Friday, March 13, 2009

Faith and the Environment: We want to hear from you!

We're looking forward to hearing from four diverse and dynamic speakers about how their faiths and beliefs have shaped their actions when it comes to the environment at our upcoming Faith and the Environment Community Conference on March 29 (see the posting below for details). But that got us thinking about the many incredible stories that are out there by individuals such as yourself about how faith has affected their attitudes and actions about the environment and our planet.

So we want you to tell us your story by blogging it here:

What are your views about the environment and how has your faith or belief system shaped your views when it comes to this topic?

What are some concrete ways that live out your faith and views on an everyday basis when it comes to the environment?


We can't wait to hear from you...

2 comments:

Unknown said...

A Calling to Act Justly: My Spiritual Journey and the Environment

As the seasons change from winter to spring and the time of renewal is upon us, I pause for a moment to reflect on how and why my faith journey has influenced my view of the Earth and my role as a caregiver. I grew up in a Congregational, United Church of Christ, Progressive Christian community. Along with this tradition, I also experienced the Catholic faith traditions and teachings through the practices of my grandparents. These two communities and the values of my parents heavily influenced my understanding of what it means to be a caregiver for the Earth. These communities and individuals taught me to not only respect but also appreciate Mother Nature by teaching me about the remarkable complexity in its creation, our need to co-exist and the cycle of life. By actively working the land with church friends and family members alike I understood its value and our place in the world. I witnessed these Christian faith communities heed the call to act justly by taking steps to not only care for humanity, but focus on what we often take for granted, our Earth. By volunteering to plant flowers in the church courtyard or going on nature walks with my father I began to feel a deeper connection to the world around me. Over the years, my spirituality and understanding has deepened, and although I do not subscribe or belong to any particular faith community, it is from these first experiences and lessons that I learned what it meant to be a steward of the Earth. When I was in college, I weaved other religious tradition’s stories and values into my own personal spirituality and my understanding of what it means to care for the environment. For example, I have incorporated the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, which means “repairing the world.” Tikkun Olam serves as my spiritual guide and empowers me to act responsibly and ethically, especially concerning environmental issues. My faith journey and spirituality gives me the courage to be an activist and helps me to make the right choices, so that I can help, even in some small way, repair the world and make it healthier for future generations.

Paula Weiss said...

Hello! I have just come across your blog and I am very interested to read about the work that you do.
I haven't yet found the way to contact you directly, so I will give our website here, childrenatthewell.org, so that you can read about our youth interfaith storytelling project, Children at the Well. We are now in our fourth year! We are in the Capital Region of New York State.