Religion and the Protection of Natural Resources - Essay Example

Religion and the Protection of Natural Resources The human beings can be considered to have an instinct to lead andcontrol the different elements and forces of nature. For that matter, the objective of the study undertaken is to be able to focus on one of the basis of social and moral foundations of a community or a person which is religion. Specifically, the main focus is to be able to determine the effectiveness of the influence of religion with regards to the human’s initiative to care and save the nature.

Hinduism is one of the oldest and most influential religions through history. Compared to other religions Hinduism has a known element of paganism. This is due to the fact that Hindus believe that every components and element of nature are manifestations of the gods and goddesses. The said belief can be considered as the main foundation of the care for nature. The high regard to the different elements of nature can be considered as one of the main foundations of the religion (Wenner and Lorentz).

There are different lines from the scriptures of the Hindu religion that can refer to the importance of the care for nature. This is recognized as one of the main determinant of morality in the said religion. One of the said religion’s text Bhagavad Gita presented the notion that one of the important rules in the life of the Hindus is the maintenance of the state of nature that is present since the establishment of the religion. The said rule can be considered on the basis that they believe that the gods reside in the elements of the earth (part III p. 21-25). In relation to the fight to save nature, there are social groups who also believe in the morality of the conservation of nature.

One example is the group Greenpeace which is aimed to give attention to the different activities of the human population that can harm the environment. Such activities include saving the forest, the sea, energy conservation and other agenda on the bases of the belief that the earth has a voice and humans need to hear it to continuously survive (Greenpeace Website). Other groups in the society through specifically the production and manufacturing sector are neglecting the importance of responsibility to nature and surroundings.

Specific groups are the mining corporations that aside from harming the rain forests through different methods of extracting the minerals targeted, the original state of the resources cannot be returned. The said members of the corporate sector are only targeting the profitability and cost-effectiveness issue but commonly neglecting the sustainability issues. Conclusion Based on the study undertaken, religion is comparable to the vision of different sectors and groups in society. For Hinduism, importance to the environment is based on morality.

This is not the case for other religions though. In other sectors of the society, perspective on morality can also vary. For those who hear the voice of nature and care for them, it is their vision that can save nature. For others that are blinded by the needs to economically survive, such voice can be considered unheard of. Thus, through all the notions gathered, for the case of Hinduism as one of the religion, nature can be protected. Works Cited: Greenpeace Website. 2008. Greenpeace.

02 December 2008 Wenner, Sara and Melissa Lorentz. Hinduism. 2008. Minnesota State University. 02 December 2008