A GEOGRAPHICAL PERSPECTIVE TO RELIGIONS’ APPROACH TO NATURE

Year 2021, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 145 - 167, 30.09.2021

Semra Akay

Abstract

This article illustrates a geographical perspective through approaching the na-ture/culture relationship from various religions’ worldviews. Tangible changes in nature such as greenhouse gas emission, acid deposition, deforestation and ozone layer depletion could be immensely felt. Over the past few decades, these issues related to nature have received intense attention, both in academia and non-academic areas. These substantial changes directly result from the dualistic relationship between humans and non-human beings since the Enlightenment period. Therefore, this article proposes why we should consider a religious-based solution for environmental problems through considering different reli-gions’ approaches to nature. It analyses religions in three sub-categories as mon-otheist religions, Eastern religions and indigenous religions and shows how var-ious religions approach the relationship between nature, humans and culture. Consequently, it tries to contribute to human geography in general and to geog-raphies of religions, a sub-branch of human geography in particular, by under-standing the impacts of religion on the ongoing discussions of nature in human geography.

Keywords

Religion, Nature, Nature/culture dualism, Geographies of religion, Monotheist religions, Eastern religions, Indigenous religions.

DİNLERİN DOĞAYA YAKLAŞIMINA COĞRAFİ BİR BAKIŞ AÇISI

Abstract

Bu makale doğa/ kültür ilişkisine çeşitli dinlerin perspektifinden yaklaşarak coğ-rafi bir bakış açısı sunmaktır. Doğadaki sera gazi salınımı, asit birikimi, orman-sızlaştırma, ozan katının incelmesi gibi değişiklikler somut bir şekilde hissedil-mektedir. Bu somut değişimler, Aydınlanma döneminden itibaren insanın insan dışı varlıklarla kurduğu dualistik ilişkinin doğal bir sonucudur. Doğa ile ilgili meseleler son birkaç on yıldır gerek akademide gerekse akademi dışı alanlarda yoğun bir ilgi görmüştür. Bu yüzden bu makale, farklı dinlerin doğa yaklaşımla-rını ele alarak doğa problemlerine din perspektifli bir çözüm önerisi getirilmesi gerektiğini önermektedir. Dinleri monoteist, Doğu dinleri ve yerli dinler olarak üç kategoride analiz edip, çeşitli dinlerin doğa, insan ve kültür ilişkisine nasıl yaklaştığını göstermektedir. Özetle bu makale, beşerî coğrafyada var olan doğa tartışmalarına din faktörünün etkisini anlamaya çalışarak genel olarak beşerî coğ-rafyaya özel olarak da beşerî coğrafyanın bir alt dalı olan dinler coğrafyasına katkı sunmaya çalışır.

Keywords

Din, Doğa, Kültür-doğa düalizmi, Dinler coğrafyası, Monoteist dinler, Doğu dinleri, Yerli dinler, Çevresel problemler

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