Trees and Spirituality
Why trees and spirituality?
Although many churchgoers are interested and active in environmental
issues, places of worship are not typical outlets for environmental
scientists. If scientists can link their understanding of nature
to something that is valued by a
religion, then the place of worship
itself can become an active
venue for dissemination of
ecological research. To enhance
awareness and a sense of stewardship
for trees and forests,
Research Ambassadors engaged
people directly at their
places of worship.
What issues were presented to spiritual communities?
Trees have broad spiritual and symbolic importance because they
are linked closely to spiritual concepts. Trees are seen as symbols or
manifestations of divine knowledge, eternal life or life renewal. Their
form, with ground-bound roots and foliage that reaches skyward,
reminds us of the connection between earth and the heavens. Trees
epitomize the practice of prayer and meditation because of their stillness
and silence.
Background content
A quantitative analysis of sacred writings supported this intuitive
sense. For example, 328 references to “tree” and “forest” were
found in the Old Testament. Although less than 5% of references
applied to what modern conservation
biologists would call ecosystem services,
trees were inextricably tied to the
basic physical, aesthetic, and spiritual
needs of humans. References to trees
were also extracted from the holy texts
of other religions, such as the Koran,
the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Talmud,
summaries of which were presented in
all of the places of worship where sermons
were presented.
Research Ambassadors were welcomed into places of worship of many
faiths, and the sermons were met with respect and deep interest. The
discussions that followed the sermons revealed the sense of connection
people have with trees within the religious context. Several of these
encounters resulted in longer-term communication, such as writing newsletter
articles by church staff, or inclusion of church members into email
bulletin boards of scientists, and vice versa.
