Sustain-Ism Case Study

Around the world there are countless religions being practiced, and each retains their own set of viewpoints on topics discussed throughout history. Today the two religions of focus are Rastafarianism and Buddhism, and the topics are ecology, sustainability, and the environment. Whereas Buddhism and Rastafarianism appear quite different in their terms of environmental greed, they show important similarities in their values on sustainability and the physical environment. Before discussing their values, a brief history on each religion, as one is widely known while the other has a much smaller following.

It is said that Lynn White felt that “the worlds environmental problems,” were at their root caused by Christianity. When considering this opinion, many will turn to the beginning of Scripture, pondering the words of Genesis 1:26, “which gives humans dominion over the earth,” thus determining that God has given mankind permission to do as they desire with His creation, making it ethically acceptable to use nature in any way they so desire. It is this verse that remains at the center of the debate as to whether a Christian should be an environmentalist or not. Furthermore, it is also believed that “religious conservatives” are merely “awaiting the coming of a New Heaven and Earth,” thus, why would they feel a need to remain concerned about the one which mankind dwells upon now Consequently, those who believe that the verses of Genesis give them the right to do with the earth as the please, go about “treating our planet in an anti-human, god-forsaken manner.” Thus, human actions go on adding to the groanings of the earth, which it hath endured since the fall of Adam and Eve. Although some choose to proclaim that Genesis reveals their misuse of earth as morally sound, I do not agree, instead I feel that mankind is called to have “respect for God and God’s creation, therefore, man is not simply ruler, set apart from nature, but should instead be view “creation as a

This view tries to develop people’s value and belief towards environment and manage the way people think. There’s a major difference between the conventional and modern views of Environment ethics in that that attention now swings from the person who wants to preserve the world to the one who wants to interfere with it. Religion and Environment Does religion really influence our attitude towards nature? Well there is ample evidence around us that provides a link between the two. Judeo-Christian traditions have shaped the way the western world thinks about nature. Western Christianity assumed an Anthropocentric view in the sense that they separated humans from nature and encouraged exploitation of nature for the benefit of man. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”- Book of Genesis, verse 1:26 In contrast, ancient Hindus adopted Biocentrism and felt God’s presence in everything around them, humans and plants and animals alike. They considered the nature around them as a manifestation of the Almighty himself, the Brahmaan. Hence, they felt that in order to please God, they must live in harmony with His creations. The Bhoomi Poojan, for example, is a ritual performed in order to worship Mother Earth and seek forgiveness for violating

The sad injustice to nature is that man has forgotten the biotic connection between the natural world and humanity. Whether protecting nature is a spiritual experience or simply a means for survival, nature is as much a part of human life as the human themselves. The separation created by modern environmentalism between human and non-human entities can only be reunited if people learn to view life as a part of nature. The scary part about that thought, however, is will that be enough now? Only time can

In the article “On Care for Our Common Home”, the author addressed a crucial notion—climate is a common good. God provides humans good living environment, but commercial activities change our values and thoughts. The social value became established on the consumption behavior. God offers humans’ unique ability which is different from other species on our planet. Human’s natural instincts and spirits are kind and simple, but the society, activities, sexuality, the family, and social relations generate culture and civilization. With the progress, nature and culture seem hard to find the balance. Human should wield their power as well as with humble conviction to change the reality of the world. The author mentioned the issues of water and global

The issue of Deforestation has been high on the global environmental agenda for many years, and remains a serious problem today. In the tropics and many other parts of the world, nations continue to lose the valuable biodiversity, soil and water conservation, and climate regulation that natural forests provide. Christianity can only address this matter by continuing to combine an acceptance of the command to people to ‘multiply and replenish the earth’ (Genesis 1:28) with a balancing injunction to act as stewards of the environment. Charities such as Christian Ecology Link and World Vision work to increase awareness of the current ecological crisis and encourage adherents to live sustainably and make ‘green’ consumption choices.

“The Believers Church: A Natural Resource Worth Conserving” by Jason G. Duesing is an article about protection and preservation of the church doctrine. President Theodore Roosevelt’s words, not only addressed “Conservation as a National Day” , but he “was not concerned with any immediate threat to the existence of the growing nation, but rather the present population’s reckless indifference toward a vital problem that threatened its future existence”. Duesing states that culprit indifferences and climate of ecclesiological relativism is on the rise as “believers engaged in old wasteful methods with regards to natural resources of the doctrine of the church”. The doctrine of believer’s experiences indifferences while being intentionally

The benchmark of city dwellers is that they share a common goal for the place they live. Along with eating, playing and praying, its where they have come to fulfill their dreams of living in the big city - reaching for opportunities that are not available from where they started. Den Haag faces complex and rapidly evolving challenges and a collective unity of its inhabitants is what contributes to revolutionary initiatives. Barber reminds us that, “Cities collect people into dense communities where street politics and free speech are natural, as long as there is an open-space, an agora, to sustain them” (Mayors book – Barber 47). To not only survive, but to live and truly live is to be amongst others. A community that shapes our “social identity

Christian voice is correcting them or proclaiming the biblical model of man’s relationship to nature which: is unique and superior to the dominant free-market and environmentalist models. . According to Gardner and Stern (1996), in that place are exclusive approaches that have power to be implemented in companionships search to defend the environment. One like approach may take a closer look at holy and regarding duties beliefs and the effects of these beliefs on the environment. The idea to create values and beliefs in environmental issues are important components of having a safer and enjoyable world for its people and the world they live in. Christian and non-Christian, at hand, must see the environment and the shortcoming of business by reason of a proper conversion to an act or purpose of and preservation of the wealth the planet has to support life. Christians as the Bible originate directing the eye to what has to be published by word force in reference to human natures dependence and bounden duty to the nature and its resources. As Christians we should do what ever it takes to make sure this earth glorify God. If we are careless about science and economics — not caring about how they work and what they describe, creation’s economy will suffer (Christians Research Institute).

Throughout American history, humans have never had a positive and unified way to name and interact with nature. Many disagree on a definition for nature, and when a definition gains traction, it often leads to destruction masked as “progress” (Marx 14). But not all definitions of nature are so damaging. Ursula Goodenough, a biology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, wrote The Sacred Depths of Nature to create a new religion based in nature (Department of Biology). Goodenough’s treatment of “nature” illustrates her unique interpretation of the word. Goodenough understands the word nature to mean life, and life means biology. She uses this appeal to scientific reasoning to inspire humans to care for the world we live in. And while

A lecture was conducted at the Duke University by Chris Yura, who is the founder and president of the company called SustainU. SustainU is a company that recycles fabrics to manufacture apparel. Additionally, the manufacturing of the apparel for the company happens entirely in the United States. One of the main purposes of not offshoring the production of the goods is to bring jobs back to the American people. More specifically Yura notes that less than 2% of American clothing is currently made in the USA. This differs greatly compared to 1997, wherein 40% of American clothing was manufactured within our nation. The reason for the radical decrease in local production was due to offshoring and outsourcing, where American companies could manufacture their goods overseas and pay less for the production costs. While that is one benefit to maximizing the company’s profit margin, this took a lot of jobs away from American people. Yura notes that there are many advantages to manufacturing within the USA, such as quicker turn around

In today's world, there is a change in the way religious communities are coming into union through new encounters and relationships. Over the past few centuries, there has been a worldwide integration of government, cultures, societies, and even religious life. As globalization immerses, there is a greater awareness of the harsh realities of human life and of the need to collaborate across religious barriers in dealing with the pressing problems of the world. The challenge is for all religious groups to contribute to a global community in way where co-existence can take place peacefully and amicably. In "Quest for the Living God" by Elizabeth A. Johnson, Johnson tries to answer the question how does one remain faithful to their own beliefs

As an anthropology student at St. Louis University, courses in primatology and biology alerted me to the need for conservation, but it was my philosophy and theology courses that really shaped how I see myself as an environmentalist. In Environmental Ethics, we read philosophical texts and analyzed them from an environmental lens in order to learn how to apply various ethical frameworks to the modern environmental crisis. In Comparative Religious Ethics, I explored in depth how responsibility to the natural world was viewed in the Confucian and Daoist traditions. Outside of a strictly environmental lens, my anthropology courses taught me the necessary skills to analyze and discuss cultural texts.

On this vast planet religions are becoming more prevalent and are being studied more frequently in recent times. Many individuals want to study and learn about the origins of some religions, on where they were developed and what was the cause of this glorification of a divine. The art of religion is processed by many ideologies, background, beliefs, myths, and rituals. The five major religions of the world include: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism are solely based on these ideologies, and ultimately leads to one goal, to follow the path of god, or to seek a euphoric state of salvation. In spite of all the differences among the world’s five major religions, they have very similar ethical constructs, which should encourage more mutual respect among them.

As mankind developed over the centuries, there has been formations of various subgroups of humans that are distinctly different from one another. Depending on their location in the world, each group of humans have created their own distinct culture. These differences can be found in the language, cuisine, clothing, religion, morals, and customs. However, although the cultures of the world have shaped races differently from one another, there is still a universal concept that all people have in common: the necessity to live off the environment. The environment is the foundation of every society in the world because it provides the resources for development, the food to feed growing populations, and the landscapes to shape the moral perspectives of the world. Without the presence of the environment, the various cultures would not have developed into what they are today.