Article Added On: February 10, 2005 - over 6 years ago
Title: Suzuki rallies the faithful
Author: MARITES N. SISON
Publication: Anglican Journal
Publication Date: January 01, 2005 - over 7 years ago
Faith Groups: Native Spirituality
Themes: Religion and society

Abstract: World-renowned Canadian scientist David Suzuki has challenged faith communities to get involved in the preservation and protection of the environment saying it is a spiritual issue that is reflected in various religious traditions that hold the earth as a sacred trust.

Feb. 10, 2005

World-renowned Canadian scientist David Suzuki has challenged faith communities to get involved in the preservation and protection of the environment saying it is a spiritual issue that is reflected in various religious traditions that hold the earth as a sacred trust.

Mr. Suzuki, who is the long-running host of CBC's The Nature of Things, told a packed audience gathered recently at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto that his interactions with aboriginal communities around the world have made him realize how all life is interconnected. Mr. Suzuki spoke at a forum organized by Faith and The Common Good, a non-governmental organization, which has launched Renewing the Sacred Balance, a program that integrates faith, spirituality, and ecology. Representatives of various environmental organizations and faith communities, including Anglicans, attended the event.

Mr. Suzuki said that aboriginal people refer to the earth as mother.

"it's not metaphorical or poetic, they meant it literally." The earth is mother, he said, because people are created by the four sacred elements -- earth, air, fire, and water. "There is no environment out there and we are here. We are the environment, and whatever we do to the environment, we do directly to ourselves."

Aboriginal people, he said, "acknowledge that they are part of nature and they have responsibilities," he said. "But now, suddenly, we live in a world that's been shattered, where most of us look out and we see a mosaic of separate fragments or bits and pieces with no interconnection."

He cited the example of relatives of asthma sufferers driving their loved ones to the hospital in a sports utility vehicle (SUV). Aside from being a gas-guzzler an SUV emits higher levels of toxic and pollution, which triggers asthma, he said.

He urged the faithful to take his Nature Challenge, which lists 10 ways that people can conserve nature. It includes such simple tips as walking, taking the public transport or driving a fuel-efficient car. Rev. Bill Phipps, former moderator of the United Church of Canada and current president of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, also spoke at the forum. An advocate for social justice, Mr. Phipps said: "Ecological integrity and the healing of our sacred earth is a spiritual issue and a spiritual task. It's a spiritual concern of the highest and deepest order for we are all learning that all life is intricately interconnected and reflects the sacredness of creation itself."

All faith traditions "hold that the Earth is a gift from the Holy One ... each have beautiful and prayerful ways of expressing this reverence for creation," said Mr. Phipps, adding that the challenge is for faith communities to recover the meaning of these teachings and to stand together and say, "Stop the plunder."

Azba, a young Muslim woman, made a passionate plea on behalf of the youth and said that passages from the Qur'an have warned that, "When man tampers with nature it causes a destruction in the ecosystem." Canada, she added, "is a vast country with a small population yet we consume fiercely, assuming that we have plenty. We're afflicted by the 'me' syndrome."

Rev. Ted McCollum, incumbent at St. Paul (Anglican), Beaverton, Ont., attended the forum and said he would recommend that his diocese, Toronto, take part in the Nature Challenge and network with other faith groups and environmental organizations advocating for the environment.

"How we treat the environment that God has given us reflects upon us," he said in an interview. " If we destroy this gift, what does it say about us?"