I read an interesting article that was actually an obituary of Thomas Berry. Thomas Berry worked as a cultural historian, was a leader on the subject of religion, specializing in Asian religions, and environment or eco-theology. Berry was an advocate of the idea that " Earth's ecological crisis was basically a crisis of the spirit." He contributed to the idea that environmental issues were more than science and policy, but they were a matter of the spirit. Berry believed that the Earth and it's elements, such as trees, forests, and mountains, have the same right to exist as humans,"We bear the universe in our being even as the universe bears us in its being." In his book "The Dream of the Earth" Berry stated, "the natural world is the larger sacred community to which we all belong." In a compilation of essays called "The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the 21st Century", Berry illustrated the need for interreligious dialogue and understanding and also his concern for the destruction of Earth's ecosystems, the extinction of species, and future generations. To address these issues, Berry calls for a response from the world's religions.
I thought this article was interesting because of how Berry's studies brought various subjects of our class together in his works. He addresses cultural effects on the Earth, the neccessity of religious response to ecological crisis, and the Earth as a community of humans, animals, religious belief, and elements of the Earth. If you google Thomas Berry you can find summaries of his works, such as, "The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the 21st Century", "Christian Future and the Fate of the Earth", "Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as a Sacred Community", "Dream of the Earth", "The Great Work", "The Universe Story", "Buddhism", and "Religions of India."
Thurber, John. LA Times. "Thomas Berry Dies at 94; Cultural Historian Became a Leading Thinker on Religion and the Environment." June 13, 2009.
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