Religious leaders should make concern for the environment one of the two or three top issues. If we do not survive, we do not do anything else, either. And "we," our descendants, will not survive on our present course.
Why should leaders care?
First, they should be trained to spot hypocrisies and address them, and should be able to discern the interests of interest groups and point to them. Whenever one reads reports from a couple of thousand scientific analysts of threats to the environment, we can be sure that one or two contrarians can be found this side of Denmark, and they will be given notice by "interests" who want to refute the others.
The prophets were experts at spotting hypocrites and the self-interested (which all of us are to some extent!) and, while I don't see many prophets around, religious critics are on the scene and should speak.
A second reason is theological. In religions which profess faith in God the Creator there should be special concern by "co-Creators," earthlings, to provide morale, impetus, insight, and a cooperative spirit to their generations as "stewards" of creation. It was after all, a generous Creator in whom they profess to believe who placed them here to care for the earth.
And they should do this not in a grim and self-righteous way but in a spirit of enjoyment, grateful that they get to be co-responsible for prolonging the life of a hospitable zone in which humans can thrive.
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