Religious Environmentalism: Thomas Berry, the Bishnoi, and Satish Kumar

This article explores two thinkers and one movement involved with religious environmentalism. Thomas Berry drew from the world’s religious traditions and a depth study of science to develop what he refers to as “The New Story,” a narrative that encourages the cultivation of intimacy with nature, leading to an appropriate ethical response. The Bishnoi movement, which originated in fifteenth-century India, sets forth a pre-modern paradigm, still widely observed in northern India, for dealing with threats to local eco-systems. Satish Kumar, a former monk and post-Gandhian activist, invokes the ideas and practices of Jainism in developing an environmental action plan. These examples demonstrate the interdisciplinary and cross-cultural aspects of religious environmentalism.