White House honors 12 faith leaders as climate-change ‘champions’

[cbayer]

http://www.religionnews.com/2015/07/21/white-house-honors-12-faith-leaders-climate-change-champions/

Adelle M. Banks | July 21, 2015


Panelists at the White House Champions of Change event on July 20, 2015 included, left to right, the Rev. Mitchell Hescox, moderator, and Evangelical Environmental Network president; Huda Alkaff of the Islamic Environmental Group of Wisconsin (hidden); the Rev. Kim Morrow of Lincoln, Neb.; Sunita Viswanath of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Sister Joan Brown of Rochester, Minn.; Rabbi Marc Soloway of Boulder, Colo.; and Steven Beumer of Winter Park, Fla. Photo courtesy of the White House

(RNS) From a zero-waste synagogue to global development work after natural disasters, environmental projects by faith leaders are being hailed by the Obama administration as examples of exemplary leadership on climate change.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy highlighted initiatives by a dozen leaders from a range of faiths, who were recognized Monday (July 20) in Washington, D.C., as “Champions of Change” for their environmental initiatives.

“As faith leaders, no voice is really more important than yours in this,” said McCarthy. “As the president and others, including the pope, have indicated, this really is a moral responsibility. We need to remind people of that and engage them. It’s a responsibility that we all have to share, to protect our neighbors, to protect God’s creation from the threats of climate change and environmental degradation that is going to follow.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, told the 150 people gathered at the forum that the need to work on climate change extends across political parties and religious affiliations.

more at link

[Koinos]

1. Good to see this!

[cbayer]

4. Yes.

The best news is that some evangelical groups are turning their attention to environmental issues. Would love to see more of this and more partnerships.

[trotsky]

2. The position that we must protect the environment because god wants us to...

is literally no more or less valid than the position that we should exploit our environment and its resources because god will take care of us regardless. No one will ever win an argument with "because god says so."

[edhopper]

3. I agree

but I also think in the world as it is, religious voices to counter the Fundy loons is important.
I wish it were otherwise, but such is the country we live in.

[jeff47]

5. AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Results of your Jury Service

Mail Message
On Wed Jul 22, 2015, 11:38 AM an alert was sent on the following post:

The position that we must protect the environment because god wants us to...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1218&pid=207575

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

If you believe that the protecting the environment is no more valid than exploiting the environment and its resources, then you are on the wrong website.

Please take it to redstate.

Don't let your hatred for religious folks morph into hatred for the environment.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Wed Jul 22, 2015, 11:41 AM, and the Jury voted 0-7 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Congradulations! You have made the dumbest alert I have ever seen.
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #7 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

Wonder if I'll get an alert for my comment.

[trotsky]

8. LMAO, thank you Juror #4! n/t

[beam me up scottie]

22. Why do you hate the environment?

[truebrit71]

10. Not from whomever alerted on the first one...

[skepticscott]

12. Their continued carpetbagging will have to wait

another 24 hours.

[truebrit71]

20. Probably feeling a little threadbare..

[LiberalAndProud]

11. Do you think that's their reasoning?

I think even religious people exercise moral judgement. If they want to insert god's judgment, that's a problem, but if we could measure it, I would bet they arrived at their position much as you or I would do.

Since we're stuck with these organizations, I prefer that their leaders exercise sound moral judgment. ymmv.

[trotsky]

15. Yes I do, because that's what their own words say.

"to protect God’s creation" - right there in the excerpt.

Certainly that isn't the ONLY reason they believe in taking care of the environment, but it is indeed part of their reasoning.

[LiberalAndProud]

17. All I'm saying is that I prefer that mindsent to the religious mindset

that God controls the weather so let God do it.

There are so many aspects of religion that I find objectionable, but substituting the word "God's creation" for the words "our planet" isn't one of them.


On edit:

Okay, I posted that and thought, who am I kidding? Of course that's a problem. But looking at this from an outcome-based mindset ... meh.

[trotsky]

24. Well of course I prefer the mindset that one should protect the environment.

But that's not what I'm objecting to. Legitimizing "because my god wants us to" as a valid reason to pursue a policy is a bad idea, whether it coincides with the progressive agenda or not.

[Gothmog]

6. Climate change and faith are very compatable

[cbayer]

7. Agree. It's a perfect tie-in and many evangelical groups are embracing it.

IMO, that's a very good thing.

[skepticscott]

13. Not at all

If they were, all of these "faith" communities would have "faith" that gawd would simply wave his hand and bail us out when things got too hot. They obviously have none, or are rationalizing it as the rather silly notion "we are god's way of accomplishing this". This is more like a supposed "faith" healer taking their kid to the ER. Done by people who have no real "faith" in a "god", but just need to look "faithy".

[Gothmog]

14. I disagree-G-d and science are very compatable

Faith and science can co-exist. There are some amazing works by some the Orthodox Rabbis on how the story of creation can be easily reconciled with science.

[AlbertCat]

16. There are some amazing works by some the Orthodox Rabbis on how the story of creation can be easily

There are some amazing works by some the Orthodox Rabbis on how the story of creation can be easily reconciled with science.


Yeah... I love Sci Fi and juvenile fiction!

[skepticscott]

18. Slavery and democracy can "co-exist". They did for a long time

I really, really hope you're not arguing that makes them "compatible".

[skepticscott]

19. Yes, I'm sure "amazing"

doesn't even begin to describe them.

[Warren Stupidity]

21. What is this thing "g-d"?

And no, reworking ancient gibberish with layers of new gibberish to accommodate "science" while insisting that some tribal deity had some active part in the process is not being compatible with science.

[goldent]

23. Another positive influence of religion.

[pinto]

25. Would seem to be a natural fit for those who support the environmental stewardship concept.

In whatever context.

[cbayer]

26. For those who believe they are caretakers of this earth as part of their religious beliefs,

it does indeed seem to be a natural fit.