Edwin Merino's action
Dear Mr. Goldstein,
April 12 is an important day for Christians all over the world. In 2009 this date falls on Easter, the most important holiday in the Christian calendar. This date would be a great way to tie religion with the current movement to stop global warming. Colleges across the country would invite local religious figures and leaders who are involved with tackling global warming to talk about the significance of religion in this current movement.
The significance of such a day would be to bring knowledge of religious environmental movements to campuses across the country. The aim would by no means be to create more church-goers or convince students that Christianity cares about the environment, but rather inform others about what certain church communities are doing to prevent global warming from happening. This is especially important because of the strained relationship between religious groups and secular environmentalists that has occurred in the United States. The hope of this day would be to debunk the idea that these two groups are irreconcilable and that the fight against global warming is merely a scientific, secular effort. The involvement of religious figures would introduce the moral and spiritual side of preserving our planet, a new level of rational in promoting action that diverges from scientific terms. Priests, rabbis, bishops, and other leaders of church communities would be invited to speak about what they’re doing to stop global warming. The invitees would come from a plethora of backgrounds, including Presbyterians, Mormons, Baptists, Episcopalians, Catholics, and other religious groups (they do not have to be Christian by any means).
In order to make such a day successful, local and state religious leaders will need to be informed. This can be done by way of phone calls or connections through students who are involved in local religious activities. Students who are connected with local religious groups are the most important resource. Clubs with a focus on religion are a good place to start. Likewise, it is important to get faculty in the religion and environmental studies departments involved in order to sponsor the event.
The purpose of such an event is ultimately to bring religion and give it a more prominent role in fighting global warming. Besides the fact that church communities foster a strong sense of local community and closeness, Religion is important political and social force in the United States. As the issue of global warming draws more attention from the national populace, it is necessary to induce cooperation among the diverse social groups and create a unified movement to speed up legislation that will deter global warming. It is important to recognize that despite our different reasons to prevent climate change which encompass the moral, political, economic, and social spectrums, we must acknowledge that we all have the same goal in saving our planet from irreparable damage.
