New Book Explores One Planet, Many Religions, Shared ‘Cosmic Common Good’

Pope Francis, the United Nations, world leaders, scientists and climate change activists each have appealed to better protect the Earth. But in a world of different religious beliefs, how do the special qualities of the planet play out?

Dr. Daniel Scheid, assistant professor of theology, depicts how multiple religions intersect at the crossroads of caring for the Earth and its inhabitants in his new book, The Cosmic Common Good: Religious Grounds for Ecological Ethics, published by Oxford University Press.

“There’s not one global theology,” Scheid said, “but there’s a global ethic of sustaining the Earth and other nonhumans, of preserving it for future generations.”

Scheid spent 15 years of his academic life exploring how different religious groups—Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu and Native American—interact with the Earth and shares these findings in a book that seems perfect for our times.

In the current zeitgeist, his work will appeal to those who see ecology and sustainability as a key issue with roles in businesses, classrooms and daily consumer decisions—while drawing the interest of scholars involved in world and religious studies.

“The cosmic common good acknowledges and recognizes the reality and the utility of the nonhuman world; all creatures use each other for survival,” Scheid tells his readers. “But it also celebrates the goodness of nonhumans and the life-supporting contexts in which they dwell, for what and who they are, for who we are when we are with them, and that only together are we truly ‘us.’”

Scheid then demonstrates that no single religion has a monopoly on this concept. “Catholic theologians will recognize themselves, but will also learn about Hindu, Buddhist and indigenous traditions,” Scheid said. “There are differences, but similarities. I speak from within my Catholic tradition, but in dialogue with theologians in other traditions who are similarly reorienting their traditions ecologically. By cultivating these traditions, we hope to find aspects to energize and motivate people to work toward ecological sustainability.”

The eco-encyclical of Pope Francis “underscores the inseparable link between social justice and ecological justice,” Scheid wrote in a commentary on Laudato Si’ in America magazine.

“The moral required to respond to climate change and other ecological threats may just sprout from a posture of prayer that sees the Earth, its ecosystems and its many creatures as loved by God, as sisters and brothers,” Scheid added. “It may also return us to the fullness of our humanity by helping us to see the resplendent beauty of the world, of which we are a part.”