religion and enviroment

PhilosophyAssignment|[2]

Introduction Whether we are actively religious or not, religious belief permeates the very fabric of our existence because of society or because of personal conscience. Namely, it influences -- if not directly shapes -- our legal systems; and therefore our constitutions; and therefore our nations' policy choices, both at home and abroad. It is then only logical to surmise that religion also influences how we -- individually and collectively -- view our role with regards to protecting the environment Even if we aren’t really religious.

There are two anti-thesistical opposite views in religion that influences our environment. And they are : Are humans an equal part of a greater organism which they should therefore respect, serve and nourish? Or is the very purpose of that organism to serve and nourish the human race?

Thinker Lynn White wrote essay on the same, in which he writes : “What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them. Human ecology is deeply conditioned by beliefs about our nature and destiny -- that is, by religion”

Why is this Important?

Because 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// 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.

So now, in this essay I’ll discuss about Religion and Environment. Let’s go into it one by one-

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

• 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.

Religion and The Environment


Allah (God) is the source of all life Tawhid is the belief in the Oneness of God. The Islamic Assisi Declaration stated that the unity, oneness of Allah is reflected in the unity of Allah’s creation.

Khalifa means steward or guardian. Allah has given humans this role to be guardians and stewards of the Earth. They are expected to use the Earth’s resources responsibly to ensure that future generations can enjoy it as Allah intended.

The whole universe was created by and reveals Brahman, (God who is in everything). It is part of every Hindu’s dharma (duty) to care for and protect the environment. The well-being of the human species depend on right attitudes to the Earth and its resources.

Certain plants are sacred because of their medicinal qualities or their links with the gods.

Nature is god. Hindusim is Panthestic in nature.


Christian Belief Christianity is a belief system which is based on the teachings of a person claimed to be son of god called Jesus Christ. They mainly talk about the broken relationship between the creator and the humans. Claims that Humans are sinner by nature and by choice.

It is not uncommon to hear Christians who follow “Dominion Theology” claiming not only a right, but a God given right to do anything they want with anything non-human on the planet. Whether it’s polluting or otherwise destroying the land, air or water, or using and abusing animals in any way they see fit, they have no remorse and no hesitation because they “know” that God himself said that it was okay.

Since they take their book ‘Holy Bible’ for granted. They refer to it :

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Another time is when some of them think that the material world is unimportant. Another challenge from within is a dualistic view that teaches the separation between matter and spirit, while arguing that the material world is evil. Christian apologists counter this notion with New Testament texts that affirm matter in the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus, the resurrection of the body, and the reconciliation of all things to God.19 God loves the cosmos(John 3:16), pouring out divine love to all creation. Mirroring God’s knowledge and love, we work to know and care for God’s world. As it is inconceivable to honor Rembrandt and yet despise his paintings, so also is it inconceivable to honor the Creator and yet despise His works and workings. To the Creator of matter, matter matters.

But mainly the Christians follow the Church-based religion which maybe ‘Apathetic’ to the original scriptures because in the original scriptures the following words can be seen, many of which are often mistranslated.: God has entrusted His creation to us (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15; Deuteronomy 11:12; Psalm 115:16). “The Earth belongs to God by creation and to us by delegation. This does not mean that God has handed it over to us in such a way as to relinquish his own right over it, but rather that he has given us the responsibility to preserve and develop the Earth on his behalf”

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Fortunately, some of the more reasonable Christians have seen the problems with these other views and have started calling for proper stewardship of our planet. This still seems to be a small minority view among Christian leaders, or one that most


don’t care to stress, but as environmental awareness continues to spread throughout the population as a whole, more and more of these church leaders may be forced to lend their support to the environment

The care for environment in Christianity is recent, i.e. The Roman Catholic church made a statement about it in 1988:

The earth and all life on it is a gift from God given us to share and develop, not to dominate and exploit. Our actions have consequences for the rights of others and for the resources of the earth. The goods of the earth and the beauties of nature are to be enjoyed and celebrated as well as consumed. We have the responsibility to create a balanced policy between consumption and conservation. We must consider the welfare of future generations in our planning for and utilisation of the earth’s resources.

So, conclusion is that, it’s complex knowing what the scriptures actually say, however, it’s good to know that the church atleast in recent past have done some efforts towards environmentalism. There recently has been an increased awareness of the environment in the United States as churches are initiating responsibility towards environmental protection. As well as Anglican Church


Islam

"If a Muslim plants a tree or sows seeds, and then a bird, or a person or an animal eats from it, it is regarded as a charitable gift (sadaqah)

for him." - Imam Bukhari.

The importance of nature is clearly shared in the above teaching. Since the individual would gain the benefit of feeding the animals, they not only would understand the importance of planting a tree (to feed the animals and themselves), but gain a full understanding of the importance of nature.

he central concept of Islam is Tawhid or the Unity of God. Allah is Unity; and His Unity is also reflected in the unity of mankind, and the unity of man and nature. His trustees are responsible for maintaining the unity of His creation, the integrity of the Earth, its flora and fauna, its wildlife and natural environment. Unity cannot be had by discord, by setting one need against another or letting one end predominate over another; it is maintained by balance and

harmony. There Muslims say that Islam is the middle path and we will be answerable for how we have walked this path, how we have maintained balance and harmony in the whole of creation around us.

So unity, trusteeship and accountability, that is Tawhid, Khalifah and Akhirah, the three central concepts of Islam, are also the pillars of the environmental ethics of Islam. They constitute the basic values taught by the Qur’an. It is these values which led Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, to say: ‘Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded.'

The Islamic attitude towards environment and natural resource conservation is not only based on prohibition of over-exploitation but also on sustainable development. The Holy Quran says:

"It is He who has appointed you viceroys in the earth … that He may try you in what He has given you." (Surah 6:165)


"O children of Adam! … eat and drink: but waste not by excess, for Allah loves not the wasters." (Surah 7:31)

The Qur’an also says that Allah (God) is the Creator of the world. Human beings are on the world as trustees or ‘viceregents’ - they are told to look after the world for Allah and for the future:

The Earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you his stewards over it. The whole earth has been created a place of worship, pure and clean. Whoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded. If a Muslim plants a tree or sows a field and humans and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is love on his part.

Hadith

We can see that the islam is a strong supporter of Stewardship theory. Which advocates man-nature relation as Man is a trustee of God and is suppose to look after the creation.

Islam is against the cutting or destruction of plants and trees unnecessarily as is evident in the following Hadith: Abdullah ibn Habashi reported that Prophet Muhammad said: "He who cuts a lote-tree [without justification], Allah will send him to Hellfire."


Hinduism Hinduism is an immensely complex and diverse religion and shares certain beliefs with Buddhism, but essentially it is governed by three concepts: Brahman (a divine force which manifests itself in everything); Karma (the law of cause and effect) and the goal of moksha (enlightenment). At its core is living a simple life and shunning the myth of happiness through material gain.

Hinduism is very concerned with the relationship between humanity and the environment. Karma teaches that resources in the world become scarce because people use them for their own ends. People should use the world unselfishly in order to maintain the natural balance and to repay God for the gifts he has given:

For, so sustained by sacrifice, the gods will give you the food of your desire. Whoso enjoys their gift, yet gives nothing, is a thief, no more nor less.

Bhagavad Gita 3:12

Trees are treated with great respect because it is the most important type of plant life and, like all living things, has an atman (soul).

If there is but one tree of flowers and fruit within a village, that place is worthy of your respect.

Mahabharata

Protecting the environment is part of Dharma. Dharma, one of the most important Hindu concepts, has been translated into English as duty, virtue, cosmic order and religion. In Hinduism, protecting the environment is an important expression of dharma.

In past centuries, Indian communities — like other traditional communities — did not have an

understanding of “the environment” as separate from the other spheres of activity in their lives.

Hindus and Enviroment.

The human role is not separate from nature. All objects in the universe, beings and non-beings, are pervaded by the same spiritual power. The human race, though at the top of the evolutionary pyramid at present, is not seen as something apart from earth and its many forms. People did not spring fully formed to dominate lesser life, but evolved out of these forms and are integrally linked with them. Nature is sacred and the divine is expressed through all its forms. Reverence for life is an essential principle, as is ahimsa (non-violence). Nature cannot be destroyed without humanity destroying itself. The divine is not exterior to creation, but expresses itself through natural phenomena.


A number of rural Hindu communities such as the Bishnois, Bhils and Swadhyaya have

maintained strong communal practices to protect local ecosystems such as forests and water.

Our environmental actions affect our karma. Karma, a central Hindu teaching, holds that each of our actions creates consequences — good and bad — which constitute our karma and determine our future fate, including the place we will assume when we are reincarnated in our next life. Moral behavior creates good karma, and our behavior toward the environment has karmic consequences. Because we have free choice, even though we may have harmed the environment in the past, we can choose to protect the environment in the future, replacing environmentally destructive karmic patterns with good ones.

Ayurveda, the science of life, which is a complete health and medicine system based on nature and its regenerating forces. Then we have Vastu Shastra, upon which the now well-known Feng Shui is based. Vastu, teaches us how to place and build dwellings, according to the environment it is situated in. It is done in such a way that the surroundings are not damaged by the building's presence, and so that all the natural energies are flowing uninterrupted and freely, providing comfort, peace and prosperity for the dwellers.

Hinduism has always been an environmentally sensitive philosophy. No religion, perhaps, lays as much emphasis on environmental ethics as Hinduism. The Mahabharata, Ramayana, Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas and Smriti contain the earliest messages for preservation of environment and ecological balance. Nature, or Earth, has never been considered a hostile element to be conquered or dominated. In fact, man is forbidden from exploiting nature. He is taught to live in harmony with nature and recognize that divinity prevails in all elements, including plants and animals. The rishis of the past have always had a great respect for nature. Theirs was not a superstitious primitive theology. They perceived that all material manifestations are a shadow of the spiritual. The Bhagavad Gita advises us not to try to change the environment, improve it, or wrestle with it. If it seems hostile at times tolerate it. Ecology is an inherent part of a spiritual world view in Hinduism.


Some final notes, Since, 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 The environmental crisis now encompasses the entire Earth 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. We need to regain the loss of a moral and social awareness as ecology becomes more individualistic and systems based. 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


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