“Earth Is Groaning, I’ll Listen Tomorrow”

Roses at Throop Community Garden (File Photo – George Patton).

I am a pastor. I am anti-religious. And I think you should go to church/synagogue/mosque this weekend. Why? Because your attendance can help you save our Earth.

By Tera Landers

When I write that I am anti-religious, that needs a caveat. I am against the type of religion that urges someone to put their hands over their eyes and ears and shut out the world. I am against a religion that points a person to words on a page, but utterly ignores the cries of our Earth or of humanity.

Religion has a bad reputation today. Instagram accounts like “Preachers with Sneakers” and stories about clergy who preach one thing and then do the opposite in their personal lives leave people feeling cynical. As an ordained minister, I sometimes wonder why in the world people still show up for religious community.

If someone is looking for transcendence, you can experience breathtaking awe and wonder all by yourself, hiking along a trail in the San Gabriel Mountains or sitting quietly watching the waterfall at the L.A. Arboretum.

But, when it comes to countering our climate crisis, those solitary instances are not enough. The changes we need are big, and the plight we face can feel soul crushing at times. We need to be in communities that cause us to think and to question, communities that can help us hold our deepest fears about the future, and that can give us the courage to listen to the pain of the world. This is what progressive religious communities offer.

2024 has opened its doors to us. Are you ready to hear how you are needed to help save our Earth? See you in church/synagogue/mosque this Sunday!