The religions aim to protect the planet because they are responsible for keeping the planet safe for all beings and by releasing greenhouse gases and contributing towards danger they are abusing their responsibilities. Religions have made good progress to contribute to help the environment by campaigns, protests and charities. Organisations such as Christian Aid are religion driven and are trying their hardest to eradicate all problems on earth and make it the way GOD intended so they carry on their responsibilities without GOD getting angry. By protecting the planet from dangers religions can achieve a lot of things, save over 100 species of plants and animals, the can save planet earth and humanity from dying out. This is why religions try their best to protect the environment because it makes a huge difference.
We all want to protect our planet, but we're mostly too busy or too lazy to put up big change that would improve our lifestyle and save the environment. We tend to leave it to others thinking that there is no point. We compare each other and think “What is the point of me doing my bit when the rest of the world is not?” Remember “Every Bit Counts”
The Assisi Declaration in 1986 with the six major religions of the planet talked about how the planet is being destroyed and us as religious people who have a duty need to do their best to try and save the planet. Some of the declarations were:
“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 form 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.”
Some problems we face as a planet and their solutions:
Religions may be followed by different people and have different GODs and prophets but all religions share a simple foundations that we must care for everyone including the planet and the environment. This means that the religions have strong similarities within them to help them get along.
There are lots of similarities within Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism. Firstly they are all against the damage that the mankind does to nature and the environment and they all want to do their best to prevent this. Another similarity between their views is that they are all religion driven and their motive is obeying GODs commands and fulfilling his demands. Another thing that makes their views similar is that they all believe that mankind is to blame and they need to do everything to stop this. These religions also believe in the fact that GOD created the planet so by hurting the planet we are hurting him. They also believe in stewardship and they believe that GOD gave them responsibility while putting us at the top of the hierarchy. He made us responsible and this is why we need to take care. All the religions also think that in the afterlife they will be punished if they don’t look after the planet because on Judgement Day GOD will punish you.
This shows you that how religions have similar views can be a good thing for the planet because then they can understand better and unite to fight against horrible things such as climate change, pollution and global warming and this will benefit mankind in many different ways.
Religions also have their differences and this is what makes them unique and separates them from each other. Their differences make the world a more colourful place to live in and make it more interesting for everyone because if everything was the same it would be quite boring.
There are quite a few differences within Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism. Firstly they have different “policies” which tell them about taking care of the planet. Hindus’ believe in Ahimsa which is non-violence to other living things. They also believe that they and nature are equal so it is unfair to hurt them and this is one of the reasons they are vegetarian. Christians’ and Jews’ believe that they are superior to nature and animals and that GOD left them to use the Earth’s resources however they want as long as they don’t abuse them. This is why they tend to be non- vegetarians but this does not mean that they don’t care about the planet. Also the religions have a different creation story and this means they care for the planet in different way because Christians’ and Jews’ believe the GOD had a rest on a Sunday so they don’t work on Sundays’.
These differences do not mean that the religions cannot work together to benefit the planet and save it from the clutches of evil. Them being different allows them to express themselves better and it also allows them to bond to create a united society for the better of everyone.
Religion is not only divine and peaceful but it is also something from which a lot of atheists can learn from. Within Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism there is a lot to learn and other faiths can learn a lot too. These teachings are very useful and some apply to everyone so anyone can learn.
Christian and Jewish teachings are very specific and they are based around responsibility that us as humans carry and how we must carry them out to fulfil our obligations.
Christianity and Judaism have a lot to offer about the environment for other faiths and atheists because of their diverse culture and teachings. Firstly they talk about how we should care for the environment because it is GODs creation. They also teach a very important lesson on Stewardship and how it is our responsibility to look after the world and make it last for future generations. They talk about how selfish and materialistic mankind has become and GOD is being pushed behind while greed is taking over and because of this the environment is suffering. They also teach us how GOD created us in his own image so we are his disciples and we should respect him. They also teach us how we should be unselfish because GOD has given us the permission to use what he has given us so we must now abuse it because if we abuse it we lose GODs trust and respect. These are the teachings Christians and Jews have to offer to atheists and other faith and by adapting to it they will help the world.
Christian and Jewish teachings are very good and easy to understand. This is what makes them good teachings because they are universally applicable so they have a greater impact on the planet because more people can use these teachings to benefit them and humanity.
Hindu teachings are very broad and cover a lot of points. Some people may find it hard to follow all but these teachings are very important and are valuable.
Hinduism has a lot to teach about humanity and the planet and other faiths and atheists can use these teaching to help them benefit themselves and the people around them. These teaching are applicable universally and are very useful. To start with they teach about Dharma which means duty. This shows the responsibility a man needs to undertake to fulfil his duties; in a world like this. An example of this would be Mahatma Gandhi who respected everything and thought GOD sent him to fulfil a duty. Hindus also teach about being equal with nature and this is VERY important in Hinduism and this is why they don’t eat meat and they tend not to harm animals or plants. Hindus also have another key teaching and this is Ahimsa; this means non-violence and this is very important as this teaches patience and generates peace. This also means less violence on the planet. They also believe in Karma which means if they do bad they get bad in their next life. These teachings are very important and quite basic and will be very good in the current world as they will direct them towards the right path and make the world a better place.
Hindu teachings cover points like violence, duties, actions and equality and these are the things needed for the world to function efficiently and smoothly.
As I am a Hindu my views are very similar to the religious views mentioned above in Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism. I am a strong believer in stewardship and I think that we are GODs stewards for the planet so we must take care of it. I also believe in Dharma and that we have duties we need to fulfil. I am a passionate believer of Ahimsa and I think all violence is wrong as it is hurting people. Another thing I believe is in is that we are equal to all living things; this is why I don’t eat meant and I tend not to harm living creatures or plants. Karma is also very important to me because I if I harm the planet or nature I get harmed in my next life. Issues such as pollution, climate change agitate me because I realise that we are not doing our part to save the planet, and this means the Brahman will get annoyed and punish us bad. If all of us help out we can save the planet and secure a brighter future but people are not understanding and are being very greedy and selfish and only living for the moment; not thinking about tomorrow!
I also believe that by caring for the environment we are making GOD happy and therefore we are erasing our sins which we have committed and therefore we are pleasing GOD by taking care of his creations which means a good afterlife for us humans. Also I think supporting people who are already trying to help is very important. By helping charities and organisations we can gain support and awareness to help everyone.
The holy texts were written thousands of years ago so they have become a bit “out of date” this has led to difficulties interpreting them in this current world because they don’t fit in. This is one of the reasons people struggle to understand the meanings and put the teachings into action as it is VERY hard but I think we should be able to at least make some sense and put them into context to help protect the environment because something is better than nothing.
There are many problems religious people face to interpret the meanings and teachings from Bhagvad Gita in Hinduism, Torah in Judaism and Bible in Christianity. The people struggle to bring the teachings that they have learnt into the current world today because it has changed a lot since 5000+ years. Firstly there has been a big push in technology which did not exist then so this has changed our lives and the Holy Books have nothing on them as they did not exist at the time. Also technology is one of the reasons why so much pollution is being produced because some technologies have become necessities. Another problem we face is the extremeness of the text in the holy books because in the olden days everything was strict and orderly and this meant the rules were strict so in this world they are hard to follow because the community can’t cope. However these teachings can be interpreted in a simpler way so they fit into our life; we could take the very simple meaning of the text and put it to action as this will still help protect the planet. I think that even though we can’t interpret the exact wording and meaning we should be able to understand the brief outline or moral and that is enough to be working on to change the planet and make it a better place for everyone to live in and secure a future.
by
kartikayguptalivecouk (student)
