Roger Gottlieb opened his April 22 lecture with a relaxation exercise. He rang a bell, and asked audience members to close their eyes, concentrate on their breathing, and imagine being in a special place in nature with a loved one. He rang the bell again, asked everyone to open their eyes, and said that if anyone at any time in the presentation should grow tired or frustrated or bored, they should close their eyes and return to that place, because that sense of calm and appreciation for nature is the basis of what he tries to teach.
Gottlieb is a professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has authored and edited 14 books on subjects from environmentalism to religious life to political philosophy. His lecture, titled "A Little Good News for a Change" focused on the relationship between environmental ethics and organized religion, specifically how religions have shifted in recent years towards "greener" teachings and practices.
Gottlieb's reason for speaking about and teaching environmentalism is simple: the world is in the midst of an environmental crisis. There are literally dozens of dimensions of this crisis, but the problem boils down to a history of ignorance concerning how human actions affect the environment.
So what significance does religion have in the environmental crisis? Western religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, teach that Earth is a gift from the heavens. The Bible teaches that man should have "dominion" over nature; man should be a steward. In the past, followers have interpreted this language as giving humankind free reign to do as it pleases with the resources that the earth offers. But recently, this has been changing.
The term "eco-theologian" is relatively new, considering the history of organized religion, but these thinkers are having enormous impacts on the development of greener religions. In 2001, Pope John Paul II gave a speech in which he said that if man can pull away from habits of destruction, nature can take back her place as the "sister of humanity." The Dalai Lama, the most influential and well-known voice of Buddhism, has taught that environmental destruction is driven the same greed and selfishness that is the plague of human existence.
Because politics is the most practical way to enact global change, what, then would be the counterpoints to those who argue that religious thought and doctrines should not interfere with public policy? The first main argument that people use to justify separation of church and state is that religion is undemocratic—religion depends on adherence to an authority, be it an organization or a single figure. Religious political power has resulted in atrocities in human rights, and still does today in many areas of the Middle East. Gottlieb argues that secular politics can be just as undemocratic. Religion is not the root of all political unjustness. There have been secular leaders—Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot—who were not influenced by religion but still committed terrible acts of genocide and oppression.
Second, people will argue that religion is irrational. Religious leaders preach what is right and religious fanatics are unwavering in their positions. Gottlieb admits that this is true in some cases, but when religious leaders speak in a political forum, they speak differently than when they are preaching. They are conscious of a need to compromise where necessary. In terms of convictions, Gottlieb says, everybody has positions that are unchanging and everybody has principles that are unjustified. It is unlikely that a feminist's position on abortion will be swayed, just in the same way that the religious have strong morals.
This religious environmentalism is a movement that is underway, and that Gottlieb expects to gain steam in the near future. Already there have been examples of religions stepping in to make positive differences towards the environment. A single religious leader in Taiwan was able to bring a halt to the practice of fishing with explosives where the World Wildlife Fund could not. The United Church of Christ has taken steps to cure the problem of "environmental racism," where people of color have been shown to suffer from worse pollution and chemical exposure than whites.
Gottlieb stressed a need for facilitation and communication between religious leaders, politicians, and ordinary citizens throughout the entire world. People don't often enough realize that an action as simple as driving their car to work every morning directly affects the poor inhabitants of island nations who are forced to relocate when sea levels rise. All life is interconnected, and the only way we can begin to solve the environmental crisis is to cooperate for the greater good.
-- by Patrick Dunn '12
Gottlieb is a professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has authored and edited 14 books on subjects from environmentalism to religious life to political philosophy. His lecture, titled "A Little Good News for a Change" focused on the relationship between environmental ethics and organized religion, specifically how religions have shifted in recent years towards "greener" teachings and practices.
Gottlieb's reason for speaking about and teaching environmentalism is simple: the world is in the midst of an environmental crisis. There are literally dozens of dimensions of this crisis, but the problem boils down to a history of ignorance concerning how human actions affect the environment.
So what significance does religion have in the environmental crisis? Western religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, teach that Earth is a gift from the heavens. The Bible teaches that man should have "dominion" over nature; man should be a steward. In the past, followers have interpreted this language as giving humankind free reign to do as it pleases with the resources that the earth offers. But recently, this has been changing.
The term "eco-theologian" is relatively new, considering the history of organized religion, but these thinkers are having enormous impacts on the development of greener religions. In 2001, Pope John Paul II gave a speech in which he said that if man can pull away from habits of destruction, nature can take back her place as the "sister of humanity." The Dalai Lama, the most influential and well-known voice of Buddhism, has taught that environmental destruction is driven the same greed and selfishness that is the plague of human existence.
Because politics is the most practical way to enact global change, what, then would be the counterpoints to those who argue that religious thought and doctrines should not interfere with public policy? The first main argument that people use to justify separation of church and state is that religion is undemocratic—religion depends on adherence to an authority, be it an organization or a single figure. Religious political power has resulted in atrocities in human rights, and still does today in many areas of the Middle East. Gottlieb argues that secular politics can be just as undemocratic. Religion is not the root of all political unjustness. There have been secular leaders—Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot—who were not influenced by religion but still committed terrible acts of genocide and oppression.
Second, people will argue that religion is irrational. Religious leaders preach what is right and religious fanatics are unwavering in their positions. Gottlieb admits that this is true in some cases, but when religious leaders speak in a political forum, they speak differently than when they are preaching. They are conscious of a need to compromise where necessary. In terms of convictions, Gottlieb says, everybody has positions that are unchanging and everybody has principles that are unjustified. It is unlikely that a feminist's position on abortion will be swayed, just in the same way that the religious have strong morals.
This religious environmentalism is a movement that is underway, and that Gottlieb expects to gain steam in the near future. Already there have been examples of religions stepping in to make positive differences towards the environment. A single religious leader in Taiwan was able to bring a halt to the practice of fishing with explosives where the World Wildlife Fund could not. The United Church of Christ has taken steps to cure the problem of "environmental racism," where people of color have been shown to suffer from worse pollution and chemical exposure than whites.
Gottlieb stressed a need for facilitation and communication between religious leaders, politicians, and ordinary citizens throughout the entire world. People don't often enough realize that an action as simple as driving their car to work every morning directly affects the poor inhabitants of island nations who are forced to relocate when sea levels rise. All life is interconnected, and the only way we can begin to solve the environmental crisis is to cooperate for the greater good.
-- by Patrick Dunn '12
