption pressures. With the collapse of fishing industries, the increasing soil erosion and farm land loss. Serious questions are being raised about the ability of the human community to feed its own offspring. Moreovere, the widespread destruction of species and unrelenting loss of habitat continue to accelerate. Climate change threatens to undermine efforts to reverse these trends and to move toward a sustainable future for humans and nature.

List of environmental Issues that are due to human activities.

·         Anoxic water

·         Climate change

·         Conservation

·         Energy (Renewable energy)

·         Environmental health

·         Intensive farming

·         Land degradation

·         Nuclear issues

·         Over population

·         Ozone depletion (CFC)

·         Pollution (water population, air population)

Religion

Religions need to be involved with the development of a more comprehensive worldview and ethics to ground movements toward sustainability. Religions can be the key players in the environmental values. It makes the solutions to some of our most pressing environmental problems. The moral imperative and value systems of religions are indispensable in mobilizing the sensibilities of people toward preserving the environment for future generations.

Why we study about it?

•       There is the worldwide recognition of the present environmental/ecological crisis. 

                                                                                and

•       There is a central belief amongst the religions that nature was created by God and should be protected. 

•       As environmental degradation has occurred, we begin to ask ourselves about  the relationship between human beings and nature.

History (researchers)

The focus on religion and the environment has grown in recent years.  Researchers have looked specifically at the role of religion and ecology.  Taylor defines the field of religion and ecology as one that focuses on:

                “identifying the obstacles that the world’s mainstream religions may pose to environmental sustainability, and secondly the resources such religions may have available for promoting environmentally beneficent behaviors,” (992).

Why is this important?

•       There is the recognition that the Earth is in danger from human activity and use and changes need to be made in order to sustain life on the Earth (Taylor 998).

•       Why is it important to use religion as a means for environmental action?

•       Berry states that it is “human carelessness and greed” that caused the environmental problems that we are faced with today (30). 

•       With this in mind, we look to religion as this is what some individuals believe holds a large degree of responsibility for the start of our environmental problems. 

A historical perspective

•       Lynn White’s 1967 essay, “The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis” suggested a link between religion and the environment.  White singled out Christian attitudes as a reason for the environmental crisis. 

•       He proposed that the attitudes of individuals who do not regard nature as a central importance need to be changed.   The earth needs to be respected and used in a manner that will help to preserve it for future generations, rather than exploit it for the present. 

•       White suggested that it was when the Industrial Revolution began that the human concern for the environment was lost to a greater degree then had been seen in the past. 

•       White interpreted the Bible as presenting human dominance over nature, leading individuals to care about themselves and industrial progress rather than about environmental matters and the ultimate effects of their actions on the earth. 

Reactions to White

•       The reactions to White’s essay were varied.  Some individuals supported what he wrote, believing that part of the responsibility for the environmental problems can be blamed on Christianity.  By establishing dominance over nature, man has felt that he/she can use it to their advantage, exploiting it when necessary.

•       Others reacted differently, suggesting that White was looking for individuals to blame and that his interpretation of the Bible is inaccurate and false.  

•       White’s essay led to much debate amongst the public. 

•       Researchers have taken a stance on both sides of the argument – that some religions do promote a “man over nature” attitude, with man having dominance over nature.  Others, however, believe that both Christian and non-Christian religions show a similar level of concern over environmental matters.  (Holland and Carter, 741). 

•       Sherkat and Ellison see that White’s thesis is being questioned as there are “Christian religious doctrines that emphasize respect for nature and that emphasize that humans are the stewards of God’s creation,” (73). 

•       They suggest that Christians can take the positive environmental ethics that they have learned and use them to promote good behaviors and changes for the environment (73). 

•       However, we must also remember that there are many other reasons besides religion that will influence attitudes towards the environment. 

A second historial view

•       Besides White’s interpretation, there are many other suggested explanations for how humans viewed the world, and their resulting actions.

•       From the philosophy of Rene Descartes, the universe was seen as a machine.  It was from this time that economic progress was a priority and the long-term effects from the development and use of nature was not regarded as an issue (Sevier, 41). 

•       This is a view similar to that held by White, in that human progress and development has led to the environmental effects.  However, this view does not specifically mention the role of religion. 

Leading into the present

•       Carter’s interpretation of this issue suggests that the ecological crisis is not a result of Judeo-Christian traditions, but rather stems from the interpretation of the Bible and giving human beings dominance over other life forms (animals, plants) (358).  This led to the exploitation of natural resources and ultimately to where we are today with the issue. 

•       Regardless of how it initially happened, we have to face reality and realize that as a society we have caused considerable damage to our planet.

Perspective

 Is this ecological crisis, as Carter suggests, coming from the “loss of the sense of the sacred in nature,” (363).  Have our perceptions of nature changed so much that we no longer regarded it as a limited and precious resource until we finally realized the extent to which we have damaged the earth? 

The Role of Religion

•        “Anthropologists suggest that religion persists because it has value to us, and such value can be either intrinsic, instrumental, or a combination thereof,” (Strada 59).

•       Sevier writes that, “Traditionally, religion used to play an integral role in linking people to the natural world, imbuing people with the knowledge and values that make caring for it a priority,” (38).

Six Major Religions

1.       Buddhism

a.       Traditional Buddhism regarded human life over that of animals, there is presently the recognition that all life forms should be respected equally. 

b.      There is  a “universally of suffering.

c.       Being aware of suffering and produces compassion. 

d.      As humans we got ourselves into this ecological/environmental crisis and we are the ones that need to get ourselves out. 

2.       Hinduism

a.       Hindu images relate to the powerful natural world.

b.      Ecological sensitivity is based on the relationship between humans and how they respect the gods and goddesses related to the earth. 

c.       In South Asia, the effects of pollution, both in the air and water, have been felt, particularly in recent years. 

d.      With the values that Hinduism has towards the environment, reflection is starting to occur on how individuals can best approach the ecological challenges that are occurring. 

3.       Islam

Man is the Caliph of Allah and Allah is the culmination of all goodness and perfection. Thus man is the incarnation of His goodness and perfection.

So the man serves as a representative or success or of God on earth. The man who has the ability to adjust and alter nature.

4.       Christianity

“Christian religious doctrines that emphasize respect for nature and that emphasize that humans are the stewards of God’s creation,” -Sherkat and Ellison-

a.       Christians can take the positive environmental ethics that they have learned and use them to promote good behaviors and changes for the environment

b.      There recently has been an increased awareness of the environment in the United States as churches are initiating responsibility towards environmental protection. 

5.       Judaism

a.       Ecological issues were never a central focus of Judaism, but rather were dealt with as they came about. 

b.      An environmental perspective suggests that a belief of Judaism is that “we are only tenants on this earth.”  The earth must then be cared for as there are other inhabitants, both presently as well as in the future, that will be living here.   

6.       Indigenous Religion

a.       For individuals following indigenous religions, there is an understanding of their place in the local environment.

b.      Native Americans have believed that there are spirits in nature and the environment needs to be taken care of.

c.       Grim writes that in indigenous beliefs, “to analyze religion as a separate system of beliefs and ritual practices apart from subsistence, kinship, language, governance, and landscape is to misunderstand indigenous religion.”

d.      The respect for nature and the environment is still present amongst the Indigenous peoples. 

e.      “What is evident, however, is wherever indigenous peoples have endured, they have maintained a loving experience of place and an understanding that spiritual forces capable of leading humans into both utilitarian and self-understandings abide in all of these places,” (Grim). 

How do we create a solution?

•       An environmental crisis is here.  It is recognized throughout the world, and its presence is agreed upon by the major religions.  But what is the next step?  How do we go about creating a solution? 

•       Can there be a common ground for science and religion in that both work together towards a solution? 

•       Bouma-Prediger quotes Edward O. Wilson in saying that “religion and science are the two most powerful forces in the world today…if religion and science could be united on the common ground of biological conservation, the problem [of biological catastrophe] would soon be solved” (1392). 

Can Religion and Science work together?

•       Hossein Nasr writes, “The environmental crisis now encompasses the entire Earth,” (3). 

•       He suggests that there is a crisis of values and that as humans, we have participated in creating the destruction of the environment.

•       “A need exists to develop a path across religious frontiers without destroying the significance of religion itself and to carry out a comparative study of the "Earths" of various religions as has been carried out for their "Heavens," if these terms are understood in their traditional metaphysical and cosmological sense,” (Hossein Nasr 3).

•       We need to regain the loss of a moral and social awareness as ecology becomes more individualistic and systems based. 

•       Many researchers recognize that a global stance needs to be taken by religions, with them working together to create a “more comprehensive worldview and ethics to assist in reversing this trend,” (Tucker and Grim).   This is along similar lines with what Hossein Nasr writes,  that dialogue on the environment must take place between religions on a global scale. 

•       Tucker and Grim continue by writing that, “This is critical because the attitudes and values that shape people’s concepts of nature come primarily from religious worldviews and ethical practices. The moral imperative and value systems of religions are indispensable in mobilizing the sensibilities of people toward preserving the environment for future generations.”

Religious factors and environmental behaviors and attitudes

•       Sherkat and Ellison analyzed data from a 1993 General Social Survey to look at religious factors and environmental behaviors and attitudes. 

•       Their study revealed that “contradictory findings on the connection between religion and environmental concern and activism are the result of varied influences of religious schemata and resource interactions on different indicators of environmental concern and activism,” (83). 

•       Sherkat and Ellison were not able to conclude specific religious influences on the environment, but suggested that White’s 1967 essay had the possibility of being a primary influence for religious leaders to take a pro-environment stance and actions (83). 

The influence of Religion Leaders

•       Holland and Carter’s research on Presbyterian congregations in the United States suggests that Presbyterian ministers can be an influential factor in how an individual views the environment.

•       If they “put their words into practice”, referring to their concerns and knowledge of the environment, then “their congregations are more likely to be active,” (751). 

•       Positive role models and actions can therefore be seen and followed. 

Suggestion to address these issues

•       How can we address this issue, recognizing that religious attitudes may have an influence on people’s actions towards the environment? 

•       The promotion of good environmental behaviors coming from a person’s religious beliefs may be one approach to looking for a solution to the present environmental crisis.

•       Thus, a continued dialogue between both science and religion and between religions needs to occur. 

•       Providing education for individuals about this subject is another approach.  Universities are beginning to offer courses in religion and the environment. 

•       Based on Holland and Carter’s research, information and examples set by religious leaders can be a positive influence on how individuals approach the environment and related issues.

•       Conferences and workshops provide information and a place for dialogue to occur.

•       The Center for the Study of World Religions (Harvard Divinity School) has an online listing of the workshops and conferences that they offer: http://www.hds.harvard.edu/cswr/events/calendar.html 

•       The Forum on Religion and Ecology also has an online listing: http://environment.harvard.edu/religion/events/2008/index.html

The Summary

•       Religion and the environment are intertwined in that they have had a history and will continue to have a role together in the future.

•       This may be one area where science and religion can find a common ground – both have the environment in their best interest and can work together to find a solution to the current environmental crisis.

•       As religious traditions and beliefs have shaped human values and behaviors towards the environment in the past, this is one possibility for working toward positive environmental attitudes for the future. 

The real example

RELIGION & ENVIRONMENT

What's so important about the potentially powerful influence of conservative evangelical Christians on environmental issues, especially global warming? For years, many of these evangelicals have been charging environmentalists-and those progressive Christians who support environmentalism-with idolatry for lavishing worship on "God's creation" rather than God. Moreover, they have been skeptical, if not downright hostile, toward government-mandated protection of the environment.

So as President Bush early in his administration initiated efforts to roll back a slew of federal environmental regulations-including safeguards on clean air and water and protections against commercial logging and drilling on public lands, among others-and withdrew American support for the Kyoto treaty on global warming, he knew he could count on conservative evangelicals to remain firmly in his corner.

But changes are afoot. In February 2006, a group of 86 respected evangelical Christian leaders from across the nation unveiled a campaign for environmental reform and put out a statement calling on all Christians to push for federal legislation that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions in an effort to stem global warming. This Evangelical Climate Initiative, which has helped publicly solidify a nascent environmentalism in the evangelical community, also intends to lobby federal legislators, hold environmental meetings at churches and colleges, and run television and radio ads that link drought, starvation, and hurricanes to global warming.

"The same love for God and neighbor that compels us to preach salvation through Jesus Christ, protect the unborn, preserve the family and the sanctity of marriage, and take the whole Gospel to a hurting world, also compels us to recognize that human-induced climate change is a serious Christian issue requiring action now," their statement read in part.

But weeks before the Climate Initiative's statement was released publicly, another group of high-profile evangelicals was working to quash it. In a January 2006 letter to National Association of Evangelicals, whose affiliated churches and ministries were considering taking a stand against global warming, these leaders warned that "global warming is not a consensus issue, and our love for the Creator and respect for His creation does not require us to take a position."

So how did conservative evangelicals, who tend to present a unified front on most matters of political significance, end up in such a public breach? And what effect might the growing commitment among evangelicals to combat global warming and other environmental perils have on the 2006 congressional races and the 2008 presidential election?

Explore these conservative evangelical issues and learn how other faiths view their obligation to the planet-and let us hear your voice-in the MOYERS ON AMERICA Religion & the Environment Citizens Class.

THREE-YEAR HARVARD PROJECT CALLS ON RELIGIONS TO HELP SOLVE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS Harvard Project on Religion and Ecology finds need to assist scientists, economists, educators and public policy makers in protecting the planet from ecological destruction. NEW YORK, October 20, 1998 -- An urgent call for greater participation of the world's religions in helping to solve the global ecological crisis is among the key findings of the three-year Harvard Project on Religion and Ecology, the largest ever interreligious dialogue on the environment. Results of the project were announced today at a news conference at the United Nations. The project, a wide-ranging series of conferences begun in 1996, explored the relationship between 10 of the world's major religious traditions and the natural environment and investigated the potential role of these religions in helping to solve environmental problems. It brought together more than a thousand scholars, practitioners and activists from around the globe. The series, hosted by the Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, was conceived and coordinated by Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, professors of religion at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, in collaboration with Lawrence Sullivan, the Center's director. At the news conference, the project's organizers outlined plans to bring the intellectual, textual, ritual and symbolic resources of ten major religions to those who directly address environmental concerns, particularly scientists, economists, educators and public policy makers. Specifically, organizers announced the creation of an ongoing Forum on Religion and Ecology to integrate the goals of the project on a theoretical and practical level. Joining Tucker, Grim and Sullivan at today's news conference were Maurice Strong, Senior Advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Timothy Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation, Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Tu Weiming, Director of The Harvard-Yenching Institute, and Michael McElroy, Chair of the Harvard University Committee on the Environment. The forum's main objective will be to foster a religious voice in public policy formulation, educational curricula, economic planning, and scientific and social research related to the environment. Planning for the forum will be based at the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions, with assistance from the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the Center for Respect of Life and Environment in Washington, D.C., and Bucknell University's Religion Department. The forum planning process will be led by a steering committee and an advisory board consisting of specialists in the ten religious traditions involved in the series -- Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous Traditions, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, and Taoism, with other religious traditions added whenever possible. To more effectively implement the project's goals, more than 60 organizations and individuals in religion, economics, education, science and public policy have already announced their willingness to affiliate with the forum, including: Religion -- The National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NRP), a coalition of Jewish and Christian groups under executive director Paul Gorman, which this August announced its grass-roots campaign for the approval of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on global warming; Economics -- The Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES), led by executive director Robert Massie; Education -- University Leaders for a Sustainable Future at the Center for Respect of Life and Environment; the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University; and Second Nature, a not-for-profit organization which provides environmental education curricula to colleges and universities; Science -- Harvard entomologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward O. Wilson; American Museum of Natural History paleontologist and curator Niles Eldredge; Washington University microbiologist and author Ursula Goodenough; biologist Robert Pollack of Columbia University; and Mary Barber of the Ecological Society of America; Public Policy -- The Institute on Public Policy, Ethics, and Science, led by Donald Brown at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; the Global Development and Environmental Institute led by William Moomaw at Tufts University; and the Harvard Seminar on Environmental Values, chaired by Timothy Weiskel. The project has sparked future initiatives including conferences on "World Religions and Animals," scheduled at Harvard in May 1999, and on the "Epic of Evolution and the World's Religions" at the Whidbey Institute in Washington in July 1999. Other plans include fellowships for doctoral and post doctoral research in religion and ecology as well as a lectureship in honour of Thomas Berry, one of the leading spokespersons in this field of study. To disseminate the findings of the conference series, the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions will publish 11 books, one for the conference proceedings of each religious tradition and a synthesizing volume highlighting the findings of the entire ten-part series. Harvard University Press is distributing the volumes. Two volumes, Buddhism and Ecology and Confucianism and Ecology, have already been published to critical acclaim. For educators, materials will be developed emphasizing the role of religion in environmental issues for secondary schools and college level classes, with summer workshops for teachers on how to integrate religion into environmental education. The Harvard Center is developing a website for the forum to provide a global network for religion scholars and activists to post publications, news, curricula, and announcements of related conferences, roundtables, lectures, and other events. Tucker and Grim credit a number of appeals to religion for greater participation in environmental issues -- such as the "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity," issued in 1992 by the Union of Concerned Scientists and signed by 1,575 scientists (including 99 Nobel laureates) from 69 countries, which called for religions to embrace environmental concerns -- for inspiring the creation of the conference series and establishment of the forum. According to organizers, the project is an important step in transcending differences among religions and allowing them to act in concert to broaden a view of nature that goes beyond simple economic ends. Religious values are critical in establishing a new balance of human-earth relations, they note, one that acknowledges human need for resources, but restrains human greed. During the project's conference series, participants reported discovering how the beliefs and practices of the world's religions regarding nature are more rich, diverse and sophisticated than previously realized. Moreover, it became clear that many religions are already drawing on these resources to meet some environmental challenges. For example, the world's indigenous traditions still transmit sophisticated environmental knowledge of local ecosystems. Other tangible examples include religious bodies involved in reforestation projects, river clean-ups, and recycling and energy efficiency programs. Organizers point to the generosity and diversity of its funders -- including the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Association of Shinto Shrines, Nathan Cummings Foundation, Dharam Hinduja Indic Research Center at Columbia University, Germeshausen Foundation, Harvard Buddhist Studies Forum, Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard Divinity School Center for the Study of Values in Public Life, Jain Academic Foundation of North America, the Albert and Vera List Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Laurance Rockefeller, Sacharuna Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Theological Education to Meet the Environmental Challenge, and the Winslow Foundation -- as clear evidence of the interest in the issues raised by the project. Organizers say that the amount of the funding, in excess of one million dollars, is significant for a newly-emerging field of study. The Harvard Religions of the World and Ecology Conference Series began in May 1996 with a conference on Buddhism and Ecology, followed by nine more conferences at Harvard and at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge, MA. The last of the series took place in July of this year. A four-day culminating conference at the Academy in September brought area specialists from each of the ten religions to meet with scientists, economists, educators, and public policy makers to establish goals and implementations of the ongoing forum. Today's news conference will be followed by a conference this afternoon at the United Nations where project leaders and advisers will report their findings to the United Nations community and non-government organizations. On Wednesday, October 21, an all-day public conference will be held at New York's American Museum of Natural History where leading representatives from science, education, economics and policy will speak, and featuring a roundtable discussion among religious representatives led by television journalist Bill Moyers.