"The Environment - A Religious Perspective"

by Rev. Tom Goldsmith, First Unitarian Church

As Americans show little or no restraint in their insatiable appetites for more, bigger, better, entitled in fact to disproportionate quantities of non-renewable resources while remaining exempt from any global effort to heal and restore the world, I have to wonder why we deliberately deny the natural world any respect. We all know that the Bush administration feels no qualms in either altering science or ignoring science to fit its big business agenda, but the irritating part of it all for me personally rests with the religious justification to ignore the interconnected web of all existence. I almost have to ask: Is religion harmful to sustaining life on our planet?

I can’t help but notice that America is the most religious nation in the western world, with more than an astounding 50% of the population dutifully practicing their faith in houses of worship each weekend. Europe on the other hand, finds its historical churches filled with tourists while natives make virtually no room in their lives for the actual practice of religion. And yet we must concede that America for all its religiosity remains the lead sinner in the world for not only abusing the environment but also for its hubris in failing to cooperate with other nations to make the earth more habitable.

Not all religions are harmful to the environment. Although the new wave of evangelical faith might herald the biblical proclamation that man (sic) holds dominion over the earth, (and shows the natural world who’s boss), many mainline faiths argue that God demands that we hold the earth as a sacred trust and that faith compels us to be custodians of this magnificent creation. I would naturally support the argument that our charge in life is to serve as custodians for the earth, but the nature of the debate drives me crazy. The religious world, be it from the extreme right or moderate center gets hopelessly entangled in a senseless debate: Figuring out the intent of the Creator. Some insist that He (sic) has placed us in charge as though this earth was all meant for us to enjoy, and when the earth runs out of goodies for the next generation, He (sic) will provide a solution. Others contend, yet still maintaining that they know what God has in mind, that the deity will not renew resources for our children and grandchildren down the line, but that we better take care of what we have because that’s all we get.

Arguing if there is a Creator or not, or what the Creator really has in mind, seems to me a monumental waste of time because it can’t ever be proven. Rather than focus on the Creator, isn’t it time that religion turn its attention more towards the Creation itself. Personally I find more spiritual merit in the awe and beauty inspired by the intricate web of being than in worrying about whether or not God exists and what this God wants us to do.

New discoveries in the biological sciences reveal that the interconnected web of all existence is more profoundly connected than even our wildest imaginations might fathom. Giraffes in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, are especially fond of eating the leaves of the Massasa tree. As long as not too many of the leaves on a particular tree are consumed, the tree and the giraffe cohabit harmoniously. But when a hungry giraffe consumes so many leaves that the tree’s well-being is threatened, the tree raises the acidic content in its leaves. The giraffes no longer find them tasteful, and stop eating them. Ecologists are finding that the relationships in any particular ecosystem are complex and pervasive. Every species of plant and animal has a part to play in the health of the whole.

Religion in America seems preoccupied with divining sacred truth (as though that were possible), and prescribing answers found in scripture written in a pre-scientific world. The religious sensibilities revealed in scripture, like sharing with those who have less than you and caring for those who are in need, gain credibility in the remarkable story of the giraffes and the Massasa tree: When individuals consume too much, the health of the whole is threatened. To extend the metaphor to these times, our selfish consumptions to feed our affluent lifestyles leaves a bitter taste. Some of us are beginning to notice.

The spiritual discipline required of us today calls for living with respect for the interconnected web of all existence, and humbly recognizing our small part in life’s intricate processes. Once we stop second-guessing what the Creator is thinking, and move our religious commitments to the Creation itself, then we can begin to repair the harm we’ve exacted upon this gentle earth. I hope that religion starts to emphasize the discipline of humility and respect and compassion for the infinite ecosystems that sustain the world. The Creator may inspire debate, but the Creation is too beautiful and fragile to ignore. It is our home and the home of everything that pulsates with the miracle of life. Religion must become a viable partner in saving the world from ourselves.

Rev. Tom Goldsmith came to the First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City in 1987 after serving two Massachusetts churches in the Boston area. Originally from New York City, he graduated Harvard Divinity School in 1975. Tom has published widely, having an Op-Ed column in the Boston Herald for three years prior to moving west, and writing for Modern Bride Magazine, and a host of local periodicals in the Intermountain West. He plays bass in a folk group, enjoys hiking the canyons, and is married to Mary Tull. Together they have five children.