Many Heavens, One Earth Readings on Religion and the Environment

About this book

Many Heavens, One Earth is a collection of first-person voices from nine of the world religions. In fifteen articles, devotees and scholars reveal the contributions these traditions make to informing and motivating an ecological response to the environmental issues that beset planet earth. The spiritual messages of world religions have an indispensable and decisive role to play in addressing these environmental problems, for, at their root, these ecological issues are spiritual problems: Unless greed is replaced by moderation and sharing, materialism by spiritual insights and values, consumerism by restraint and simpler living, exploitation by respect and service, and pollution by caring and protection, nature's hospitality will be foolishly rebuffed, and therefore our descendants will inherit a polluted and depleted earth. Religion can be, and must be, a part of this replacement. Since at least 90% of the world's people claim allegiance to various major world religious traditions, religion can exert a crucial and transforming influence.

Contents

Preface
Religion and the Environment
      Introduction to article by Paul Brockelman
      Paul Brockelman, “With New Eyes: Seeing the Environment as a Spiritual Issue”
Judaism and the Environment
      Introduction to article by Eric Katz
      Eric Katz, “Nature as Subject: Human Obligation and Natural Community”
Christianity and the Environment
      Introduction to article by Iain Provan
      Iain Provan, “The Land Is Mine and You Are Only Tenants: Earth-Keeping and People-keeping in the Old Testament”
      Introduction to article by Clifford Chalmers Cain
      Clifford Chalmers Cain, “Stewardship as a Work of Art”
      Introduction to article by Elizabeth Theokritoff
      Elizabeth Theokritoff, “The Orthodox Church and the Environmental Movement”
Islam and the Environment
      Introduction to article by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
      Seyyed Hossein Nasr, “Religion and the Resacralization of Nature”
Native American Traditions and the Environment
      Introduction to Letter attributed to Chief Seattle
      “Letter Attributed to Chief Seattle”
      Introduction to article by David Kinsley
      David Kinsley, “Native American Religion”
      Introduction to article by Joel Martin
      Joel Martin, “The Land Looks After Us”
Hinduism and the Environment
      Introduction to article by Christopher Key Chapple
      Christopher Key Chapple, “Ecological Nonviolence and the Hindu Tradition”
Buddhism and the Environment
      Introduction to article by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
      His Holiness the Dalai Lama, [“A Buddhist Perspective on Nature”]
      Introduction to article by Susan Darlington
      Susan Darlington, “Rethinking Buddhism and Development: The Emergence of Environmentalist Monks in Thailand”
Sikhism and the Environment
      Introduction to article by Gopinder Kaur Sagoo
      Gopinder Kaur Sagoo, “Our Environment and Us: A Sikh Perspective”
      Introduction to article by S. Lourdunathan
      S. Lourdunathan, “Ecosophical Concerns in the Sikh Tradition”
Taoism and Confucianism and the Environment
      Introduction to article by Mary Evelyn Tucker
      Mary Evelyn Tucker, “Ecological Themes in Taoism and Confucianism”

List of Contributors
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Clifford Chalmers Cain is a professor of religious studies at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.