FULL STORYConserving God’s Creation
By Wallace Jones III, Staff Writer, Green Space Today
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| Dr. Howard Sulkin, President, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies Courtesy of Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies |
There is clearly internal division within religious groups regarding the role of environmental stewardship, but it is a fact that there are Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of other religions that are driven by holy doctrine to protect, in their viewpoint, God’s creation-Earth.
In many sacred books such as the Torah, The Holy Bible, and the Qur'an, environmental stewardship is advocated.
-The Torah commands the principal of Bal Tashchit, meaning “do not destroy.” In Numbers 35:4, the Torah emphasizes “The creation of green belts around cities”, and in Psalms (24:1), it states “To the Lord belongs the Earth and all it contains.” To learn about how the principal of Bal Tashchit is being observed, visit the following articles:
- Mazel Tov: The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (Evanston, IL) Attains LEED Platinum Certification
- Museums Go Green from Coast to Coast
| Dr. Howard Sulkin, President, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies (Chicago), said “Bal Tashchit is a natural linkage to what has always been taught and what is now practiced. People of all faiths are struggling to be sustainable not only in prayer settings, but in their whole lives.” |
-The Green Bible (http://www.greenletterbible.com/) was written and published to highlight “The Bible’s (The Holy Bible’s) powerful message for the earth.”
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| Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies (Chicago, IL) J. Mark Andersen |
- "The Qur'an is replete with references to the precious resources of air, water, and land, and proscribes wastefulness." Foltz, Richard. "Introduction." Islam and Ecology. Ed. Richard Foltz, Frederick Denny & Azizan Baharuddin. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2003, p. 3.
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Seen here is the greenest house of worship in the US. To find out about this amazing facility, visit "Mazel Tov: The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (Evanston, IL) Attains LEED Platinum Certification" |
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| Tim Darst, Executive Director, Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light Courtesy of the KIPL |
Interfaith Power & Light, a national 501 (c) 3 (http://www.theregenerationproject.org/) helps houses of worship of different religions and denominations establish and (or) enhance environmental committees. Tim Darst is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light. Darst organized a steering committee of clergy in 2007 and the Kentucky Interfaith Power & Light was established as a charitable organization by December 2007.
| According to Darst, “Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all founded on the same scriptural basis, and even in Buddhism, there is a universal carrying for creation.” |
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| Rev. Paul Davis, Minister of Christian Education, Congregational United Church of Christ (Greensboro, NC) Courtesy of the Congregational United Church of Christ (Greensboro, NC) |
The Congregational United Church of Christ (Greensboro, NC) has made internal efforts to implement sustainable practices within the Church in order to display environmentally sound behavior for its members, and to encourage members to model this behavior for neighbors in the community (http://www.congregationalucc.com/green/index.php).
| Rev. Paul Davis, Minster of Christian Education, Congregational United Church of Christ (Greensboro, NC), told Green Space Today, “We have a theological concern for the environment and want to model our (The Church’s) behavior for others to learn from. It starts out with the notion that this is God’s earth and we have a responsibility to take care of it. It has been over 2000 years since Jesus made His promise to come back. He may be coming back soon, but we may as well go ahead and plant some trees.” |
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| The Congregational United Church of Christ (Greensboro, NC) gave away bags, filled with green goodies (IE efficient light bulbs) and literature about recycling in Greensboro. Courtesy of the Congregational United Church of Christ |
The Christian-based group, Care of Creation (Madison, WI), has taken an active environmental role in and out of the US. Through its seminar called Our Father’s World; Why Christians Should Care About the Environmental Crises, Care of Creation informs believers about why they should take action to protect God’s creation and how churches can go about caring for creation. The organization has a hands-on approach.
| Ed Brown, Executive Director, Care of Creation, told Green Space Today, “We have done much work in Kenya where we are promoting God’s vision; planting God’s trees; harvesting God’s water; and farming God’s way. |
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| Ed Brown (right), Executive Director, Care of Creation with a Kenyan pastor. Courtesy of Care of Creation |
There are many valid material reasons to become an environmental steward-conserving resources; decreasing costs through energy reduction; and improving comfort for human beings-but for many, the motivation is also spiritually and religiously based.
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| Care of Creation Kenya nursery staff. Courtesy of Care of Creation |
