Compassion, Nature, and Religion

http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/000Images/aim/atlas7201.jpg

One of the more interesting aspects of compassion that we have touched upon is the human race's compassion for nature. Although for the majority of the modern Western era, nature has been cast aside in pursuit of economic gains, the importance of living in harmony with nature is slowly but surely gaining greater support throughout the western world.

However, a focus on the importance on nature is nothing new. Often, indigenous cultures throughout the world hold the natural world to greater esteem and often assign spiritual connotations with natural phenomena. This may be because these cultures depend on the natural world on a more intimate scale than modern peoples do. Regardless, this tradition is prevelant in many major religions to this day. Hinduism, for example, "engages the world as a creative manifestation of the divine" (Course Anthology 29). The awe and majesty nature has affected Western philosphers as well, such as Virgil who states "See how it totters- the world's orbed might, Earth, and wide ocean, and the vault profound, All, see, enraptured of the coming time!" (Course Anthology 124)

Where then did our current society's lack of concern for the environment come from? My opinion is that the Judeo-Christian faith provides little to no emphasis on respecting the environment of nature and instead emphasizes nature as a gift to man and his unlimited and God-given resource. For instance, in Genesis it is stated "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all the moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered" (Course Anthology 117B). Unlike Eastern religions in which nature is a method to connect spiritually with the vastness of all in existence, nature is viewed in the West as representation of God's love for us and such we have the right to do with it whatever we want to.

I picked this image to represent the Hindu tradition of the world being supported by turtle

http://cartophilia.com/blog/uploaded_images/turtleworld-789286.jpg

As with many aspects of religion, the attitudes Western religions espouse towards nature can vary by interpretation. Some can view nature as a miraculous symbol of God's will and as such should be considered sacred and protected at all costs. Others still may view it simply as means of survival, with their impact on nature being irrelevant.

I don't exactly know where my own viewpoints on nature come from. Perhaps it is my own fascination with the grandness of nature and the beauty and the scale of it all. Perhaps it is simply my pragmatic opinion that unless we treat the environment in a sustainable fashion we are doomed as a species. But I am certain of one thing: my upbringing in the Catholic faith has little to do with my interest in preserving the environment and nature.