Several days ago, the PBS News Hour reported that the Communist Party of China is beginning to soften its stance on the expression of religion, apparently convinced that faith will boost support for environmentalism. While their shift toward individual human rights is refreshing, I fail to see the connection between mysticism and a commitment to conservation.
Though Buddhism and other Eastern Religions are more in tune with a nature-based spirituality than the more human-based dogma of Western Religions, all forms of mysticism diminish the authority of science, which is vital to our understanding and effective protection of natural ecosystems. This is especially true when religious faith depicts man as a chosen species, endowed with spiritual traits that are not shared by other forms of life. Once we deny our interdependence with the plants and other animals that inhabit this planet, the less committed we are to their welfare and protection.
While there are certainly many ardent conservationists who are also religious, relying on mysticism to promote environmentalism is, in my opinion, misguided. We debase intellectual honesty and a science based search for truth at our own peril.
