Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 1

The World’s Obsession with Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change

Summer Hoggard

Global Connections

1B
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 2

Table of Contents

Cover Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Abstract 3

Introduction 4

Literature Review 5

Limitations 7

Body/Discussion 8

Conclusion 14

Works Cited 15

Abstract
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 3

The findings of this paper include factual representations of the relationship between weather

happenings that occur due to climate change and the actions taken by humans as a result of their

religion. This seemingly unusual yet harmonious relationship is one that can be represented

through the weather crises that happen almost everyday all around the world. Through the use of

natural disasters and harmful man-made weather situations, this paper will inform readers of how

one’s cultural and religious beliefs and rituals can affect the world in negative ways and

highlight how although everyone is different and believes different things, we should all believe

that taking care of the Earth should be the main goal and moving forward it should be one that is

highly protected considering the religious importance the Earth has based on the discussed

religions.

Introduction
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 4

Although climate change may seem like a complete and utterly different topic from something as

broad as religion, climate change and religion share a cohesive relationship that although

different, is very harmonious. Religion is something that people believe to be static, but when

you penetrate the layers of the religion and get to the core, the believers, there is an undeniable

connection between the beliefs of a religion, how those beliefs are practiced, the location in

which those religions dominate, and the surrounding weather. For example, in religions such as

Christianity, followers hold the belief that God tasked them with the responsibility of taking care

of the earth he created, which would be incentive for followers to cautious of the actions they

take in life that might impact the environment and the earth overall. Based on the geography of a

believer’s residency, the believer might be subjected to certain traditions and ways of life that are

all intertwined with the believer’s religion and how they practice it based on the land they’re able

to make use of. Another perspective to be addressed would be the politicality of climate change

and its relationship with religion. How does a country’s political view affect believer’s

interpretation of the seriousness of climate change and it’s affect on their land and lives.

Throughout the years a continuous narrative has been spun all over social media platforms by

religious people everywhere, the idea that when religious disasters strike, it's a sign from the

heavens looking to communicate with believers whether to portray a message of displeasure or

of divinity. The issue with this mindset occurs when you closely examine such situations, there is

a more scientific answer to such happenings, that being climate change and weather patterns in

general.

Literature Review
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 5

The relationship between weather and religion is one that gives birth to the answer of one of the

world’s many current problems of an alarming dimension, that being climate change. Humans

and climate interact with other another according to how a divine entity has instructed. Climate

change is “a change in global or regional climate patterns” (Oxford English Dictionary, 1884),

these changes in climate, depending on the region, affect the way believers practice their

religion. When disastrous weather strikes as a result of climate change, millions of people are

impacted in magnitudinal ways. Pilgrimages are forced to be postponed, ceremonies are halted,

and so much more all due to the environment in which believers practice in and how that

environment is impacted by the weather. Since the beginning of time, stories and tales alike have

forged together the idea that there is a higher power, a god or deity of some sort, that guides

them to live a life that is respectable in all aspects when in accordance to a specific religion,

which is why when religious disasters strike, people often times look to the weather as a sign of

the higher powers saying something to them even if there is a more detailed and logical reason

behind all the stuff occurring, the reasoning behind most of the happenings tends to be weather

related or a result of climate change. Based on recent occurrences in the news it seems like more

and more people who identify as christian are more and more so growing to act in ways one

would traditionally consider unchristian-like. Extremely devout Christians often times throw the

bible into any conversation and despite major scientific facts that there are indeed climatic

changes occurring, they believe these climatic changes are signs from the heavens above that

their believed lord and savior will soon be coming. Whereas, in a religion such as Buddhism,

there is an utmost respect for the earth and those who inhabit it understand that the earth is a

being of its own whom is kind enough to provide the inhabitants with a place to live. These

starkly contrasting relationships between believers and their interaction with the earth is due to
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 6

location and how climate change affects said location. People who practice buddhism

predominantly live in south asia and tend to suffer from catastrophic weather happenings such as

flooding, wildfires, increased risks of droughts, and the potential increase in the wind speed of

future tropical cyclones. Because the people living in these regions understand that every action

they take will affect their life almost instantaneously. Inhabitants knowing this, understand that

they must care for the world in which they live in which results in a harmonious relationship

between religion and climate change.

Limitations

Contact with varying religions

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Due to the lack of contact with varying religions, the author’s research is limited to what they’re
able to find through online and physical texts. Contact with varying religions is important to the
author’s research in order to fully capture and portray believers properly.

Experiences with different climates

A lack of experience with lots of different climates makes the author unable to completely place
themself in the position of people living in other countries with varying climates because their
way of life is impacted by the weather in which they reside.

Important and Current weather happenings

As of recently there hasn’t been many big current weather happenings that would help the author
portray the relationship between religion and climate change.

Time Constraint

The author of this piece is functioning on a limited amount of time, this leads room for the

inability to gather certain information to make a stronger point about their topic that could

potentially persuade the readers.

Discussion

The relationship between the two polarizing topics of climate change and religion is surprisingly

harmonious, the idea that climate change and weather patterns affect religion and how it's
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 8

practiced all over the world is one that is subtle but not nonexistent. Most, if not all, religious

holy books speak on the issues of the Earth; often in regards to explaining and hinting on how

one should treat the Earth in order to maintain peace between the Earth’s environment, the

human realm, and the heavenly realm. The large majority of these religions being animistic,

place a large emphasis on the Earth’s treatment as a whole due to the fact that they see the earth

as a heavenly body itself and everything residing in it as holy and worthy of appeasement.

In religions such as Buddhism, Animism, Hinduism, and even Christianity, there is an essential

need to remain one with the Earth and keep the universe at peace. Buddhism places a significant

emphasis on maintaining equilibrium with the environment and respecting our boundaries as

humans and not impeding upon the environment in ways that would be considered disrespectful

such as, pollution of the land, sky, and oceans. Thich Tri Quang writes, “the serious adverse

impacts of toxic substances on the living environment of human, animals, and vegetation. It is

ironic that man is the one who pollutes his own health, and kill the life of all beings in this Earth.

The risk threatening our ecology is not minor.” (Quang, 1996).

One of the strongest examples that represents the world’s obsession with religious symbols

would come from the religion or spirituality known as Animism. Animism has roots in the

continent of Africa but has branched off to countries in southern Asia and even North America.

Followers of Animism have the belief that all things possess a soul or a spirit, be it the Sun or

plants. Based on the locations in which this religion is practiced, and the weather happenings that

have the possibility to occur and in the past have occurred, believers of this religion would be

persuaded to think that certain weather happenings are a result of their gods and goddesses being
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 9

displeased. This led to the partaking in sacrificial ceremonies. “Archaeologists have found

human and animal corpses with sacrificial marks long before any written records of the practice.

Human sacrifice was usually reserved for the most important events—dedication of an important

monument or building, the death of an important personage, or in times of natural disaster.”

(animalspirit.weebly.com) with this in mind there is little to no doubt that the weather in regions

affects inhabitant’s religion and how they practice it.

There are also times when religion’s relationship with the environment is harmonious and

contributes to a healthier Earth. Most notably in countries where the main religion is Hinduism

or Islam, the topography of the land can be characterized as mountainous with lowlands and

valleys all throughout. The beliefs of Hinduism constitute one to believe that “the universe

undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation, and dissolution” (“Nine beliefs of Hinduism”,

2017). Hinduism contains concepts called “Dharma” and “Karma”. These two beliefs are

conceptually representative of how religion and weather are related. Dharma, roughly translated,

is the duty of one to maintain the cosmic order of the world. “In past centuries, Indian

communities – like other traditional communities – did not have an understanding of “the

environment” as separate from the other spheres of activity in their lives. A number of rural

Hindu communities such as the Bishnois, Bhils, and Swadhyaya have maintained strong

communal practices to protect local ecosystems such as forests and water sources. These

communities carry out these conservation-oriented practices not as “environmental” acts but

rather as expressions of dharma. When Bishnois are protecting animals and trees, when

Swadhyayis are building Vrikshamandiras (tree temples) and Nirmal Nirs (water harvesting

sites), and when Bhils are practicing their rituals in sacred groves, they are simply expressing
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 10

their reverence for creation according to Hindu teachings, not “restoring the environment.” These

traditional Indian groups do not see religion, ecology, and ethics as separate arenas of life.

Instead, they understand it to be part of their dharma to treat creation with respect” ( Pankaj Jain,

Ph.D. n.d). While Karma, is the idea that what goes around, comes around, good or bad in

nature. Hinduists believe the actions they take towards the environment have the potential to

come back to them in the form of their rebirthed souls being placed in a polluted situation

similar to one they created in their past life. In Islam it is believed that Allah created the Earth

and all those that inhabit it. Allah made humans the most intelligent subjects in the world in

order for them to act as his subjects and carry out his wishes. “So unity, trusteeship and

accountability, that is Tawhid, Khalifah, and Akhirah, the three central concepts of Islam, are

also the pillars of the environmental ethics of Islam. They constitute the basic values taught by

the Qur’an. It is these values which led Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, to say: ‘Whoever

plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded.' For all these

reasons Muslims see themselves as having a responsibility towards the world and the

environment, all of which are the creations of Allah.” (The Assisi Declarations on Nature, 1986)

An ideal representation of Islamic views resides in the small country of Negara Brunei

Darussalam (Brunei). Brunei is an example of a rapidly industrializing country without the

overwhelming pollution that comes with such advancements. Brunei has 4 pollution testing

stations, all of which are between 0 and 50 out of 300+ scale that measures the amount of

pollution in a country. Buddhism and Islam can be rewarded as the cause of this because

Buddhism is the second largest religion within Brunei and the beliefs stated in the Qu’ran and the

strict Islamic laws of this country contribute to the one of the world’s cleanest countries. The

beliefs of these two religions help to control the amount of manmade disasters that have the
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 11

potential to occur with the rapid industrialization that’s taking place. Due to Brunei's location

natural disasters rarely ever strike and more than 80% of Brunei’s land is covered with forests

(“Air Pollution in Brunei: Real-time Air Quality Index Visual Map”), making Brunei one of the

countries with the cleanest air.

Moving onto Christianity, one of the world's most practiced religions. Undoubtedly Christianity

has some of the most devoted believers imaginable. To daily recitations of bible verses to

tattooing said bible verses onto one’s body (despite this being inherently unapproved of in the

bible.) Christianity is yet another religion with ties to weather and the environment. The bible

states,"The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the

dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your

name, both small and great — and for destroying those who destroy the earth." (Revelation

11:18), this is one of the many instances in the bible in which the importance of the earth and

taking care of the environment is highlighted. The importance is therefore engraved into

believers as one that is vital and should come to them instinctively.

Yet, somehow there still seems to be a disconnect between the emotional attachment that comes

along with believing in a religion and the reality of certain situations. Often times people look to

religion for comfort, and history shows that time and time again, religion has served as a saving

grace for many people in times of distress, but the replacement of religious beliefs in the place of

scientific findings causes a division between actions that need to be taken and the actions that are

actually taken, therefore, often disregarding the scientific facts that support the weather

happenings they witness.

Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 12

This is especially prevalent in the current year of 2017, the emergence of natural disasters such

as the Californian Wildfires, Hurricane Maria (Puerto Rico), the eruption of Mount Agung in

Bali, the extreme warming of the United Kingdom, Mudslides in Sierra Leone and Nepal, and so

many more continue to happen as humans increase their carbon footprint and contribute to the

further destruction of the earth via an industrial lifestyle that prioritizes comfort and speed over

longevity. As recently as October 2017, the emergence of the Californian wildfires has caught

the attention of religious people and scientific observers alike. Religious people, specifically

Christians, are making connections to Bible verses such as, “Thus saith the LORD, A FIRE is

kindled in My ANGER, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her

increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.” (Deuteronomy 32:22 , English

Standard Version) and coming to conclusions such as, “An interesting tidbit for Holy Bible

believers is that the wildfires have done significant damage to America’s “Wine Country” and

Marijuana farms. At least 12 wineries have reported “significant to total losses”, and at least 7

“pot farms” have been completely destroyed (just months before sales of “legal marijuana”

begins in the state). Two things to notice here… First, the numbers 7 and 12 are two of the 3

most significant numbers in the Holy Bible. Second, our God consistently condemns alcohol and

recreational drug use in His Word, so it is hard to not see His Hand at work here.” (Sawdy 2017)

claiming that these events are proof enough that God has forewarned us of this situation and that

it’s not a result of Climate change despite the recent findings from scientists as shown in the

National Climatic Data Center, explained by Michael E. Mann and Peter H. Gleick in their

article called, Climate change and California drought in the 21st century, “... see a relationship in

the form of observational data, physical analysis of possible mechanisms, and model results that
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 13

human-caused climate change is strengthening atmospheric circulation patterns in a way that

“implies that the periodic and inevitable droughts California will experience will exhibit more

severity.” Seeming to weigh in favor of a climate change connection is the fact that by several

measures the current drought appears to be unprecedented in at least 1,200 y(ears)”. Shortly

summarized, this is a more logical and scientifically backed up theory as to why climate change

is the most likely cause for such fires as opposed to an upcoming apocalypse.

Conclusion

The evidence concerning this matter serves as overwhelming support for the idea that climate

change affects religion through the way believers view their lives on Earth, how they treat the

Earth, and the locations in which those religions are practiced and so on. By looking through

religious lenses people are often times comforted and offered answers to some of life’s most

challenging questions and situations making it easier for people to believe that there is a higher

power somewhere watching over them and overall acting as a shoulder to rest on when disasters

strike. Although this may seem to be beneficial to one’s mental stability, it’s very detrimental to

the overall longevity of the earth. With people making appeasements to gods instead of choosing
Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 14

to do simple things like carpooling in order to minimize their carbon footprint and reduce their

contributions to global warming, it’s easy to see how the Earth’s constant warming is leading up

to a big “combustion” of sorts that seems to be forewarned of in the holy books of many

religions. The whole purpose of religion is to provide people with a set of grounding beliefs that

in return, when followed, provide peace and purpose to their soul. With this is mind, people who

choose to believe and follow certain religions should heed what’s being told to them because that

seems to be one of the only ways to slow down one of the biggest problems, global warming,

which not only affects people of a certain religion, ethnicity, or nationality, but overall, everyone

as a species. The relationship between climate change and religion is not harmonious because of

the peace it provides to believers, but instead because without religion people wouldn’t be able to

characterize the things happening around them as bad or good which could help lead them to

taking actions to restore the earth’s vitality and appease their gods or continue down a path that

will lead them to inner peace.

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Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 15

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Religious Symbols and the Reality of Climate Change 16

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