Essay Sample on Contemporary Religious Beliefs and Nature

Introduction

Religion is defined as the relationship between human beings and what they perceive as being sacred. What they mostly regard as holy is measured in spiritual terms. There are different religions in the world. The main ones are Christianity, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and the Jews. All the faithful of these religions have commonly shared ethics on nature. They, therefore, have certain religious beliefs which are in harmony that nature is important and needs to be taken care, of. Therefore, there is a well-knit relationship between the religious beliefs of these religions and the sacredness of nature. Religion, therefore, has a very close relationship with nature, and this relationship has had major impacts on the positive environment more especially the natural environment (Carlson, 2008). For instance, those who subscribe to animalism hold the view that there is a spiritual relationship between human beings and the environment and therefore nature need to be protected and guarded.

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Most of the traditional beliefs on conservation are anchored on animism, and those religious believes have led to the discovery of new holy sites. For example, the Baha'i faith faithful believes that the diversity and beauty of nature purposely reflect God (Garreau, 2012). The Buddhism adherents believe that that life in the natural world is extremely important and should be respected at all costs which underpin the interconnection of all the living things. Indeed religion has a major positive influence on nature. They, therefore, know that if one does well by preserving and protecting nature, then there is a reward. In the year 2000, there was a global forum on the environment held in Saudi Arabia which had an Islamic perspective (Ivakhiv, 2008). United Nations Environmental Program which the major partner during that forum and it, therefore, adopted the declaration which was referred to as the Jeddah Declaration.

The declaration stated that from the Islamic perspective sustainable development refers to the rehabilitation and development of nature in a way that there is no disruption of the equilibrium that was put by God for everything on earth. If further stated that the conservation and part of the environment which is part of nature is an integral part in the achievement of economic development (Garreau, 2012).The Islamic religion further encourages the proper use and conservation of water which is part of nature. It is therefore evident that religion and nature are not separable because of the religious teaching that encourages people to preserve and protect nature. One of the oldest religions which is Jainism also supports the preservation and conservation of nature. It teaches that there should be no form of violence towards human beings and nature (Carlson, 2008). It believes that all the aspects of nature should live together because they depend on each other in one way or the other.

In Judaism, there are several ethics and obligations most of which deal with the conservation and protection of nature. They say that all that was created by God should not be destroyed or corrupted by human beings. In Buddhism, all the teachings center on the path of the truth and the truth itself. They say that all the good actions will lead to one having a good life after death, but if the actions are bad, then that good life will not be attained. It teaches that wildlife and nature should be protected and taken care well (Corrigan, 2010). They further say that people should respect nature and live with it in harmony.

Religious believes they have a huge influence on nature more especially its conservation. For instance, the Hindu followers believe that there is a direct interconnection between nature and life more especially human life. This is the reason As to why they regard certain rivers and mountains as being sacred because they can give as well as sustain the lives of people and other living things (Garreau, 2012). The religious followers of Hindu believe that the animals, As well as the plants, have souls and therefore people should at all costs avoid killing animals as well as destroying plants. The Sikh religion believes that the existence of the universe is primarily on the will of God and his commands and therefore nature is one of his creates should be respected the way God Himself needs to be respected. The Shinto religion which is found in Japan has its roots in agricultural practices. They also have practices as well as ceremonies which show the kind of relationship which exists between human beings and nature (Corrigan, 2010). They, therefore, teach the importance of preserving nature.

It is therefore evident that all the faiths all over the world share certain religious beliefs concerning nature and the environment in general. They, therefore, have beliefs that are in harmony with nature. It is in this context that in some countries such as Pakistan where the majority are Muslims there are several indigenous trees which are found in the graveyards because it is considered a taboo to cut down such trees (Cameron, 2011). Certain religions and communities tend to value nature more than others. For instance, the Maonite Church which is found in Lebanon has protected a forest called Harisa for more than 1000 years. The protection is based on their beliefs that nature should not be interfered with because doing so would contravene the will of God. Another example of how religion influences nature is found in Thailand where the Buddhist monks have constructed small monasteries in areas where the forests are endangered hence prevents the logging of trees which leads to environmental destruction (Corrigan, 2010).

Similar initiatives were conducted by the Sikh community in India whereby they came up with an initiative of reducing the number of fossil fuels which are used in the kitchens of their temples. This imitative is geared towards preventing the destruction of nature based on their religious beliefs. To take care of nature, the Germany government has installed more than 300 solar panels in more than 300 churches, and it is promoting the conservation and protection of nature (Garreau, 2012). The initiative is also being promoted by the local community and churches which has led to more than 30 institutions shifting to the use of solar energy. All these initiatives are majorly driven by the local church community. It is evident that certain communities and religions value nature more than others (Cameron, 2011). For instance, based on the Islamic, Buddist, Jainism and Hindu religious beliefs, they tend to take care of nature more than other people of other religions such as Christianity.

In September 1986, the WWF convened a meeting of the world's major religions which included Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. The meeting aimed to look for ways in which the faiths can care for nature. The WWF was fully aware that the teachings of most religions support the taking care of the environment and conserving nature. Since these religions have billions of followers, the organization, therefore, decided to capitalize on those numbers. The gathering had a wonderful outcome because the Assisi Declaration was made. After the meeting, the meeting and the declaration three more faiths applied to be enjoined. (Garreau, 2012).These religions were Sikhism, Baha'i, and Jainism. They declared to support the other religions in the conservation of the environment. After the declaration, they launched a campaign called the Living Planet Campaign whose aim was to secure commitments from the religions which attended the conference that they will commit to taking care of nature. The specific actions of the campaign were named `sacred gifts for a living planet(Corrigan, 2010). 'The different religious groups backed with their religious beliefs began the campaign on the conservation of nature through advocacy on the areas of health, education, media, lifestyle, and assets.

Since it began the `Sacred gifts' has made major strides towards the conservation of nature. For instance, the Jain religion established the International Annual Business Award which recognizes and awards companies that make contributions towards the conservation of the environment. The other ways in which the different religions have contributed towards the conservation of nature include the establishment of the National Forest Steward Council by the Lutheran Church which the aim of ensuring that the environment is conserved in Sweden(Cameron, 2011). The Kenya National Council of Churches introduced environmental education in its Christian teachings at all the levels.

In China, the Taoist examinations contain the principles which are required for the conservation of the environment. In Latin America, the Baha'i radio has introduced programs on the conservation which are broadcast in the local languages. .It is therefore evident that the religious beliefs affect the environment though positively. The religious beliefs from different religious groups in the whole world have hugely contributed to the conservation of nature. Religion has never been left out when it comes to the conservation of nature. For instance, in the year 2000, there was another conference on the conservation of nature which was held in Nepal which involved 12 major faiths. At this conference, several issues ranging from the change of climate, environmental awareness, the conservation of the environment and the protection of the endangered species were discussed. At the same conference, the Mongolian minister for environment announced that the religious community in his country would come together and initiate programs that are aimed at addressing the issue of climate change. At the same conference, the World Council of Churches announced that the destruction of nature is against the will of God(Cameron, 2011). Currently, there exists an alliance which brings together the Christians and Jews which was brokered by the National Religious Partnership for the environment. This organization has encouraged dialogue amongst the religious groups on the best ways to protect nature.

The United Nations Educational, Environmental Cultural Organization (UNESCO) project on the conservation of nature, there is a strong representation of the spiritual and intercultural dialogue. For a long time, this United Nations body has been engaging the religious groups because the body understands the influence the religious groups have in the society. The body also is aware that the religious beliefs of most of the religious are in support of the conservation of the environment (Multimedia, 2010). In 2001 the United Nations Environmental Program published a yearbook called the earth and faith. This book was produced out of the collaboration between the faithful and the body on the best ways to conserve the environment. Such kind of dialogue between the bodies which are charged with the conservation of the environment and the various religious groups. The ethics on the environment are referred to like how human beings are expected to behave towards the environment. The norms are anchored on the moral attitude which determines what is regarded as bad or good. The environmental crisis which is facing the world today emanates from social attitudes, cultural norms, and religious beliefs (Cameron, 2011). The main cause of the destruction of the environment is based on unconventional beliefs.

All types of religions try to address the issue of the environment because they believe that the creation of the universe in its different forms with various degrees of details and clarity was the work of God and should, therefore, be treated well. Most of the spiritual leaders in all religions are important if environmental conservation has to be succes...