I think the primary role of religion is to make people behaving better in nature; the other things taught about it are retributions obtained through that behaving. So, a system that deviates from this primary goal in society needs to be concealed in a spiritual sphere to avoid some to use it as a scapegoat in their endeavour to fooling others.
Salif Sent from my iPhone > On 1 Nov 2017, at 18:04, Andrew Lockley <[email protected]> wrote: > > http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/11/01/17/can-religions-help-in-the-fight-against-climate-change > > Toggle navigation > NEWS > LOGINNETWORK > Home > Overseas > > Can religions help in the fight against climate change? > Anna Pujol-Mazzini, Thomson Reuters Foundation > Posted at Nov 01 2017 01:17 AM | Updated as of Nov 01 2017 02:13 AM > > > Save > Facebook > Twitter > GPlus > LinkedIn > LONDON—In Sikh temples the world over, community kitchens offer free meals to > anyone regardless of colour, creed or caste. > But the langars — as the kitchens are called — often distribute food grown > with chemical pesticides, which can contribute to pollution and leak into > rivers and streams. > In 2015, a push by Sikh environmental groups drove the Golden Temple, the > Sikh faith’s holiest which feeds 100,000 people daily, to start growing its > own organic food to reduce its impact on nature. > “There are many hints in our holy book to protect mother earth and to commit > to the betterment of society for all life on earth,” said Ravneet Singh, > South Asia manager of EcoSikh, a Sikh environmental group. > “The most vulnerable entity on the planet is the planet itself — the forest, > the water, the air, the soil,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a > telephone interview. > Many of the world’s religions consider nature sacred and religious leaders > have increasingly come out in favor of protecting it — including by acting to > curb climate change. > Experts say religions, which connect with people’s emotions and personal > lives, could help mobilize people in the fight against climate change where > facts and politics have failed. > Faith groups also control trillions of dollars in assets, which could support > that fight. A range of religious organizations are meeting this week in > Switzerland to issue rules on ethical investment — including backing away > from fossil fuels and moving towards green projects. > A growing share of the six billion believers around the world are getting > personally involved in the fight against climate change as well, from > eco-friendly mosques in Britain to river cleanups by Hindu groups in India to > tree-planting projects on religious land in sub-Saharan Africa. > EMOTIONS FIRST > Under a Paris climate change deal agreed by nearly 200 nations in 2015, > countries pledged to keep the rise in average global temperatures below 2 > degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to stave off the worst effects of > climate change. > Despite mounting evidence that global warming will reach catastrophic levels > if planet-warming emissions are not drastically cut, governments globally are > falling short of the efforts required, experts say. > Average surface temperatures are already 1.2 degrees Celsius above > pre-industrial times, the World Meteorological Organization says. > This — combined with an uptick in record floods, hurricanes and other weather > disasters — has led a growing number of religious authorities to speak out in > favor of climate action. > In September, Pope Francis and Orthodox Christian leader Patriarch > Bartholomew called for a collective response from world leaders to climate > change, saying the planet was deteriorating and vulnerable people were the > first to be affected. > Their words could more effectively change many people’s minds than scientific > reports, experts say. > “All big faiths talk about caring for the most vulnerable and caring for the > earth,” Cynthia Scharf, a former senior staff member on the United Nations > secretary general’s climate team, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. > “What really motivates people is not facts but values and emotions.. Those > are pretty universal feelings,” said Scharf, who was raised in a Christian > Protestant family and whose brother is a missionary. > “Religious communities can address some of the questions which are at the > heart of climate change, such as fairness,” she said. > Many religions already advocate environmentally-friendly behaviors as part of > their cores values, such as living with fewer material luxuries, saving water > or avoiding meat. > Jainism for example, practiced by over four million people in India, > prohibits killing animals and promotes a vegetarian lifestyle, which > scientists say could play a major role in reducing planet-warming greenhouse > gas emissions. > HOLY INVESTMENTS > Around the world, religious investment funds handle trillions of dollars each > year, according to environmental group The Alliance of Religion and > Conservation (ARC). > Historically, faith-based funds have avoided investing in alcohol, weapons, > tobacco and, more recently, fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.. > Last month, 40 Roman Catholic groups in countries including Australia, South > Africa and the United States said they were shunning investments in fossil > fuels and switching to greener energy. > But beyond avoiding certain types of investments, faith groups are also > increasingly looking to actively invest in projects that protect the planet, > such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture or forest protection. > “Deforestation is not stopped by divesting (from fossil fuels). Somebody else > will buy your stock,” said Gunnela Hahn, the head of sustainable investment > for the Church of Sweden. “We want to invest in the solution.” > This week in the small Swiss town of Zug, investors and leaders from eight of > the world’s biggest religions — including Buddhism, Christianity and Islam — > published priorities they have set themselves for ethical investment. > Some of the guidelines include supporting recycling projects and waste > reduction, investing in companies that widen access to clean water and > education, and choosing enterprises that have a strong environmental record. > GREEN GROUPS > But grassroots faith groups across the globe also are bringing religious > teachings into thousands of projects on the ground to protect people and > nature from the effects of climate change and pollution. > Many Hindu groups are working to clean the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in India. > Believed by Indians to have miraculous healing powers, the Ganges is also one > of the world’s filthiest rivers, with tons of raw sewage and industrial waste > dumped into it daily. > Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa, who farm some of the least fertile land on the > continent and face threats to their food security from climate change, > developed a training manual in 2014 to encourage more sustainable farming > practices. > A growing number of temples, mosques and synagogues also are switching to > renewable energy and ditching disposable plastic cutlery. > Half of China’s Daoist temples have now switched, at least in part, to > renewable energy, according to ARC. > “Faiths have the infrastructure — schools, medical facilities, universities, > millions of buildings, sacred mountains, rivers and cities” to take direct, > on-the-ground action on environmental issues, said Martin Palmer, ARC’s > secretary general. > “We have gone from a situation where faiths weren’t aware the environment was > a problem to a situation in which now every major religious leader is saying > something for the environment and doing something about it,” he told the > Thomson Reuters Foundation. > “It’s been like watching a giant wake up.” > THE LIMITS > Faith groups may also have a role in saying how far the planet’s leaders can > go to try to protect climate stability. > As the risks of global warming get clearer, a small but increasingly vocal > group of researchers are exploring using technology to reduce them — in > essence by re-engineering planetary systems. > Such “geoengineering” proposals include large-scale, controversial projects > that aim, for instance, to dim sunlight by spraying sulfuric acid into the > upper atmosphere. > Such action presents a range of risks, including potentially shifting > rainfall patterns in parts of the world, scientists say. > But the idea of humans deliberately playing with the earth’s climate — which > some believe is the prerogative of gods — could leave religious groups > skeptical. > Geoengineering proposals are expected to stir the same emotional responses as > other controversial scientific advances, from genetic modification to > cloning, said Scharf, who now works for a body looking at governance of > climate engineering. > “Geoengineering is a humanitarian concern,” said the strategy director at the > Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative. > “That’s the only reason we should be looking at this issue.. The whole > purpose of it should be to alleviate suffering,” she said. (Reporting by Anna > Pujol-Mazzini @annapmzn, Editing by Laurie Goering. Please credit the Thomson > Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers > humanitarian news, women’s rights, trafficking, property rights, climate > change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org) > > Save > Facebook > Share on Twitter > GPlus > LinkedIn > Read More: climate change religion > > FROM AROUND THE WEB > > New Harvard theory: Aliens have star-powered spaceships > From the Grapevine > > These Celebrity Grandkids Look Exactly Like Their Famous Grandparents > Woman's World > Recommended by > Home > Overseas > > Pope says climate change deniers are 'stupid' > Agence France Presse > Posted at Sep 12 2017 08:34 AM > > > Save > Facebook > Twitter > GPlus > LinkedIn > > Pope Francis greets the faithful as he travels in the popemobile through > Cartagena, Colombia, September 10, 2017. Reuters > Pope Francis on Monday slammed climate change doubters as "stupid" in the > wake of a spate of hurricanes that have thrashed the US, Mexico and the > Caribbean. > "Those who deny it (climate change) should go to the scientists and ask them. > They are very clear, very precise," the pontiff said Monday during a press > conference on the return leg of a five-day Colombia trip. > "A phrase from the Old Testament comes to mind: 'man is stupid, a stubborn, > blind man'," he added. > Pope wades into climate change debate, says mostly man's fault > Pope Francis, nanawagan ng aksyon vs. climate change > Francis said individuals and politicians had a "moral responsibility" to act > on advice from scientists, who had clearly outlined what must be done to halt > the course of global warming. > "These aren't opinions pulled out of thin air. They are very clear," he said. > "They (world leaders) decide and history will judge those decisions," he > added. > The pope has been an ardent supporter of efforts to combat climate change and > its consequences to the world's most vulnerable populations, in terms of > pollution, disease, wars and migration. > He has regularly criticised politicians in comments seen by many as a swipe > at President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the > COP21 Paris Agreement which binds countries to national pledges to reduce > greenhouse gas emissions. > kv/ide/pvh > © Agence France-Presse > > Save > Facebook > Share on Twitter > GPlus > LinkedIn > Read More: Mexico climate change pope francis pope weather climate > > SPONSORED CONTENT > Finals MVP LA Tenorio has mixed feelings over the retirement of Barangay > Ginebra teammate Jayjay Helterbrand. > 20 m > > Ika nga ng sikat na salita ngayon, "petmalu" o "malupit." 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