.
How people treat the environment directly relates to their beliefs about how they think of themselves in relation to everything around them. The way we think of ourselves, in relation to the world surrounding us, has an extreme effect on our utilization of land and animals and our treatment or ignorance toward preserving and protecting nature. White states,.
Man and nature are two things, and man is the master. Theses novelties seem to be in harmony with larger intellectual patterns. What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them. Human ecology is deeply conditioned by beliefs about our nature and destiny-that is, by religion (9). .
Some attitudes toward nature and the environment may be so deeply imbedded in a culture, that unconsciously that is why the people with that culture may act a certain way, without even realizing why they do it. Dr. Jo Yong-Hun states,.
Our religious convictions help to shape our attitude toward nature in both conscious and unconscious ways. Religious worldviews propel communities into the world with fundamental predispositions toward it because religious worldviews are primordial, all encompassing and unique (1). .
The differences between Eastern and Western religions will help to explain the different ecological problems facing these areas at present day. .
The Christian attitude towards nature is one that relies heavily on human being's mastery over nature. Christianity's beliefs and religious documents justified the possibility of utilizing and exploiting nature for the sole benefit of the human race without taking into consideration the damage being caused to the earth"s ecosystems. This interpretation can be seen when examining The Book of Genesis, which explains the story of creation and the fall of humanity, and states outright that man holds dominion over the earth and its creatures.