Representing just over half the population of the world, Christianity (2.3 billion), Islam (1.5 billion) and Judaism (0.02 billion), can be a driving force to guide humanity towards proper management of climate change. Here is just a selection of what some of them have been saying:
Quaker 1988, How Quakers live out their testimony can be seen at: http://www.quakerearthcare.org/
Presbyterian first in 1990, released their Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice; then in 2010 a Call to Restore Creation. “Creation cries out in this time of crisis” and “The church has powerful reasons for engagement in restoring God’s creation” Read it all at: http://presbyterian.typepad.com/files/call-to-restore-creation.pdf
Episcopal starting 1988, but more from 1991: http://www.episcopalarchives.org/gc2015/16_env/2015-A030.pdf
Eastern Orthodox, since 1995 has held symposiums on water bodies in danger. Patriarch Bartholomew is known also as the Green Patriarch. See more at: http://rsesymposia.org/
United Church of Christ 2007, See their resolution on climate change: http://www.ucc.org/environmental-ministries_synod-resolutions_a-resolution-on-climate and their website: http://www.ucc.org/environmental-ministries
Southern Baptist 2008, “But now we have seen and heard enough to be persuaded that these issues (environmental and climate change) are among the current era’s challenges that require a unified moral voice….. The time for timidity regarding God’s creation is no more.” Read the entire 4 statements and signatories at: http://www.baptistcreationcare.org/node/1
Catholic 2010, the St. Francis Pledge and more can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/environment/global-climate-change-2010.cfm
Pope Francis Encyclical Laudato Si, 2015 is excellent reading and can be found at: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
Anglican 2011, “We note that the scriptures call humanity to a careful stewardship of creation.” Read the rest at: http://anglicancommunion.org/media/68348/prim_climatechange.pdf
Methodist 2012, “Now therefore, be it resolved, that as a global church community, we call on our members to reduce human-related outputs of greenhouse gases.” http://umc-gbcs.org/resolutions/resolution-on-global-warming-1031-2008-bor
A couple large Christian ecumenical associations include:
National Association of Evangelicals 2011, publication on loving the least of these can be found at: http://nae.net/loving-the-least-of-these/, as well as Caring for God’s Creation: A Call to Action statement builds on the NAE’s Ecology 1970 resolution (http://nae.net/ecology/), which declared that “those who thoughtlessly destroy a God-ordained balance of nature are guilty of sin against God’s creation.” Their 2015 call to action can be found at: http://nae.net/nae-issues-call-to-action-on-creation-care/
World Council of Churches considers climate justice and creation care central to its mandate: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/what-we-do/climate-change
And for a sampling of what other faith communities are saying:
Islam 2015, A document produced from this year’s International Islamic Climate Change Symposium: http://islamicclimatedeclaration.org/islamic-declaration-on-global-climate-change/
Judaism 2008, The Coalition for the Environment and Jewish Life has this to say at: http://www.coejl.org/resources/jewish-community-priorities-for-climate-and-energy-policy-2008/
–Compiled by Earthkeeper member and engineer Nelson Lee