God and Smog: The Challenge of Preserving Our Planet
Scholars and Religious Leaders Confront the Issues
October 10, 2018
9 am - 5 pm
Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, Perry Pavilion
Pay parking is available in Aggie Terrace and Big Blue Terrace.
https://www.usu.edu/map/
It is evident to scientists and university communities that the Earth’s environment is in peril. What is less clear is how humanity ought to respond to this peril—a response that requires rigorous consideration of ourselves, our world, and how we might best live in relation to it. Among the most potent forces in shaping human behavior are the phenomena we collectively call “religion.” Both internationally and in our own region especially, religion deeply affects and is affected by our attitudes and behavior toward the environment.
This one-day symposium will consider the environment in relation to the perspectives and actions of five religious traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Mormonism, and Native American traditions. The morning panel will consist of scholars who study the interaction of religion and the environment, while the afternoon panel will engage religious leaders who speak from the perspectives of their respective traditions.
Conference Schedule
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM: Welcome and Introductions
Introduction: Philip L. Barlow, Ravi Gupta, and Dominic Sur
Convocation: Darren B. Parry, Chairman of the Northwest Band of the Shoshone Nation
Setting the Scene: Alan Matheson, Executive Director, Utah Department of Environmental Quality
9:30 AM - 11:30 AM: Session 1 Panel
Academic Discussion of Religious Approaches to Ecology
Dr. Sue Darlington: Buddhism
Dr. David Haberman: Hinduism
Dr. Margaret Barker: Christianity
Dr. George Handley: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
11:30 AM - 11:50 AM: Morning Break
11:50 AM - 12:30 PM: Question and answer / discussion session
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM: Break for lunch
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Session 2 Panel
Religious Leaders' Discussion
Lama Chönam Chöying Namgyal: Buddhism
Anuttama Dasa: Hinduism
Rev. Susan Woodward Springer: St. John's Episcopal Church. Presentation handouts: Creation Care in Christian Denominations, Episcopal Church 2018 Resolutions
Elder Steven E. Snow: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
4:00 PM - 4:20 PM: Afternoon Break
4:20 PM - 5:00 PM: Extended question and answer/discussion session
5:00 PM - 5:10 PM: Conclusion of first inaugural God & Smog conference
Alan Matheson and Darren Parry
Dr. David Haberman, Dr. Margaret Barker, Dr. George Handley, Dr. Sue Darlington
Anuttama Dasa, Rt. Reverend Bishop Carolyn Tanner Irish, Lama Chönam Chöying Namgyal, Elder Steven E. Snow