SPIRITUALITY AIDS THE ENVIRONMENT

Religion, especially the Judeo-Christian tradition, has been slow to embrace environmentalism. At a conference held at Yale University, "The Good in Nature and Humanity," that examined the connections between science, religion, and nature, religion was finding an especially important and active role in ecological concerns.

What initiated the involvement in religion, according to an article appearing in "Environmental News Network (www.enn.com) by Gretel H. Schueller, was when a group of eminent scientists circulated an "Open Letter to the American Religious Community" expressing skepticism about humanity's response to the planet's environmental probems, "Scientific data, laws, and economic incentives are not enough," they wrote, 'Environmentalism is essentially a moral issue, "We scientists ... urgently appeal to the world religious community to commit to preserve the environment of the earth."

The National Religious Partnership for the Environment was formed in response and includes the U.S. Catholic Conference, the National Council of Churches of Christ, the Coalition on Environment and Jewish Life, and the Evangelical Environmental Network. According to the Partnership's Executive Director, Paul Gorman, "The mission of caring for God's creation is the heart of religious life itself." Their efforts have included lobbying Congress, helping science gain a sacred view of nature.

One example of the results of their efforts, according to Schueller, is that "ecologists are finding and appreciating evidence of the cohesiveness of communities. Soil, plants, microbes, animals, and humans all have to coexist."