Religion Influences the Environment

Introduction:

I spent the past two days at a conference focusing on the intersections between religion and the environment. Here are some of the questions we discussed:

  • How can religion be used to encourage environmental activism and sustainability?
  • How can environmental education be included in the teachings of seminaries?
  • How has religion affected the environment?

It was an incredible conference, with a number of religious figures from a variety of faiths, but many of those who attended were Jewish and Christian. I was honored to spend the past two days with such incredible people who are so inclined and motivated to make change through religion. We ventured into Bethlehem to further discuss the effects of religion on the environment in the occupied West Bank and the potential for religion to affect what happens next to the environment there. 

What makes this environment special or different?:

The environment of Israel and Palestine has been molded by the culture, religion and politics of the region over many thousands of years, but particularly in the past century. With the West Bank of Palestine under occupation, the Israeli government and military have majority control in the West Bank. The politics of the Israel-Palestine conflict have considerably shaped much of the West Bank.

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