On November 5th Pacifica Institute Silicon Valley Branch hosted an ING Panel Discussion on Religion and the Environment. Mediated by Theodore Thimpson, the panelists were:
*Michael Bennett – Received a BA from Stanford University, MDiv from Yale Divinity School, an MPA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a PhD from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is active in the Buddhist community as a member of its Chaplaincy Council.
*Dianne Muller – Has an M.A. in Theology from the Dominican School of Philosophy, and a Certificate in Islamic Studies from the Center for Islamic Studies, both at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
*Dr. Sulochina Lulla – A Physician at Santa Clara Kaiser Permanente, she attended extended classes in Hindu scriptures at the Vedante society and the Chinmaya Mission, and has been a coordinator of the Gandhi Youth camp which promotes Gandhian values of peace and nonviolence.
*David Marshak – A retired software developer, he is active in the Jewish Community Relations Council and his synagogue. He is also a member of the Elected council of the Interfaith Council of Contra Cota County and very active in the Princeton alumni community.
*Nauman Azhar – He has a MS in Computer Engineering from Santa Clara University and is Director of Internal Systems at SugarCRM. He is an active member in the Bay Area Muslim community and an active participant in interfaith events.
It was an extremely informative evening as the below series of questions were rotated through the panelists, each answering from the perspective of their specific belief.
- What is your tradition’s concept of the Earth and its relationship to human life?
- How does your tradition value non-human life?
- How has scientific discovery challenged or changed your faith tradition?
- What elements or beliefs in your tradition have discouraged people from taking action on environmental concerns?
A brief Q&A session followed the panelist’s responses to the questions.
The evening concluded with an elegantly presented buffet of delicious Turkish foods and great conversation around the tables.
