Customer Reviews

A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet's Future

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just had no idea about the scope of religious environmentalism and what a hopeful sign it is. Gottlieb does a great job of describing the movement's ideas, and what is being done by people around the world. Unlilke most books by academics, this one is written to be understood by a normally intelligent person, not a scholar.
At times the book is really inspiring. Gottlieb puts forth a visionary account of how linking nature to God and spirituality can lead to fundamental social changes; and to changes in how we think about ourelves. I also very much enjoyed the chapter on new 'green' rituals and his description of how much spirituality there is and has always been in the the 'secular' environmental movement.
Great book for environmentalists and for people who think religion has something to do with caring for life.

A Greener Faith discusses the role of religion and spirituality in the environmental movement. Gottlieb does an admirable job in pulling in resources from all of the world's major religions - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. He writes about the great benefits that people of faith can bring to the discussion of the environment and issues of social justice that are integral to environmental degradation. The writing is scholarly but accessible to the lay person, but don't expect this to be a quick read. It is a deep and thought-inspiring study. My only problem with the book is that Gottlieb tends to bring his own perspective of liberalism to the table, although he owns up to this when he does so (and I agree with his perspective). He offers strong defenses for the more liberal theological perspective. In spite of this, A Greener Faith is well worth delving into and absorbing.

I had this book on my wish list because I'm very interested in the topic, as an active Episcopalian and as a river conservationist. But I learned that Gottlieb made a big deal in the book about the famous "every part of the Earth is sacred to my people" speech attributed to Chief Seattle from 1854. That "speech" was actually from a work of fiction written in 1970, incorporated into the narration in an environmental documentary film called _Home_. The producers of the film (ironically enough, it was the media wing of the Southern Baptist Convention) decided to suppress the fictional status of the text and promote it as Chief Seattle's actual words. The hoax-status of the speech means that any well-meaning environmentalists or creation-care advocates who cite it instantly expose themselves and their cause to scorn and embarrassment from conservative critics who seek to discredit sustainable conservation and smart growth. Gottlieb should have known better. He makes the rest of us look like flakes in the process. We don't really need Chief Seattle's buy-in anyway.

A greener faith is an ongoing, philosophical view on the state of main religions and their misconception and lack of earthly divinity awareness. Much of its theory on the western religion of Christianity and capitalism is quite erroneous and without backing. It is however a good mantra for the Gore crowd.