Ecology and Religion (Foundations of Contemporary Environmental Studies Series) - Softcover

Grim, John; Tucker, Mary Evelyn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1597267082 ISBN 13: 9781597267083

Publisher: Island Press, 2014

Synopsis

From the Psalms in the Bible to the sacred rivers in Hinduism, the natural world has been integral to the world’s religions. John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker contend that today’s growing environmental challenges make the relationship ever more vital.

This primer explores the history of religious traditions and the environment, illustrating how religious teachings and practices both promoted and at times subverted sustainability. Subsequent chapters examine the emergence of religious ecology, as views of nature changed in religious traditions and the ecological sciences. Yet the authors argue that religion and ecology are not the province of institutions or disciplines alone. They describe four fundamental aspects of religious life: orienting, grounding, nurturing, and transforming. Readers then see how these phenomena are experienced in a Native American religion, Orthodox Christianity, Confucianism, and Hinduism.

Ultimately, Grim and Tucker argue that the engagement of religious communities is necessary if humanity is to sustain itself and the planet. Students of environmental ethics, theology and ecology, world religions, and environmental studies will receive a solid grounding in the burgeoning field of religious ecology.

About this title

Book Description:

In this important primer, the changing relationship between ecology and religion is explored by preeminent thinkers in the field.

About the Author:

John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker are Senior Lecturers and Research Scholars at Yale University. They are founders of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale and series editors of Religions of the World and Ecology from the Harvard Center for the Study of World Religions. They won an Emmy for their film Journey of the Universe with Brian Swimme.

About this edition

• Publisher: Island Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1597267082
• ISBN 13: 9781597267083
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 280