Role of Religion on the War on Creation
As we've now moved into the twenty-first century, there are over four-and-a-half billion adherents of the world religions. Christianity, a proselytizing tradition, has spread globally until there are nearly two billion Christians today, over half of whom are Roman Catholic, while about a quarter of Christians are in various Protestant denominations and half of the remainder are in the traditions of Eastern Orthodoxy. The other actively proselytizing world religion, Islam, has a billion adherents around the globe with
Religion can be powerful tool for protecting ecology, environmentalists very strongly believe. Religion can be used to mobilize people to protect the environment because spirituality is closely linked to nature, members can do it more efficiently in a faith-based conservation. Some "earth-keeping churches" in
Hinduism – Hinduism contains numerous references to the worship of the divine in nature in its Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Sutras, and its other sacred texts. Millions of Hindus recite Sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers, mountains, trees, animals, and the earth. Hinduism is a remarkably diverse religious and cultural phenomenon, with many local and regional manifestations. Within this universe of beliefs, several important themes emerge. The diverse theologies of Hinduism suggest that: The earth can be seen as a manifestation of the goddess, and must be treated with respect; The five elements - space, air, fire, water, and earth—are the foundation of an interconnected web of life; Dharma—often translated as "duty"—can be reinterpreted to include our responsibility to care for the earth; Simple living is a model for the development of sustainable economies; Our treatment of nature directly affects our karma.
Jainism – Although the final goal of Jainism transcends earthly concerns, Jainism is, in essence, a religion of ecology, of a sustainable lifestyle, and of reverence for life. Their religion's entire emphasis is on life consonant with ecology. Jain people can use their experience of applying non-violent principles in meeting the present ecological needs. Their religion presents a worldview that stresses the interrelatedness of all forms of life (Jiva). Its attendant ethics, which is based on obligations, might easily be extended to embrace an earth ethics. The Jiva is to be respected. As a highly evolved form of life, human beings have a great moral responsibility in their mutual dealings and relationships with the rest of the universe. It is this ethical responsibility that made the Jain tradition a cradle for the creed of environmental protection and harmony.
Buddhism – Buddhists believe that the reality of the interconnectedness of human beings, society and Nature will reveal itself more and more to us as we gradually recover—as we gradually cease to be possessed by anxiety, fear, and the dispersion of the mind. Among the three—human beings, society, and Nature—it is us who begin to effect change. But in order to effect change we must recover ourselves, one must be whole. Since this requires the kind of environment favorable to one's healing, one must seek the kind of lifestyle that is free from the destruction of one's humanness. Efforts to change the environment and to change oneself are both necessary. But we know how difficult it is to change the environment if individuals themselves are not in a state of equilibrium.
Judaism – Humanity is appointed as a steward of God's world. This stewardship is implied in various places including Genesis 2:15 where '… God … put him (man) into the Garden of Eden to till it and to keep it. The Torah is filled with rich language which describes and glorifies nature. For example, in Deuteronomy 20:19 we read, "Do not cut down trees even to prevent ambush, do not foul waters, or burn crops even to cause an enemy's submission, and Job 12:7-9, "But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth and it will teach you; the fish of the sea, they will inform you." These passages specifically imply that all beings, not just humans are part of creation, and that it is possibly only humans who question the authority or likelihood of God. Judaism stresses that wisdom is to extend acts of love toward everything, including plants and animals.
Christianity - As Pope John Paul II said, "respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join man in praising God." Christianity places a great deal of emphasis on the idea of reverence for life. The conclusion of esoteric Christianity is that what religions are seeking for as an invisible being (God) in an invisible plane is actually very visible here and now. It is God (or spirit) that sparkles as consciousness in the eyes of every living thing. It is God that appears as the universe and it is God that becomes more visible as all living things. The most transparent manifestation of God is men and women. The way we acknowledge this is by showing reverence for all life. This teaching gives the highest dignity to mankind as it equates men and women to God.
Islam - The Islamic faith lays great stress on improving the condition of the earth at the hands of humans as humans are described as the viceregents of God on earth. The human is the most favored of Gods creation. Everything in existence was created by Allah for the use of humans. Allah has made subservient to humans all animal life, bird life, plant life, water bodies, inanimate objects, and other creations. The human's duty is to deal with these as a loving and caring friend would deal with another friend, so that he can benefit from it, without stopping others from this benefit, and to put forward the common good ahead of personal benefit. Islam considers the creation of the universe an open book, a guide inviting observation which increases the faith of the observer, and takes him to the point of unshakeable faith in the Great Creator of this existence. Islam also considers that all the creatures in the universe have their own lives, their own procreation, their own language and mode of communicating, and their own senses, which are particular to each kind of creature. So it all glorifies and worships its Lord in its own special way.
Appeal from Jesus, the Conservationist - Lost sheep symbolizes the extinction of species in general. The New Testament portrays Jesus as interpreting it that "there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." This emphasis on the lost, the hurting, the disadvantaged and marginalized is seen throughout the Hebrew and Christian Bibles.
Appeal from One Old Man of Conservation: Noah - One old man thought of conservation when the great flood threatened to wipe out all life on Earth. He must have thought about the future younger generations when he was building the ark. He wanted to preserve and hand down to future generations, the joy of living with all animals and plants. Noah was to build a boat that could accommodate his extended family and lot of animals and plants. Noah did something remarkable he saved all life on Earth. How far would you really go to save ants and bugs, when your own life is in jeopardy? One old man Noah cared for the planet and its biodiversity. Today we have life in abundance, because someone cared!
Appeal from St. Francis of
Possibly we should ponder the greatest radical in Christian history since Christ: Saint Francis of
In the time of St. Francis, wolf was considered a kind of 'demonic,' called 'Werewolf' branded by anti-ecological religions and endorsed by some famous writers of that time, as the goat was victimized in Judaism as 'scapegoat.' Forced by religion, without any choice, even Jesus condemns goat to hell in his eerie narration of the last judgment. These innocent animals are abused by some religions endorsed by some unreliable myths and philosophies. Besides, living in the time of St. Francis, where there was war and famine at large, people treated animals with horrible cruelty—there was unnecessary infliction of pain and suffering on animals that was considered social norm, but St. Francis stood against it. Francis believed that as nature was created by God, we are to love it and appreciate it—not harm or cause destruction and abuse over it. This is what St. Francis wanted to defy, defining the importance of life, the sacredness of all creation, and defending the intrinsic value of all life which forced him to go strong as a rebuke to the anti-ecological perception of creation induced by religion and lead him toward a new ideological shift—from Meek Francis into Mutineer Francis, branding bad wolf to "Brother Wolf," bad goat to "Sister Goat or Lamb."
Indeed, it was while he was praying in an abandoned church dedicated to St. Damian (San Damiano) that he heard the figure on the cross say to him, "go repair my house which as you can see is falling into ruin." This mysterious voice at first impression suggests a repairing of a brick structure which was in bad condition. But you listen carefully to the voice the mysteries voice implies mysterious demands. I bet it took long time for Francis to understand the hidden ecological perceptions of the mysterious voice. At last, Francis found enlightenment; he understood that it was not the building that needed repair, but the Creation—the 'oikos,' our house or earth which is falling. His mendicant life on the streets of
An Appeal from
Mathew Fox, a Dominican scholar and Director of the Institute in Culture and Creation Spirituality at Holy Names College, Oakland, champions four western medieval "Rhineland mystics"—Meister Eckhart, Hildergard of Bingen, Mechtild of Magdenburg, and Julian of Norwich—whom he finds to share six ecological themes: the goodness of creation; the goodness & blessing that earth itself is; cosmic awareness; panentheism; the motherhood of God; and compassion understood as interdependence and justice-making.
Goodness of Creation: Meister Eckhart (1260-1329) - The examination of creation shows the goodness of the creation. The way in which man can most readily arrive at the knowledge of God is by a critical study of the works of creation in general, and of man in particular. The result of this examination will be to show you that the Creator is not only wise but infinitely good and beneficent, and that His goodness is over all His works. Eckhart's insights and contributions remain a source of curiosity to modern readers both inside and outside of the academy. Many recurring themes in Eckhart speak of the boundless energy and interplay with the human that characterizes the divine. All creation shares in essentially divinity, as the following passage maintains: "Consider the divine spirit in the human soul. The spirit is not easily satisfied. It storms the firmament. And scales the heavens; Trying to reach the spirit that drives the heavens." Because of this energy, everything in the world grows green, flourishes, and bursts into leaf. But the spirit is never satisfied. It presses on deeper and deeper into the vortex further and further into the whirlpool, the primary source in which the spirit has its origin. This spirit seeks to be broken through by God. God leads this spirit into a desert into the wilderness and solitude of the divinity where God is pure unity and where God gushes up within himself.
Goodness and Blessing of Earth: Julian of
Cosmic Awareness: Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) - The following words are from Hildegard of Bingen: "There is no creature that does not have a radiance. Holy persons draw to themselves all that is earthly. I welcome every creature of the world with grace." Some 850 years ago Hildegard von Bingen described in her visionary book about cosmic psychotherapy. In her visionary illuminations we see that everything is inseparably connected in the cosmic web of the universe. We also see that all of our deeds have a cosmic impact, either life-restoring or life-destroying. The universe is the target of our doing and reflects back the positive or negative energy into all creatures. Hildegard foresees a time, where the universe will have to heal itself by way of natural catastrophes, because humanity has damaged and polluted the four life elements—fire, air, water and the earth. Today's ecological collapse is the helplessness of our Western rationalism to understand life and the universe as one. In contrast to the mystical wisdom and knowledge of the East, Western science has in the past few centuries abandoned any spiritual dimension and is responsible for the environmental disaster plaguing this fragile planet. The growing awareness of nuclear and ecological threats to continued human existence brings into focus Hildegard's visions of God the Creator and the working of the universe as a unity. Hildegard's wisdom can heal the split between science and spirituality because it provides a synthesis of science and nature with religion. The illuminations by Hildegard of Bingen show the soul's journey through life in harmony with nature and in harmony with God, which we must hope will become mainstream thinking in the West in this new millennium.
Panentheism: Mechtild of Magdenburg (1210-1280) - Panentheism means "all things in God and God in all things." This is the way mystics envision the relationship of world, self and God. Mechtild of Magdenburg says, "The day of my spiritual awakening was the day I saw and knew I saw all things in God and God in all things." Panentheism melts the dualism of inside and outside—like fish in water and water in the fish, creation is in God and God is in creation. Socially, therefore, panentheism is the essence of a kind of democracy that is based on concern and respect for others' well-being. And since this concern includes nonhuman creations and species, it implies humane planetary custodianship. Panentheism therefore represents the spiritual basis not simply of the "deep ecology" and animal rights movements, but also of the global human community. As yet this potential community of spirit is separated by political, religious and other attitudes. Conflicting and competing factions of the world community can be united through panentheism.
Motherhood of God: Julian of
Compassion Understood as Interdependence by Mystics - In a message for the World Environment Day, June 5, 1995, John Paul II, the "ecologist" pope of the Catholic Church, reiterated his concern for the earth, our home, created by God with a delicate balance which must be maintained and, where it is necessary, restored. The earth is not ours to do as we please. He continued, as always, to emphasize the dignity of the human person, the importance of the common good, the value of human life and the protection of the weakest. He appealed to end this very moment the plundering of the earth to satisfy ever growing demands for consumer goods and for greater profits as an end in itself. The cause of the Planet Earth, our common home, must bring closer together all people of good will. Believers, in particular, have a special obligation to defend the environment. Cardinal Francis Arinze (1995), President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, sent a special message to Buddhist friends of the occasion of "Vesakha", the anniversary of Buddha. He pointed out that how the teachings on Karuna, compassion, links it to harmony and peace. Compassion is not to be limited to human beings alone but it is to be practiced towards all beings. "Compassion is not religious business, it is human business; it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability; it is essential for human survival" wrote Dalai Lama. All events and incidents in life are so intimately linked with the fate of others that a single person on his or her own cannot even begin to act. Many ordinary human activities, both positive and negative, cannot even be conceived of apart from the existence of other people.
Even the committing of harmful actions depends on the existence of others. Because of others, we have the opportunity to earn money if that is what we desire in life. Similarly, in reliance upon the existence of others it becomes possible for the media to create fame or disrepute for someone. On your own you cannot create any fame or disrepute no matter how loud you might shout. The closest you can get is to create an echo of your own voice. Thus interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. Not only higher forms of life but also many of the smallest insects are social beings who, without any religion, law, or education, survive by mutual cooperation based on an innate recognition of their interconnectedness. The most subtle level of material phenomena is also governed by interdependence. All phenomena, from the planet we inhabit to the oceans, clouds, forests, and flowers that surround us, arise in dependence upon subtle patterns of energy. Without their proper interaction, they dissolve and decay. I want to see all our interconnectedness as expressions of the agape, the karuna, the hesed, the jen—of the Absolute. I want to perceive Earth as a Eucharistic Planet, a Good Gift planet, which is structured as mutual feeding, as intimate self-sharing. It is a great Process, a circulation of living energies, in which the Real Presence of the Absolute is discerned. Never holding still, continually passing away from moment to moment, it is the shining face of the Eternal. It is living as an integral Body, as the Glory Body of the Real.
In this Risen Body, or Glory Body, or Manifestation of the Real, compassion overflows as what Chogyam Trungpa calls "environmental generosity." Since the Absolute, radiating itself in the myriad things, has no need to prefer one to another, compassion is revealed as "the ultimate attitude of wealth." Abundant life is available for all because there is no desire to hoard. The various aspects of the universe can give themselves freely to one another because they have no need to preserve themselves, to save themselves for themselves. This is eucharistic ecology, and it is the ideal of all spiritual traditions. The Life of the Whole continues because all parties give themselves to it by giving themselves to each other. The dynamic interconnections in turn sustain all participants. This view of the world, which I am here calling the Eucharistic Planet, a view of the world as the Real Presence of the Divine, of the Absolute, a view of the world as a single living Body, in which the various members freely give themselves as food to one an-other--this view of reality has been around a long time. It has surfaced in almost every culture in one form or another. A number of ancient traditions described the unity of the world as the living body of a single divine person. Purusha in the Vedic tradition, Osiris in the Egyptian, the 18,000-year-old god of Chinese myth whose head became the sun and moon, his blood the rivers and seas, his hair the plants, his limbs the mountains, his voice the thunder, his sweat the rain, his breath the wind—and there are similar accounts in the other ancient tales—all these deities gave their flesh to be the life of the world. The Cosmic Theandric Person is a well-nigh universal image of the organic unity in which we all share.
A sense of the Eucharistic Planet, of the Real Presence of the Divine in the world, is something we need now for the protection of the planet. It may be that biblical religion has encouraged Western civilization to take unfair advantage of the natural environment under the belief that it was given to humanity by God for purposes of human exploitation and has no rights of its own. It may be that we need to tell ourselves a new story about how we fit into the general scene and what it's all about. I don't dispute that. But I would like to emphasize that on the basis of the Gospel we can say something quite constructive and very exciting that will give us the new story and a vision of the wholeness of the planet. The core of the story, as I see it, is the communitarian life taught by and instituted by Jesus. It is based on a vision of being that differs from the one we usually assume. Instead of taking as the norm of Reality those things that are outside one another, he takes as standard and paradigm those who are in one another. His prayer, his vision, is "that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us . . . that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one" (John 17:21-22). This is the heart of what Jesus is about, I believe. And I don't think that we should regard it as something on an always receding horizon, a merely guiding ideal, something unreal to be striven for but never actually achieved. On the contrary, I think he meant that this is how Reality is fundamentally constructed: this is how it is, and we are to wake up and know it, realize it. This basic insight, vision, revelation, was developed in the church in terms of two great dogmas, which, however, haven't perhaps been sufficiently appreciated as the structural models that they are. The two great dogmas, from which probably everything can be derived, are the Trinity and the Incarnation. And they are encapsulated in the single sacrament of Holy Communion, the Incarnation of the Trinity. I mean, of course, the mutually feeding, mutually indwelling, community, in which all members give themselves to one another as food, for the sake of life, abundant life.
Two Powerful Elements of Conservation: Sacrifice and Sharing
As people of God, in a small community we became convinced that the future of the world depends on individual "ecological conversion", on a drastic change of attitudes towards nature and towards all forms of life, as well as on new ways of using resources, especially food and water. It appeared obvious that this can be accomplished only by accepting the moral implications of our responsibility for God's heritage, rather than on our use of science and technology, which have failed us to a great extent. The confrontation with the universe should bring about the feeling of humility. But caring for the earth may also require sacrifice. Sacrifice is the law of creation, manifestation, life and love. It is at the very root of the idea of evolution. The minerals sacrifice to evolve the vegetable kingdom. The animals sacrifice to create human kingdom. And men sacrifice to become gods. The higher the sacrifice is the greater the approach to God. It means atonement—at-one-ment with humanity and God. Christ's teaching, when viewed from the esoteric point of view, is nothing but "Oneness with God," through sacrifice, through love, through life. If we are to imagine a future worth fighting for, our progress has to be defined ecologically and culturally, not purely in politics and economics. Our future depends on the wise decisions we make in this generation.
The cross in Christianity is symbolical of sacrifice. The life of Christ illustrates how man can become perfect only through sacrifice. In fact, the whole teaching of Christianity is based on the idea of sacrifice. This fact of sacrifice is the pivotal point in all religions of the world. The manifestation of God is sacrifice. When the Unknown limits Himself by creating the universe, when He descends into matter and becomes the Logos, it is God's Self-limitation and therefore a great sacrifice. "Sharing," becomes the humanity's answer to some of the biggest ecological problems of our times; poverty, environmental degradation, social injustice, violence, hunger, famine, disease, health care, housing, conservation and preservation. Sharing food with one another is significant. The Eucharist is essentially a meal, like the one that Jesus shares with the people in today's miracle. It intends to bring together not only us with God, but us with one another. Our communion means that we receive the body of Christ in the Eucharist and perceive the body of Christ in our neighbor. We cannot share fruitfully in the first if we are unmindful of the second. The miracle from the Bible, "the Multiplication of Loaves," proved that with the use of sharing element, man is also capable of doing miracles. Miracles will happen if you believe in them and ready to share.
Man the Creator: The Image of God
We know that the basic difference in man is that he is made in the image of God. This image is the spirit which is in man—not his body or soul, the possession of which he shares to some degree with the animal creation. The spirit of man is something quite unique, something quite different from anything the animals have. It is this spirit which renders man creative, moral and communicative. These qualities are the reflection of the image of God in man. All man's marvelous inventiveness is involved in that one word, creativeness. Man can also communicate; there is the possibility of the free flow and interchange of ideas among us, vocally, which no animal possesses. We also are moral beings. Though there may be wide differences as to what constitutes right or wrong, there is never a man or woman made who does not have a sense of right and wrong. Therefore we are all moral beings. God has imparted his image to us and we thus share these faculties. We know also that man, having these godlike capacities, has been commanded to rule over nature, to be in dominion over the animal kingdom. But his authority and position, which is one of great prestige and dignity, is a derived authority. Man is only able to exercise his authority over the animal world and the world of nature to the degree that man himself is subject, in turn, to the authority of God. This is inherent in every passage of Scripture that deals with the relationship of God to man. It is man's departure from this obedience to the God who indwelt him which renders him unable to fulfill his function of dominion over the world around. Whenever man does fulfill this, then he is godlike, as well as—to coin a word—God-able. Man has the capacity to be godlike (that is the image of God), but the likeness of God, the actual manifestation of godlikeness, has been lost and is found again only in the new creation. Without godlikeness, man becomes the most dangerous animal on the face of the earth.
Permit me to finish with a prayer: Let Us Pray
Lord, you gave us this planet on which we live with all it contains as a common inheritance to share with other creatures and other human beings. Help us understand the mysteries of nature in order to respect your Creation and to use your creatures according to your laws. Help us use your gifts wisely and justly, thinking not only of ourselves but also of other people in other parts of the world who have the right to share them. Do not permit that through our greed and negligence the Earth becomes poorer in forests and rivers, in plants and animals, and other wonders of nature that glorify you with their presence. Help us love your Creation in every form of matter and in every form of life, but especially in our human brothers and sisters. Help us serve one another as other creatures do according to your will, using wisely what we may use of your gifts and sharing them with all the living creatures of our planet. Help us preserve our environment clean and healthy for all and make the right decisions to restore what has been destroyed, so that we may serve you better in harmony and peace with nature. Amen.
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