Faith Traditions and the Environment
The Jewish, Anglican and Roman Catholic perspectives are closely aligned with the notion from the book of Genesis in the Bible that God created the world and named it good. As a result there is an imperative for Jews and Christians to work at sustaining that goodness and acting as stewards of the good gifts of Creation. The RC representative commented the Catholic Church has strongly encouraged its people to work for Creation’s well-being.
Unitarian Universalist - Of the seven principles that all U.U. congregations covenant to affirm and promote, the seventh is: “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part”. We also claim that ours is a living tradition, which draws from many sources, including:
Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
Wisdom from the world’s religions whch inspire us in our ethical and spiritual life;
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbours as ourselves;
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
Spiritual teachings of Earth-centred traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
At every worship service, when receiving the offering, we recite these words:
We give these gifts freely, we received these gifts gratefully, we dedicate these gifts to the work of our congregations; serving human wholeness, caring for our planet, upholding religious freedom, welcoming the stranger, and loving one another.
Unification Church - The biblical image of humankind’s primordial home is not a wild place but a garden. God gave the natural world to humans as a trust to be tended, maintained and shaped into a garden of abundance. The ethic of stewardship exhorts kindness to animals in distress, the proper management of natural resources, preservation of endangered species, responsible fishing practices and sustainable development. It teaches us to respect nature’s balance, not to over-fish the seas, cut down the forests, or pollute the water and air. We should avoid over-consumption and generating excessive waste, but live in harmony with nature’s capacity to provide.
However there is a precondition for good stewardship of nature: we must learn to live in harmony with other human beings. The biblical promise that “the lion shall lay down with the lamb” is predicated on people living peacefully with one another according to Heaven’s principles. Father Moon has spoken extensively on the issue of the environment and its destruction, especially since WW2. Back in November 1974 he said: “Solutions to the world’s environmental problems cannot be arrived at through the efforts of scientists alone or the efforts of any one individual, organisation or nation…They call for sacrifice and cooperation among all peoples of the world, transcending the interests of any one community or nation. Such a spirit of cooperation will be attained only when all people view themselves as members of the same human family. This revolutionary change in human consciousness has long been needed, and is vital to humanity’s survival today.”
Unificationists communities around the world are encouraged to initiate and develop projects, large and small, that participate in the resolution of the environmental issues listed above.
The Sunhak Peace Prize held on August 28, 2016 during the Third World Summit in Korea went to two laureates, His Excellency Anote Tong, President of Kiribati, a nation of small island in the Pacific Ocean, and Dr Modadugu Vijay Gupta, an Indian fisheries scientist. President Tong, received his prize for his work against climate change; in his address, he indicated that if the rise of the ocean continues as predicted, his nation will be under water within about 50 years. The selection of these two laureates is an indication of the importance that environmental issues have at the highest level of the Unificationist leadership.
Sri Chinmoy: Mrs. Strong: The degradation of the earth is so far advanced right now that the great mystics, shamans and spiritual people are saying that we have already crossed the line of no return regarding the oceans, the soil and the forests. What is your opinion?
Sri Chinmoy: If we start doing the right thing, we can always egin making progress again. From the drop we get the ocean. Let us say that because of our stupidity we are destroying the ocean; we are turning it into a few drops. But if we start doing the right thing, then eventually the drops will grow into an ocean again. Sometimes it happens that there are no plants in a garden. But when a most skilled gardener begins working there, once again it becomes a garden with most beautiful plants, flowers, trees and fruits.
Mrs. Strong: But if the soil is dead. If a forest is gone. If the ozone is gone. It’s gone.
Sri Chinmoy: We must not underestimate the power of spirituality. Prayer and meditation mean new life. When we pray and meditate, at every second we are bringing into our life a divine consciousness, which is constantly growing. You are sayng that Mother Nature is being destroyed. But Mother Nature is nothing other than God the creation. So we are praying to God the Creator to save God the creation. He who created once can again create a new creation on the strength of our prayers and meditations. Sri Chinmoy, Sri Chinmoy answers, part 7, Agni Press, 1996
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches the importance of care for this earth and the plants and animals that God has placed on it. In collaboration with other faith groups and organizations, the church continues its humanitarian efforts to provide a clean and healthy environment for people in need around the world.
At the conclusion of our Lord Jesus Christ's earthly ministry, he gave his disciples a work to be accomplished before his return As recorded in the New Testament (Matthew 28:18-20) his gospel is to be taken to all the world and then the end will come. The church presently has 65,000 missionaries serving throughout the world, most of whom are between the ages of 18 and 21. Modern day inventions, inspired of God, make this work possible. However, the jet airplanes, computers, cell phones etc are major sources of environmental pollution and the church and individuals are expected to make wise use of what God has blessed us with. We do not know when Christ's second coming will be, but the scriptures teach us that when he does come, there will be a cleansing of the earth by fire. One of the church's Articles of Faith states that “Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory”.