Theological Approaches vs. Religious Studies Approach
The global impacts that have been caused by pollution as well as other activities in the global persistence for a better economy have been devastating. It is in this regard that various communities have come to either commend or agitate against the actions by global leaders as well as rich economies to reach out for more richness. This is done when the poor countries are also pushing to make their economies much better as they strive for better livelihoods for their countrymen.
Muslims, Buddhist environmental ethics, and ecological crisis
The existing conditions can however not be blamed on any individual person. Muslims regard themselves as victims of social injustices and unfair demonization and mostly live in areas hardly hit by these crises. In his article Nawal Ammar address the issue of Muslim community as one that covers a wide view of Muslims. These he says are of the opinion of a better world and have suffered for the same reason as everyone else the world over. All these are believed to be actions of greed by people of all religious backgrounds. In this response, he notes that Muslim community feels the need to commune with others in reclaiming for a better universe. In the war against Kuwait by Iran it was estimated that global oil reserves will greatly reduce in the region as well as in Saudi Arabia and emirates. This will see a huge percentage of the countries revenue being lost and this might mean lack of essential human requirements. Other issues include lack of adequate rainfall as well as looming food crisis among others. With all this in mind, the Muslim community is on the upper hand in joining other communities. (Ammmar, 2000)
In the words of Rita, she describes the Buddhist community as one, which is reserved but prone to, changes as any other religious community in the world. She notes that historically the community has not been recorded as taking sides on issues of ecology. She however counters that this does not mean that the community cannot do anything on the matter. Rita denotes that in consideration to environmental ethics it should discourage excessive consumption and reproductions which are the factors deemed to be more problematic to the modern society. (Gross, 2000).
In both views both Nawal and Rita, describe one factor as being common. This is the fact that religious inclinations do not in any way address the need for promoting nature and its conservation. This is despite the fact that religious teaching descried environment as platform on which life thrives. It is important to note that both address the need for all religious people to take necessary measures to ensure that they sustain the environment and reduce its degradation. (Gross, 2000).
Ecological Buddhist and Islamic environmentalism in theory and practice
In theory Buddhists believes in the manifestation and restoration of humanity by conservation of environment. This is according to the words of his holiness the Dalai Lama. He asserts that human can effect change through beings society and nature. This he further puts it to mean that this should be upheld through cessation of fear anxiety and depression of the human mind. It is in this regard that Harris noted that the ideologies of the western nations were not directed to environmental conservation. This he said was comparable to the Greek ideologies not being ecologically manifested. Buddhists were however considered non religious; this is despite the fact that they upheld the dignity of the environment to the core. In earlier sermons it is noted that Buddhism was built on four core truths. These were built in a way to provide happiness and satisfaction of the human person. This it was noted could not be fathomed from manmade creation which in the end brought about suffering. In the Buddhist tradition there was the non-injury culture. In this it was regarded that no one was actually supposed to cause any form of injury to any person anything natural for whatever purpose that might influence the environment negatively. This is more emphasized by the fact that Buddhists were required not to milk their cows dry as a sign of conservation. It was also a show of resistance from greed which was widely preached against. This was not only to animals but also to plants which were believed to possess touch instincts among others. (Harris, 1994)
In the words of Richard Foltz, human beings were created from dust and hence the need for the human society to conserve nature. In Muslim faith it is noted that among all the living creatures it is only humans who possess the attributes of desire and intellect. These are said to be responsible for destruction as human desire to get more and the use of the intellectual capability to destroy the environment. In a report by a team of Islamic philosophers they noted that beings are adapted to various environments. This is not by natural selection but by their specific organs and behavior towards various environmental resources and hazards that surround them. Though it is parlayed by Muslim writers living in the west that Muslims are ecologically oriented, it is evident that not all Muslims share in these doctrines. More so are those that live in their native villages and still hold on to their traditions.(Foltz, n.d)
This is despite the fact that Muslims are traditionally believed to share in one faith of Allah. It is in their Holy book the Quran that prophet Muhammad is quoted saying that “Allah gave the Earth to his beloved to live and endeavor in it. It is in this regard that most of Islamic scholars have noted that the degradation of the environment is not the cause of the noble human who dwell within it. But this he says is a result of few greedy human who want to take more than their share. In this respect they denote overpopulation as not being a factor in the degradation. This they perceive is just a normal occurrence. (Foltz, n.d)
In both perspectives, it is clear that traditionally the Muslim and Buddhist religions are committed to the restoration and conservation of environment and other ecological factors. It is in this respect the both Richard and Harris have indicated that even traditionally these two communities upheld environmental conservation. (Foltz, n.d)
Conclusion
Both in theology and in religious approaches it is evident that they are feared towards a better environment. This is despite the fact that the religious approach shows some deficit. This deficit is evident in the fact that there are some factors of the Muslim tradition that do not uphold these factors. These however represent a minimal share of the population that can be said to be lacking in facts. The Buddhist religion is also noted not to be too committed to conservation efforts. This is in the fact that they do not advocate for such things. It is impotent to note that the community represented in this context is said to have traditional inputs that portray environmental conservation measures. In this regard, the opinion that both approaches are ideal would be adequate.
It is therefore important that the two approaches be blended together. This would mean that more would get information. At the same time this would mean that advocacy would go a scale higher and as such more would be informed. Despite the fact that other religious groupings are not very vocal in this respect, the input however small would have tremendous positive implications. It is in this respect that great men have referred to Islam as having one of the basic and important aspects in rediscovering our human responsibility. The human responsibility being referred to in this context is the conservations efforts that would see the world overcome the challenges being faced today. These include global warming as well as looming food crisis and over population. Religious leadership has been for long been regarded as having a positive following and thus would make much greater impact. The traditional efforts of conservation are also ideal. Though some are surpassed by time there are logical and ethical values that would be ideal today. Understanding and the make believe that the world is important in development of humans can go a long way in ensuring this approach. There is also need to preach good practices to the modern human person that would be integral in conservation. These would include the facts that go a long way in environmental conservation.
References:
Ammmar, N. (2000). The ecological crisis and Islamic social justice. New York: New York University press. Pp 131 - 144
Foltz, R. (n.d). Islamic Environmentalism in Theory and Practice. Chapter 2, page 358.
Gross, R. (2000). Toward a Buddhist Environmental Ethics. New York: New York University press. Pp 147 -160
Harris, I. (1994). Buddhism: Attitudes to nature. London: Pinter Publishers, pp 8 – 26
