A Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation Purpose of the Campaign: To articulate a Right Relationship to Forests and Wild Areas A coalition of religious groups will explore, identify and extend religious values to the preservation and restoration of public forests, and the rural communities which are dependent upon them. Our intent is to bring religious leadership, members of religious congregations, and eventually government leaders into moral and ethical support for forest preservation. 
Rationale for the Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation Obedience to God requires care of His creation. For this reason plus the following considerations, we are forming this religious coalition First, responsibility to God extends to a right relationship to creation and therefore support of forest conservation. Even though the United States has less than 4 percent of its original forests remaining, clear-cutting is still permitted and churches and synagogues have scarcely addressed the issue. Religious groups need to understand their ancient responsibility in this area. Second, clergy of most denominations and religions have difficulty articulating the spiritual values of forests. Historically an understanding of the spiritual importance of forests existed in both Judaism and Christianity. This understanding needs to be recovered to help conserve our forests. Third, church members seldom know that religion calls for integrity toward Gods creation. This needs to be taught and legislators need to be educated. Fourth, a Judeo-Christian ethic of the forest needs to be articulated for the future. Since at least the time of Aldo Leopold this need has been apparent. Because ethics are the product of religious values coupled with right behavior, for the future as well as the present, this is a task for religion. Fifth, there are spiritual lessons in native forests which help people to understand their Creator and ultimately their faith. For religious reasons as well as reasons of forest conservation, ancient forests and all of our public forests need to be preserved for the present and for future generations. Campaign GoalsA chain of eight linked goals works together to lift up grass roots popular understanding and assumptions about the value of Americas native forests. These goals will allow religious groups to:
 Dear friend of the forests, Welcome to our website. It reflects the views of those churches, synagogues and religious organizations which are becoming active on issues of forests. Who is responsible for the care of our nation’s public forests? The Scriptures and both Jewish and Christian theology indicate that each person is called to care for creation. In response to this not-always-easy obligation, a number of religious organizations met to articulate responsibility for forests. Over several gatherings, always insisting on unanimity, we formulated a national declaration entitled "Responsibility for Gods Forests." A summary of that declaration can be found elsewhere on this web site. Christians and Jews from every background worked to write this statement. At every juncture, the touch of divine inspiration was there, moving us forward. The core of the Christian declaration is a call for an end to cutting of old growth forests and an end to commercial cutting on public lands. A Jewish statement is still in development. An important concern of all the groups was for forest workers and for healthy rural economies. For this reason the call includes a redirection of tax-payer subsidies away from industry interests and to forest restoration, including job retraining to aid reforestation. However, just because these member organizations have articulated religious responsibility for forests and issued a call does not stop the cutting. It requires people who support this call to join us and voice support. In other words, we need you! There are many things you can do. A menu of options is enclosed. The single most important thing any one person can do is to take this call to three other people, each of whom will also take it to three other people, each of whom will in turn do the same thing. This launches a word-of-mouth, chain reaction for forest protection On behalf of the Religious Campaign for Forest Conservation and on behalf of forests for the future, I invite you to find three other people who will accept the statement and who will continue the process. You can take it to your church and find three people there. Or ask someone at work or in the grocery store. Once he or she agrees, give that person a copy of the call and the basic literature, all of which is enclosed, and invite that person to help preserve our forests! Aren’t healthy forests worth it? This campaign will accomplish several things:First, it will protect our forests for our children and posterity. Second, it will build healthy rural communities, free of corporate domination. Third, it will preserve clean water, clean air, and endangered species. And most important, it will help us do our small part to demonstrate that care of creation is an important duty to which each one of us is called. Please join us in this national campaign for forest protection. With your help, together with many others, we will end clearcutting and restore integrity to our forests. Return to top of page |
Membership and Fellowship |
Introductory Letter and Welcome