Church and Environment

The two most powerful forces ruling our world today are science and religion. Both attempt to explain our reality as humans as well as shape decision making in our everyday lives. Due to inconsistencies, mainly biological topics, the two have been separated as contradicting beliefs in other fields. However, one of history’s most awarded scientists was very vocal about the entwinement of the two. In 1940, Albert Einstein declared “science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind”. Einstein is arguing that the two subjects do not make sense without the other. 

Continuing to keep the two separated may be prohibiting further progress to our world’s greatest issues. Currently environmental issues are growing worldwide, and are only expected to get worse. Clean air, resource availability, and bio-diversity are all decreasing. Despite an increased number of terrestrial and marine protected areas and their overall land coverage, bio-diversity continues to drop rapidly. Researchers propose the lack of progress on successful conservation is due to efforts focusing on technical solutions as opposed to resolutions that relate to people’s vision and values.

A new strategy is needed to inflict urgency of environmental protection that can relate to any person’s principles no matter their walk of life. For this reason, it is necessary to evaluate the legitimacy of religion as a possible motivation and tool to promote environmental conservation.