This qualitative study adds to our understanding of the obstacles and opportunities experienced by Canadian, Christian organizations relative to their engagement in environmental initiatives. The core of this inquiry was comprised of sixteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted with representatives of denominations and humanitarian agencies. Interview questions and the initial coding categories were drawn from the findings of an auto-ethnographic study by Haluza-Delay (2008). The wider relevance of Haluza-Delay’s findings was explored by engaging a broader population and by using a more consistent methodology. While this study largely confirmed Haluza-Delay’s description of the obstacles and opportunities facing Christian organizations relative to their engagement in environmental initiatives, it also identified an additional set of issues. Political polarization and shrinking resources, previously unidentified barriers, were evident in the data gathered. Occasions to hear from new voices, especially those of indigenous persons and individuals from the global South, were previously unidentified opportunities. Finally, this study found that several of the Canadian, Christian organizations represented by interviewees were undergoing a transition in their understanding of Christian mission, thereby creating new possibilities for environmental engagement.

This thesis examines the intersection between religion and environmental ethics in Jainism. Religious traditions, as they confront the challenges of modernity, are redefining their traditional mores and narratives in ways that appear, and are, contemporary and relevant. One of the most striking ways in which Jains are accomplishing this, is through their self-presentation as inherently “ecological” through their use of “Western” animal rights discourse in tandem with traditional Jain doctrine. This essay seeks to explore the ways in which this is accomplished, and how these new understandings are being established and understood by members of this “living” community.

This thesis examines the intersection between religion and environmental ethics in Jainism. Religious traditions, as they confront the challenges of modernity, are redefining their traditional mores and narratives in ways that appear, and are, contemporary and relevant. One of the most striking ways in which Jains are accomplishing this, is through their self-presentation as inherently “ecological” through their use of “Western” animal rights discourse in tandem with traditional Jain doctrine. This essay seeks to explore the ways in which this is accomplished, and how these new understandings are being established and understood by members of this “living” community.

This thesis examines the intersection between religion and environmental ethics in Jainism. Religious traditions, as they confront the challenges of modernity, are redefining their traditional mores and narratives in ways that appear, and are, contemporary and relevant. One of the most striking ways in which Jains are accomplishing this, is through their self-presentation as inherently “ecological” through their use of “Western” animal rights discourse in tandem with traditional Jain doctrine. This essay seeks to explore the ways in which this is accomplished, and how these new understandings are being established and understood by members of this “living” community.

This thesis examines the intersection between religion and environmental ethics in Jainism. Religious traditions, as they confront the challenges of modernity, are redefining their traditional mores and narratives in ways that appear, and are, contemporary and relevant. One of the most striking ways in which Jains are accomplishing this, is through their self-presentation as inherently “ecological” through their use of “Western” animal rights discourse in tandem with traditional Jain doctrine. This essay seeks to explore the ways in which this is accomplished, and how these new understandings are being established and understood by members of this “living” community.

This thesis explores relationships between humans and nonhumans in the Bishnoi community. The Bishnoi are a small Vaishnavite community most densely located in Rajasthan. They are well known in North-West India for defending and protecting the environment; sometimes even sacrificing their own lives to save trees or wild animals. This thesis is informed by the author’s short-term ethnographic study in the winter of 2013. The author combines symbolic and interpretive anthropology with multispecies ethnography in order to explore issues of relatedness, exchange and embodied experience between humans and nonhumans in the Bishnoi community. This research elaborates on central themes that emerged from the fieldwork, including themes of embeddedness, duty, dharma, sacrifice, nonviolence, purity, impurity, and contemporary challenges. This research attempts to treat nonhumans as agents and participants in Bishnoi life, active in their physical and perceptual engagement with the world, and details the centrality of the nonhuman in the constitution of Bishnoi communities and identities.

This thesis is a study of religion and the environment in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and how participants define and interpret their religious duty toward nature. The literature is focused on the field of Christianity and Ecology from its historical development, culminating with a discussion of contemporary religious environmental activism. Utilizing a participatory action research framework, a sustainable education program was developed, focusing on the environmental ethics of Christianity. With my participants we address the topics of sustainability and climate change, religion and the environment, consumption, and advocacy. While the final product of the study was a program on Christianity and Ecology, interfaith ideas can be found throughout the work.

abstract: This dissertation analyzes the way in which leaders of certain Taiwanese Buddhist organizations associated with a strand of Buddhist modernism called "humanistic Buddhism" use discourse and rhetoric to make environmentalism meaningful to their members. It begins with an assessment of the field of religion and ecology, situating it in the context of secular environmental ethics. It identifies rhetoric and discourse as important but under acknowledged elements in literature on environmental ethics, both religious and secular, and relates this lack of attention to rhetoric to the presence of a problematic gap between environmental ethics theory and environmentalist practice. This dissertation develops a methodology of rhetorical analysis that seeks to assess how rhetoric contributes to alleviating this gap in religious environmentalism. In particular, this dissertation analyzes the development of environmentalism as a major element of humanistic Buddhist groups in Taiwan and seeks to show that a rhetorical analysis helps demonstrate how these organizations have sought to make environmentalism a meaningful subject of contemporary Buddhist religiosity. This dissertation will present an extended analysis of the concept of "spiritual environmentalism," a term developed and promoted by the late Ven. Shengyan (1930-2009), founder of the Taiwanese Buddhist organization Dharma Drum Mountain. Furthermore, this dissertation suggests that the rhetorical methodology proposed herein offers offers a direction for scholars to more effectively engage with religion and ecology in ways that address both descriptive/analytic approaches and constructive engagements with various forms of religious environmentalism. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Religious Studies 2012

A significant and growing number of authors and commentators have proposed that ecologically enlightened (‘greened’) religion is the solution or at least a major part of the solution to the global ecological crisis. These include Birch, 1965 p90; Brindle, 2000; Callicott, 1994; Gardner, 2002, 2003, 2006; Gore Jr., 1992; Gottlieb, 2006, 2007; Hallman, 2000; Hamilton, 2006b, a, 2007b; Hessel & Ruether, 2000b; Hitchcock, 1999; King, 2002; Lerner, 2006a; McDonagh, 1987; McFague, 2001; McKenzie, 2005; Nasr, 1996; Oelschlaeger, 1994; Palmer, 1992; Randers, 1972; Tucker & Grim, 2000; and White Jr., 1967. Proponents offer a variety of reasons for this view, including that the majority of the world’s and many nations’ people identify themselves as religious, and that there is a large amount of land and infrastructure controlled by religious organisations worldwide. However, the most important reason is that ‘religion’ is said to have one or more exceptional qualities that can drive and sustain dramatic personal and societal change. The underlying or sometimes overt suggestion is that as the ecological crisis is ultimately a moral crisis, religion is best placed to address the problem at its root. ¶ Proponents of the above views are often religious, though there are many who are not. Many proponents are from the USA and write in the context of the powerful role of religion in that country. Others write in a global context. Very few write from or about the Australian context where the role of religion in society is variously argued to be virtually non-existent, soon to be non-existent, or conversely, profound but covert. ¶ This thesis tests the proposition that religion is the solution to the ecological crisis. It does this using a case study of mainstream religion in Australia, represented by the Catholic, Anglican, and Uniting Churches. The Churches’ ecological policies and practices are analysed to determine the extent to which these denominations are fulfilling, or might be able to fulfil, the proposition. The primary research method is an Internet-based search for policy and praxis material. The methodology is Critical Human Ecology. ¶ The research finds that: the ‘greening’ of these denominations is evident; it is a recent phenomenon in the older Churches; there is a growing wealth of environmentalist sentiment and ecological policy being produced; but little institutional praxis has occurred. Despite the often-strong rhetoric, there is no evidence to suggest that ecological concerns, even linked to broader social concerns (termed ‘ecojustice’) are ‘core business’ for the Churches as institutions. Conventional institutional and anthropocentric welfare concerns remain dominant. ¶ Overall, the three Churches struggle with organisational, demographic, and cultural problems that impede their ability to convert their official ecological concerns into institutional praxis. Despite these problems, there are some outstanding examples of ecological policy and praxis in institutional and non-institutional forms that at least match those seen in mainstream secular society. ¶ I conclude that in Australia, mainstream religion is a limited part of the solution to the ecological crisis. It is not the solution to the crisis, at least not in its present institutional form. Institutional Christianity is in decline in Australia and is being replaced by non-institutional Christianity, other religions and non-religious spiritualities (Tacey, 2000, 2003; Bouma, 2006; Tacey, 2007). The ecological crisis is a moral crisis, but in Australia, morality is increasingly outside the domain of institutional religion. The growth of the non-institutional religious and the ‘spiritual but not religious’ demographic may, if ecologically informed, offer more of a contribution to addressing the ecological crisis in future. This may occur in combination with some of the more progressive movements seen at the periphery of institutional Christianity such as the ‘eco-ministry’ of Rev. Dr. Jason John in Adelaide, and the ‘Creation Spirituality’ taught, advocated and practiced by the Mercy Sisters’ Earth Link project in Queensland.