Environmentalism as an Expression of Faith

“...everything is perfectly clean and pure and full of divine lessons. This quick inevitable interest seems marvelous until the hand of God becomes visible; then it seems reasonable that what interests him may well interest us.” - John Muir

The above quote by the writer and naturalist John Muir touches on an increasingly important aspect of our relationship with the environment: are we so separated from the natural world as to believe ourselves free of the consequences of its pain and suffering? The tendency of the Western faiths to subvert and dominate nature, to bend it to our own will, has served us well. But there are consequences of which we are only now becoming fully aware. And so, we must ask ourselves if there is space in our spiritual lives to make room for the environment. Can we express our care for the future of our planet, just as we would the well-being of our loved ones and our cohorts in faith? Can we count nature as a beneficiary of our spiritual focus and not just a hapless victim in our quest to dominate it?

Native American Indian and Eastern beliefs are far more emphatic on the connection between an individual and nature. Perhaps connection isn’t the right word, as there is no space between a person and the rest of the world. The two are one. And so you would respect and revere the external world as you do your inner experience. If you do wrong by yourself, you do wrong by nature, and vice versa.

But there have been conservationists and thinkers, like Muir, who sought to bring their connection to the natural world together with their understanding of their chosen faith. There is spiritual precedence to make manifest and reconcile our love for nature and our reverence for our Creator together.

Perhaps you could recommend to your faith leaders an acknowledgment of the need for urgent climate action. Maybe they could be so moved as to include environmental issues in their services. Maybe you can use the opportunity for prayer or meditation as a means to focus your intentions on addressing the climate crisis.

Climate change is a crisis of action, but it is also a crisis of the conscience, and, by extension, a crisis of faith. For too long, we have subjugated the earth to our own self-serving will. The time to give back through spiritual works is now. A healthy spirit and soul of the individual and a healthy spirit and soul of the earth need not be separate concerns.