By Tom Royer
The Land Assistant Editor
May 23, 2008 03:12 am
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We used to argue over whether global warming — climate change, if you prefer — was real or not. For most, its reality has become accepted truth, and the discussion has now moved on to: A) whether it’s man’s fault; and B) if we should care.
The discussion has also moved out of universities, newsrooms and thinktanks, and into churches, temples and mosques.
Are you a person of faith? Do you believe you have an obligation to be a steward of the environment?
For those of the Christian persuasion, scripture interpretation varies considerably. At one end lie those who believe man’s dominion over the Earth is total; that everything in the world was placed here specifically for us to utilize in any way we see fit. At the other end are those who believe our dominion as described in the Bible is a command to be a caretaker and preserver of our environment.
Indigenous Americans’ spirituality commonly involves a belief that everything in nature, not just humanity, shares a sacred quality. Believing that everything around you — not merely the “obviously” living plants and animals, but also water, earth, fire and sky — contains a divine lifeforce, makes it difficult for a person in good conscience to despoil it.
Elements of Islam deal with protecting the environment, particularly for the benefit of future generations. In Judaism, humans are seen as merely tenants on earth; the land belongs to God. And finding harmony with nature is central to many Asian religions and philosophies.
Meanwhile, there is no shortage of skeptics who see “environmentalism” as a pagan cult whose members worship nature itself — Gaia, Mother Earth, etc. — above God. (If that’s true, does The Nature Conservancy count as a faith-based initiative?)
Although a self-involved Buddhist might disagree, no religion can lay claim to caring more about the planet than another. And each individual differs, of course, even within the same house of worship, in their understanding of what sacred texts say of their environmental obligations.
In Minnesota, a group called Congregations Caring for Creation — connected to the national Interfaith Power & Light organization — has been bridging denominations since 2004 to “galvanize a religious response to global warming as the moral issue of our time” according to their website at www.c3mn.net.
Witnessing the blueish haze hovering over the Cities during an approach to the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport from above, the CCC’s Rev. Wanda Copeland wrote in a recent newsletter for the group: “Until now, I hadn’t seen our atmosphere from this vantage. Is this our gracious gift to the Creator? Is this our most hallowed offering? We incarnate it in all parts of our life — business, recreation, leisure. And if the Creator were looking down on us, this is the lens through which God would see us. I know I am co-creator of this part of the world. My heart tells me I can’t have done it. My head tells me I have to work harder than ever to un-do it.”
To learn about CCC or IPL, contact Rev. Copeland at (763) 753-5291 or wcopeland0195@gmail.com.
Tom Royer is the assistant editor of The Land. He may be reached at troyer@thelandonline.com.
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