Religions of the World and Ecology: Discovering the Common Ground

This article explores the context of the ten conferences held at the Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) at Harvard University from May 1996 until July 1998 sponsored by CSWR in collaboration with the Center for Respect of Life and Environment and Bucknell University. Each of these conferences explored a number of aspects of a specific religious tradition regarding views of nature, from cosmology to ritual practices, and ethical and moral constructs in relation to nature. The series was coordinated by the authors of this article: John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker of Bucknell University in collaboration with Lawrence Sullivan, the Director of the CSWR. The papers from the conferences were published in ten volumes by CSWR and distributed by Harvard University Press. These conferences were the precedent of the Forum on Religion and Ecology from Harvard University.