Religious Principles
As we pray, think, and discuss on the Interfaith Oceans, we all come grounded in our own religious traditions and beliefs. We bring respect for the ways other traditions seek God, and we build upon the principles we hold in common, which are the highest ideals of each religion to serve God our Creator in the most loving, responsible ways.
Our religious responsibility toward the oceans is not merely one more “social issue” or a political issue. It springs from God’s authority as Creator and the human experience of being dependent upon nature’s fertility and God’s creative energies pulsing through creation for our continued existence. Scientists can describe and study life, but even on the simplest terms, they cannot tells what puts life into initial motion. It is MYSTERY. Scientist tell what elements need to be present for life and what elements are absent in death, not how matter actually becomes animated. They can detect and measure movement and energy even in the smallest atoms and nano particles, but not the whys of how this came to be. Science can also detect, describe, predict, understand, and restore some of the complexity of ecological relationships, but not all, as they are far too extensive and interrelated. Science can provide a window for seeing the connections, causes and effects, and offer tools for choosing actions that support or degrade an ecological system or a species. But science cannot alone offer the values and moral vision to choose the actions. Nor does science provide the necessity to respect and care for and sustain what can be scientifically described and studied. That is the role of religion, ethics, morality, affectionate imagination, respect, kindness, and compassion.
The National Religious Coalition for Creation Care have summarized responsibility to God (some conceive of “God” as composed of more than one Spirit or Persons) for the earth in the following terms:
The Earth is God’s and all that is in it.
The world and those who live in it.
For God has founded it on the seas,
And established it on the rivers (Psalm 24).
Therefore, you shall not destroy the earth
Nor despoil the life thereon.
The Franciscan Action Network similarly works on a Franciscan philosophy that all of creation is good. FAN explains: "Franciscan spirituality has always involved both action and contemplation. St. Francis proclaimed the gospel of compassion and care for creation while living in solidarity with the poor. He also spent months in the mountainous forests above Assisi, praying in deep contemplation, often in caves and abandoned places."
Judeo-Christian, Muslim, and other faith perspectives and indigenous belief systems mandate a sacred responsibility for humans to respect and care for all of life in all its forms and to honor the Mystery of what can be perceived but not fully understood. In the similar way, we are called to a special duty to the widows and orphans, ill, elderly and children, and other vulnerable members of our human community – and humane treatment of other species. This understanding is central to every religious or spiritual tradition of the world. If we were true to these ancient principles and commands, and we saw the connections of our actions and inactions, our responsibilities and irresponsibilities, we would not have many of the serious problems of oceans, air, land, fresh water, species extinction, and extreme and oppressive poverty that we witness today.
Our religious responsibility toward the oceans is not merely one more “social issue” or a political issue. It springs from God’s authority as Creator and the human experience of being dependent upon nature’s fertility and God’s creative energies pulsing through creation for our continued existence. Scientists can describe and study life, but even on the simplest terms, they cannot tells what puts life into initial motion. It is MYSTERY. Scientist tell what elements need to be present for life and what elements are absent in death, not how matter actually becomes animated. They can detect and measure movement and energy even in the smallest atoms and nano particles, but not the whys of how this came to be. Science can also detect, describe, predict, understand, and restore some of the complexity of ecological relationships, but not all, as they are far too extensive and interrelated. Science can provide a window for seeing the connections, causes and effects, and offer tools for choosing actions that support or degrade an ecological system or a species. But science cannot alone offer the values and moral vision to choose the actions. Nor does science provide the necessity to respect and care for and sustain what can be scientifically described and studied. That is the role of religion, ethics, morality, affectionate imagination, respect, kindness, and compassion.
The National Religious Coalition for Creation Care have summarized responsibility to God (some conceive of “God” as composed of more than one Spirit or Persons) for the earth in the following terms:
The Earth is God’s and all that is in it.
The world and those who live in it.
For God has founded it on the seas,
And established it on the rivers (Psalm 24).
Therefore, you shall not destroy the earth
Nor despoil the life thereon.
The Franciscan Action Network similarly works on a Franciscan philosophy that all of creation is good. FAN explains: "Franciscan spirituality has always involved both action and contemplation. St. Francis proclaimed the gospel of compassion and care for creation while living in solidarity with the poor. He also spent months in the mountainous forests above Assisi, praying in deep contemplation, often in caves and abandoned places."
Judeo-Christian, Muslim, and other faith perspectives and indigenous belief systems mandate a sacred responsibility for humans to respect and care for all of life in all its forms and to honor the Mystery of what can be perceived but not fully understood. In the similar way, we are called to a special duty to the widows and orphans, ill, elderly and children, and other vulnerable members of our human community – and humane treatment of other species. This understanding is central to every religious or spiritual tradition of the world. If we were true to these ancient principles and commands, and we saw the connections of our actions and inactions, our responsibilities and irresponsibilities, we would not have many of the serious problems of oceans, air, land, fresh water, species extinction, and extreme and oppressive poverty that we witness today.