Ecospirirtuality

“Planet earth is a communion of subjects not a collection of objects,” asserts Thomas Berry (The Great Story). This type of thinking, that the earth is here for human consumption and manipulation, has led to the environmental tragedies that have plagued the earth for over a century.

The industrial revolution was a huge step for mankind in their ability to survive and thrive, but it has opened up a Pandora’s box of problems fueled by human desire and selfishness. The burning of fossil fuels and the substantial release of CO2 and hazardous wastes into the environment has posed problems for a long time, but the developed nations turned a blind eye. Soon, however, that will not be possible. Global warming has shown to be one of, it not the biggest, threat that humanity has ever faced. Many of our resources will run out, like fish markets and fresh water (Bassett 15-18). The evidence of the danger of mass extinction (possibly over 50% of the species on earth), food and water shortages, plague-like natural disasters, and profound sea-level rise should motivate everyone to change, but progress towards helping lessen global warming is slow (Hansen 1-3). Nations and politicians have reacted with often little concern, unlike the tremendous response by the American government towards the threat of terrorism (which could easily be classified as a minute problem compared to the environmental one. Immediate and big changes will need to be made in the ways we consume energy and the sources we get it from. Unfortunately, business owners and politicians feel so threatened by such a change that they try to skew the facts to the point where the average U.S. citizen does not know who to believe. Even though there is a consensus among scientists of the validity of this phenomenon, the media portrays it as an ongoing debate, thus prolonging the time before we start to take real initiative (An Inconvenient Truth).

Vehicles and factories (power plants) are the largest contributors of CO2 emissions. So in controlling and reducing these emissions the world can gain a foothold to prevent the environmental catastrophe. Unfortunately, many auto makers oppose efficiency standards because they benefit from the oil companies profits. Businesses and politicians and nations profit extensively off of these methods which pose a danger to our future, but do not want to change their business plans (Hansen 7). “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it,” states Al Gore (quoting Upton Sinclair). It is not the businessman’s job to worry about the environment, his only objective is to gain revenue (An Inconvenient Truth).

What can we do to gain motivation to take initiative? Religion may be one of the most powerful incentives for change. Thomas Berry appears to understand this fact and sheds light on the religious relationship between humans and nature.

St. Thomas says, “Why are there so many different things?”
And he says, “Because the Divine could not image itself
forth in any one being.” It created a great diversity of things
so that the perfection lacking to one would supplied by the
others, and the whole universe together would participate in
and manifest the Divine more than any single being
whatsoever…nothing is itself without everything else.

(The Great Story)

If people adhered to this notion, that humans are no more divine than the rest of the planet, they would have a profoundly healthier attitude and relationship with the environment (The Great Story). If all people cherished the environment as much as they treasure their family, global warming would almost certainly not be the threat it is today.

Another important question is why do we see a growing trend for the increased involvement of religious organizations with environmental causes? Religion will inevitably become more and more concerned with global warming and other issues. This is because nature is fundamentally tied with religion. The first belief systems worshiped nature and most faiths believe that nature is a creation of a god(s). For instance, the environment is emphasized as sacred in Judaism. Even though God created the world for man, he emphasized that it was man’s responsibility to care for it:

When God created Adam, he showed him all the trees of
the Garden of Eden and said to him: “See my works…All I
have created, I created for you. Take care not to corrupt and
destroy my universe, for if you destroy it, no one will come
after you to put it right.”

(Bassett 47)

It is inevitable that religion will become more ecologically aware and involved because it is already a part of the belief system itself. When faced with an environmental dilemma religions often take initiative and remember that they need to protect the land that was given to them to look after. The feel a sense of moral responsibility. If they did not follow through with this they would be left with a sense of guilt and betrayal of their creator’s wishes (Bassett 42-46). In addition, transcendent states (Absolute Unitary Being) evoke the sense of union and oneness with the universe (this includes nature) and can aid in a sense of altruism towards others and their ‘sacred’ environment. Concern for others is an important part of religious sentiment and of the survival of the human race. (Albright 716-718).

Not all people, however are swayed by these religious ideas. Al Gore integrated
spirituality with his environmental cause, but the people he was trying to convince of this phenomenon did not have the same values. They did not connect the environment to God to the extent to which would cause them to really worry. “I had such faith in our democratic system…I actually thought and believed that the story would be compelling enough to cause a real change…I thought they would be startled too and they weren’t.” This experience was a disheartening revelation for Gore. He realized that people will do whatever it takes to maintain what they have at the moment without regard for the future (An Inconvenient Truth).

Why do these people disregard the facts and try to pass global warming off as a hoax? Desire is often a stronger force than spirituality and morality. It is the reason why the businesses and nations decide not to participate in energy conserving activities. Fear of financial loss and the appeal of the material can act as a stubborn roadblock inhibiting change. Religion can help direct desire into more constructive and accommodating areas and help to ease the ‘need’ for material gain. By doing this and providing a sense of altruism and responsibility religion can act as a catalyst for motivating people to do something about global warming.


Works Cited


Albright, Carol Rausch. “Zygon’s 1996 Expedition into Neuroscience and Religion.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 31.4 (1996): 711-727.

An Inconvenient Truth. Dir. Davis Guggenheim. Perfs. Al Gore. DVD. Paramount, 2006.
Bassett, Libby, ed. Earth & Faith: A Book of Reflection for Action. New York: United Nations Environment Programme, 2000.

Hansen, Jim. “The Threat to the Planet.” The New York Review of Books. 53.12 (2006).
The Great Story. Dir. Neal Rogin. Perfs. Thomas Berry. Videocassette. Bullfrog Films, 2002.


2007