Date of Publication:
01-11-2023
Author (primary and other collaborators):
Francis-Vincent Anthony
Author of the Module:
Keywords:
human rights
ecology
youth
secondary education
pluralism
religion
development
Country: India Region or Zone: Tamil Nadu Geographical Context of the Research: Local
Scientific Area of Research
Ecology
Rights
Pedagogy
Anthropology
During the past six decades, there has been an ever-growing awareness of the global ecological crisis threatening human survival. Concern for the future of human life has led to the necessity of upholding environmental rights and sustainable development. As in the case of other human rights, obligations of the state that derive from these need to be complemented by civic engagements, and sustained by shared values in the societal sphere. The question that isdraised is if religions can play a significant role in favouring environmental rights, civil engagements and environmental care, given that in varied ways religious traditions appeal to the interdependence of divine-human-cosmic realities. The empirical research that is undertaken in the multi-religious context of Tamil Nadu, India, seeks to verify if the religious identity of the senior secondary school students and college students has some influence on their attitude towards environmental obligations, engagements and care. The results show that senior school students are highly sensitive to state’s obligations and civil engagements, but their religious affiliation does not seem to influence it. Instead, college students manifest strong agreement to environmental care, with Hindus displaying higher sensitivity. Besides, variables such as transformative function of religion, religious pluralism, human dignity, and empathy have favourable association with environmental care for Christians, Muslims and Hindus. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of the predictors for eco-education.
Journal of Empirical Theology 36 (2023) 1, 20-44
EN
