Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9781597267083

Table of Contents

Reviews

Grim and Tucker integrate vast personal experiences and serious scholarship across multiple global cultures and disciplines to produce keen, fresh insight for today's world. A compelling, inspirational, and hopeful look at a path to a meaningful and sustainable future. --Jane Lubchenco former Administrator of NOAA

The almost unimaginable environmental challenge humanity faces--a daunting Gordian knot of science, plus ethical and moral values--demands ways forward. Those will be found at the intersection of science and religion. Nobody understands this thicket--so filled with hope, promise and complexities--better than John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker. Ecology and Religion lights the path forward. --Thomas E. Lovejoy y

Author Information

John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker are Senior Lecturers and Research Scholars at Yale University, where they teach in a Master's program in religion and ecology between the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Divinity School. They are founders of the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale and Series Editors of World Religion and Ecology at Yale and Series Editors of World Religions 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.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available