How does your Religion/Spirituality support/contradict your Green Lifestyle?

Question

I am an non believer but very interested in Buddhism. My Permaculture Ethics: Earth Care, People Care and Fair Shares support a green lifestyle.

How does your Religion/Spirituality support/contradict your Green Lifestyle?

Answer 1

Essentially, most religions have at their core similar precepts. Do onto others, take care of the world around you, love your neighbour as yourself, share your stuff... That kind of thing. Not because we are all copycats, but because those have a tendency to fulfill our needs as the social creatures that we are.

We need other humans to survive, on practical, emotional, and intellectual levels. We are therefore empathetic, attempting to learn what upsets others so as to not tic them off and make them go away. It also follows that we extend that to other creatures, moving and not. So most religions are animist and communist, or some variant, or like the more patriarchal Xianity, 'guardians' of the world. It's really supposed to be the same diff, as it is more satisfying to connect with the world rather than dominate it, but sometimes the translation gets lost... It's basically only in the practice and mythology that religions diverge. After all, a religion simply would cease to exist if it did not satisfy it's adherents...

Current Xianity is of course against Green precepts, and has been for awhile. For many reasons, and is one of the contributing factors to it's decline as a world religion. (Thankfully, mass Xian conversions from other religions is a thing of the past. So don't let the numbers fool you. They are still going up, but only because we are doubling our world pop every few years now, and Xians get born into their religion, but usually don't practice it. They just what they call themselves on surveys for lack of a better term... ) Traditionally, in it's 'mission', Xianity goes into an area and absorbs local beliefs, or ridicules them as primitive or devilish and attempts to abolish them. As many of these beliefs are animistic and communist, as stated above, these principles have become denigrated, and even associated with the Enemy, as against the Human interest. God wants you to dominate and take over the earth, and get as much stuff as you can. The more you get, the more it proves God must love you, and not THEM. And it therefore proves you that you are one of us, and not like THOSE ppl, who are pagan and worship trees and have hospitality laws and don't let anyone, even Xians, starve to death on their front doorstep...

I'm a Green Witch, and have been all my life. (And yes, Xian diabolization of the traditional folk witchcraft of Western Europe, and others belief in that propaganda, has endangered my livelihood, lifestyle and family.) I have heard the animals and plants and spirits since I was very young, but in listening to the children apologise to objects when they bump into them, I truly believe all humans do. I just didn't ignore it as I grew up... Green magic in particular uses herbs to heal, and regards the world as a one entity, with humans, other animals, and plants, as blood vessels or skin cells in the giant body. We all have our parts to play, and no part is more important than any other. If our pancreas goes wonky, the rest of our bodies being healthy won't make up for it much. We'll still croak. So to with losing species or climate change. The Earth as we know it will still die, even if our water is clean, which it isn't, or our air is pure, which it's not... Hmmm... Kinda got away on me there...

It is a religious act for me to hang my clothes out on the line, as it is to never drive a car, or in making make herbal potions to heal myself and others, and firm vegitarianism, and never shopping at big box stores, and using non-toxic cleaners, as it is to fight homeless and poverty in my city by running for public office as a Green party candidate. My faith not only supports my Green ways; it demands them!

But Buddhism is nice, too....

Answer 2

21st century Christianity is incompatible with Green. 21st century society is incompatible with life. One cannot participate in this lifestyle (me incl.) and be a responsible inhabitant of the planet. Everything we do, every day, almost every minute of every day, brings us a little bit closer to destroying the earth systems we depend on. take a shower, drive your car, use the heat or AC, run the frig, cook your food, turn on the light, use something made of plastic, mow the grass, rototill the garden, use the phone, wash your sheets........religion has been the major factor in getting us where we are....like the puritan work ethic which was meant to insure that you work hard because only a select few of those who do work hard will get into heaven....and since we don't which are the select few, we all have to work hard just in case it's us, so we don't miss the boat. as i explore Buddhism, the Tao, I'm finding another reality, one which, if it's not too late, could lead to a life compatible with the planet, but it would mean everybody would have to participate or most people will have to die off as the decline of oil makes it impossible to maintain such a huge world population.....Green is much more than driving a fuel efficient car....it's gonna have to mean giving up the life we have built over the past 150 years based on cheap abundant energy to an extent current religion and spirituality may not be prepared to support.

Answer 3

I am a Muslim, with the much of relegious knowledge about Islam, I would say that green lifestyle is supported by Islam. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) insisted upon Muslims to plant, grow and protect trees. and besides this Holy Prophet (PBUH) insisted that Muslims shall live a simple life, which includes conservation by all means, so that we could spare the food commodities and resources for those who are needy. And there is a a similar instruction for water conservation as well. I feel, if we simply follow the Holy Prophet (PBUH) we may conservate a lot more for today and future generations. I STRONGLY BELEIVE THAT ALL TRUE RELEGIONS INSIST FOR SIMILAR PRACTICES. If we practice religion beyond our mosques, temples and shrines, green life style shall emerge in to our society much quicker than any other campaign.

Answer 4

I am a Pagan at heart
paganism supports Nature
even worships it ,
and uses its powers
Permaculture must be a Pagan concept
Christianity has been at war with Nature all along(sixth answer down)
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiZPY9VOLXfimawlComV1mfsy6IX?qid=20070627081822AAniEYV.
where all the evil comes from
Pan who was the god of Nature ,was renamed dionasses who became the devil.

OOps the pagan slipped out again

Answer 5

we were all born in the nature and that makes us believers and non believers a part of a system that we have to honour