Blogs / Better Planet

The Pope’s recent visit to New York got me thinking about the role of religion in helping to preserve the planet, or as evangelical adherents put it: Creation Care.

The world’s major religious leaders are rallying around the green movement, and for the first time in history unifying the world’s major religions around one cause: environmental protection. The National Religious Partnership for the Environment is the entity they are most using to spread the word of the green God. The NRPE is comprised of representatives from the Catholic Church, various Protestant and Evangelical denominations, as well as the Jewish faith. It says, “When people from across the religious spectrum cry out with one voice against environmental injustice and the abuse of creation, the world takes notice. When hands reach across religious divides to mend and tend a frayed and fragile portion of the earth, they may accomplish together what none could do alone.” Indeed, when you consider the mass of followers these religions represent, a unified call to action is powerful stuff.

Reverend Richard Cizik who represents a big chunk of the Evangelical Christian constituents—30 million—tells me in a brief conversation via his cell phone as he races around Washington, DC lobbying politicians for better global warming policies why he and other adherents are so concerned about the environment: “It’s about caring for Creation, what God gave us. We need to take that responsibility seriously.” He then goes on to quote historians, philosophers and, of course, The Bible, about the importance of environmental consciousness and caring. “In Genesis, we are told to care for the Earth. The Earth is not ours to abuse. It is God’s Creation. He gave us the responsibility to care for it for Him,” Cizik says.

To be sure, many Muslims are also environmentally mindful. They cite the Quran and the Islamic belief that the Earth is a sanctuary that should be cared for. Think what you will about any religion or even Creation itself, but you have to admit that there is a certain morality in caring for the planet. It’s something we can all feel good about and actually do something about. We can all do little things that help preservation.

The religious green movement is a good thing for the future of the planet – and maybe even beyond.

Image: BBC