Groups of different faiths join green movement

By Eunice Lau

REPRESENTATIVES of the various faiths in Singapore are coming together to spread the green message.

A workshop will be held tomorrow to promote the understanding of the teachings of the different faiths on the care of the environment. Called Faith and Nature, it is being organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, which is based in Britain.

The alliance, which has a network spanning 60 countries, was started in 1995 to help promote environmental issues with religious teachings.

Similar workshops have been held around the world, especially in Asia and Africa, where religious ethics and inter-faith work are very strong, said the director of the alliance, Mr Fazlun Khalid, 68.

The workshop here is supported by the Singapore Environmental Council (SEC) and the Nature Society.

Speaking of the global situation, Mr Khalid, a Sri-Lankan-born environmentalist who has lived in Britain for 50 years, said the need to respect nature was embedded deeply in the teachings of all religions, but they had been voiceless in the debate on the environment.

The Venerable Shi Ming Yi, secretary-general of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, applauded the existence of such workshops but disagreed that not enough had been done to promote green issues within religious teaching here.

Emphasising character-building contributed indirectly to environmental awareness through the doctrine of selflessness, he said.

Besides Mr Khalid, the other speakers at the workshop include Friar John Paul Tan from the Franciscan Retreat Centre, the Venerable Gunaratana of the Maha Karuna Buddhist Society, and Mr Peter Paap, who will give the secular view of the environment.