Starting October 1st, congregations across the country will watch An Inconvenient Truth, Too Hot Not to Handle, and The Great Warming. It’s great news that religious organizations are taking a leading role in the fight to stop global warming, but not all climate change docs are divine.

Praising Gore

Why one religious organization has faith in An Inconvenient Truth
By Kevin Friedl

If you still haven't seen Al Gore's eco-doc An Inconvenient Truth, forget going to the theater—head to church. No, not only to pray for forgiveness, but because next week thousands of congregations across the country will be screening the film, thanks to an effort by the Regeneration Project, an organization dedicated to connecting ecology and faith.

As part of their Interfaith Power and Light campaign, which aims to educate and motivate worshipers of all religions to address global climate change, the organization has arranged for some 4,000 congregations to see the film. Participating congregations will also watch HBO's documentary Too Hot Not to Handle, executive produced by Laurie David, as well as The Great Warming (reviewed below), which is narrated by Alanis Morissette and Keanu Reeves.

"We're having screenings in all 50 states. As we got the word out, talking to people and on listservs, it just spread," says Bill Bradlee, managing director of the Regeneration Project. "At first we were struggling to tell people about it, but it just took off."

The Regeneration Project, which currently has active chapters in 20 states, helps religious organizations become greener through programs like energy audits for churches and synagogues and campaigns to lobby local politicians on environmental issues. They stress the responsibility of people of faith to protect the Earth and to use natural resources wisely.

Bradlee attributes the success of the documentary screenings to the buzz generated earlier this year by An Inconvenient Truth and, more generally, to an increased awareness of global warming. His organization estimates that around half a million people will see the films and take part in discussion afterwards about what they can do as individuals and as congregations to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The media has paid close attention to the American Evangelical movement's growing engagement with global warming (for Plenty’s take, see Liz Galst’s “Saving Grace” in the February/March 2006 issue), but, as its name suggests, Interfaith Power and Light is about including members of all religions. Among those taking part in next week's screenings are an Islamic organization in San Francisco, a Hindu temple in Georgia, and synagogues, Buddhist groups, and Jain temples throughout the country.

"All major religions have some notion of creation care, usually based on the idea of stewardship," said Katy Hinman, executive director of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light. "If people of faith take that responsibility seriously, this needs to be part of the mission of their congregation."

"The idea of justice, also fundamental to most religions, means that we need to be concerned about other's ability to lead healthy lives," she continued. "If we look at environmental degradation, the people who suffer most are often the impoverished."

In pointing out the disproportionate burden shouldered by the poor as a result of ecological degradation, Hinman echoes one of the most powerful arguments of Gore's polemic: That the problem of global warming is not only a scientific or political issue, it's a moral obligation as well.

But rather than piling on more gloomy predictions and moral seriousness to the discussion, the program's organizers see the screenings as a chance to promote a positive and engaged approach to the environment.

Posted on Sep 27, 2006 at 12:07 PM
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