Spirit And Nature

The indefatigable Bill Moyers hosts this outstanding overview of a four-day conference held at Middlebury College in Vermont, where representatives of major world religions spoke before the student body on the subject of religion (spirit) and the environment (nature). In a meaty presentation, Islam scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr advances the proposition that Western science has eliminated the sacred from nature, and banished God from the urban landscape. Without denying the wonderful things that Renaissance humanism brought, he nevertheless cites "enlightenment" as the seed that bloomed into the spiritual malaise of modern times. Another excellent thinker, Protestant theologian Sallie McFague, points out the limiting nature of patriarchal religious language: "father" being authoritative but also removed, while concepts like "mother" or "friend" are more nurturing. Rabbi Ishmar Schorsch takes a more direct approach and lays a good measure of the blame at the door of hedonistic materialism; he believes that a life bounded by self-imposed limits and self-discipline is both good for the individual and the society at large. And the 14th Dalai Lama says that a "good heart" is the basis of any religion or sense of spiritualism. Along with two other speakers (Native American Audrey Shenandoah and Professor Ronald Engel), these people give the Middlebury students (and viewers) a plateful of food for thought concerning our responsibilities toward providing a future for our planet. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (Available from: Mystic Fire Video, 225 Lafayette St., Suite 1206, New York, NY 10012; (212) 941-0999.)