Connections Quarterly Spring 2016 - Environment | Page 12

E NGAGING THE INTERSEC TI O N O F R E L I G I O N , E T H I C S A N D N AT U R E

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2. Introduce the topic of religion, nature, and ethics as a special topic for one chapel service.
• Guide students toward research about a specific global problem in a nation(s) and
identify at least one religion that is practiced in this country.
• Use this information to discuss the interplay between the surrounding environment
on culture (religion), and vice versa. For example, focus a chapel around water pollution in India. The Ganges River could be discussed with attention on how the practice
of cremation in Hinduism contributes to poor water quality. Or, how Hindu religious
groups are working to clean up the river because it’s part of their sacred duty (see David
Haberman’s book titled River of Love in an Age of Pollution for a starting place).
• Or, guide students toward the open letter from the Bishops of the Northwest whose
work addresses issues related to the Columbia River (http://thewscc.org/images/stories/Resources/Statements/colrvr-e.pdf ). Students can see how an issue is influenced
by a religious lens, and also how religion can be drawn upon as a source of strength
and inspiration for work related to ecological restoration, or social justice issues.
3. Devote a chapel to exploring music that highlights the relationship between people
and the earth as conveyed through different artists/musical genres.
• Invite students to bring in a song that is modern, or a more traditional religious hymn
from any tradition. The song’s lyrics should include the earth, nature or a specific place.
• Listen or read the lyrics as a group with a mindfulness toward the implicit and explicit
language about the sacredness and spirituality of place or elements of nature.
• Discuss how religion, music and references to nature/earth might shape our perceptions and actions toward the environment (positively or negatively).
• Have students compare two songs for similarities/differences in the lyrics and the ethics they convey about human relationships with the natural world.
• Have students make a playlist of the songs or have different grade levels each make a
CD representing religion, nature, and ethics, and write up a reflection about the larger
messages/teachings their CD compilation is meant to convey.

Page 10 Spring 2016

CSEE Connections