Religious Ecofeminism

Abstract

This essay explores the religious roots of the ecological crisis and how these religious patterns that have promoted exploitation and negation of nature are interconnected with the religiously mandated patterns of exploitation and negation of women. In other words, it seeks to confirm the basic thesis of ecofeminism; namely, that there is an interconnection between the domination of women and the domination of nature. It analyzes this interconnection of domination of nature and of women primarily from the perspective of Christianity. This is not because the Christian patterns are theoretically more negative for ecology than other religions, but because, as the religious basis of Western civilization that has been a primary agent of creating and spreading the ecological crisis throughout the world, it has had the most influence. It argues that there are powerful patterns of Christian thought in its scriptural roots that can help overcome and heal the ecological crisis. The healing of the ecological crisis must encompass ecojustice; it must embrace a healed relation between the ruling sex, class, and race and the subjugated sex, classes, and races.