Home
	About
	Programs
	Events
	Reports
	Articles
	Links

CCCJ-Alberta Annual Fall Dialogue

World Religions and the Environment:
From Theory to Practice

Report by Joan Poulin

David Gravell and speaker's panel

The CCCJ-Alberta’s Annual Fall Dialogue was held at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Calgary, Alberta on November 4, 2007. The theme ‘World Religions and the Environment: From Theory to Practice’ was discussed by four panelists representing four different religious traditions: Dr. Michael Hawley, Religious Studies instructor at Mount Royal College, spoke about Hinduism, Dr. Afroza Nanji, founder of IDEA (Interfaith Dialogue, Education and Action) Youth Initiative, represented the Moslem community, Rev. Bill Phipps, past moderator of the United Church of Canada and founder of Faith and the Common Good, and Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman, spiritual leader of Temple B’nai Tikvah, Calgary’s Reform Jewish Congregation.

The audience of about 80 to 90 people responded with enthusiasm to the speakers. Questions at the end of the four 15 minute presentations reflected the desire for members of religious communities to become active and practical in the ongoing effort to develop a consciousness of the importance of preserving creation from the ravages of economic ‘development’.

Dr. Michael Rawley

Michael Rawley said that in the Hindu Scriptures (the Vedas) the universe is a manifestation of the Divine Goddess. The environment is a pointer to the divine being; any violence done to nature disrupts the harmony and unity of the world. Good actions, in whatever realm, unite and bad actions divide. Our role is to act for the harmony and unity of the world, whether it is among peoples, between people and nature or within nature itself.

Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman

According to Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman, the responsibility that God gave human beings at creation, was to care for the earth and not exploit it. To have ‘dominion’ is to ‘care for’ and not to waste. Another Biblical example is Noah who saved living creatures from the flood in the Ark. The land was part of the covenant between God and Moses who spoke on behalf of the Israelites. Every Sabbath a special blessing is said over bread and wine, representing the products of the earth. Every seven years, in Jewish tradition, the land must rest. No one is to plant or harvest, but only use the natural produce which grows on the land. In the Book of Leviticus, Israelites are instructed to leave the corners of their fields unharvested and not to pick up dropped sheaves so that the poor can be sustained. All this points to how important the land and nature are in the Jewish sources. As examples of practical ways the environment is sustained, Rabbi Voss-Altman spoke about the IKEA Company using wind power as its energy source. Rabbi Voss-Altman’s new synagogue will use wind power provided by Bullfrog Industries, as a contribution to the movement for ‘greening sacred spaces’.

Dr. Afroza Nanji

Dr. Afroza Nanji began her talk with the story of the Prophet Mohammad and the Scorpion to show his compassion for all creatures. The word “nature” does not appear in the Koran, but since God created everything from his breath, nature in Islam serves the Divine Will, as all human beings are meant to do. The prophet Adam was told what to do after God created him, Mohammad was told how to do it; part of the teaching is to be just to our natural surroundings. Each human being is created from a Divine spark and therefore is responsible to act mercifully, to be compassionate, to be tolerant, to submit to God’s will, to be responsible for the whole of creation. Dr. Nanji spoke of the Agha Khan’s Azhar Park in Cairo, one of the most overcrowded and polluted cities in the world. The park was built in the poorest part of the city, employing local people in its construction, to serve the children of the area who might otherwise never see a green space. The Agha Khan’s ‘Trust for Culture’ also provides micro-credit and employment for these low income families. The power-point presentation of this park provided an impressive example of an ecologically important project in the Islamic world.

Rt. Rev. Bill Phipps

Rev. Bill Phipps began by confessing Christianity’s anthropocentric attitude which causes Christians to concentrate on the God-man relationship and skip the importance of nature. We have blundered in our treatment of the earth. There must be a change in the attitude of Christians. We have many incentives in Scripture and Tradition. The Biblical story of Noah for Rev. Phipps is the renewal of our covenant with the earth. Rivers are mentioned at the beginning of Scripture, in Genesis, and at the end of the Christian Scripture, in Revelations. Romans 8 speaks of the whole of creation groaning for health and well-being. Jesus used many natural elements in his stories: lilies of the valley, the mustard seed; the beginning of John’s Gospel is part of our environmental ethic. We have holy people such as Francis of Assisi who communicated with nature, and Hildegard of Bingen. The liturgy of Eastern Orthodox churches are more attuned to nature than western liturgies. In the World Council of Churches there is a branch for ‘Peace, Justice and the Integrity of Creation’. ‘Faith and Common Good ‘ (founded by Rev. Phipps) is a national project whose mission is to renew the sacred balance in our lives.

Rebecca Levant

The afternoon began and ended with much appreciated musical presentations, in tune with the theme of the day, by Rebecca Levant.