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License Agreement on scientific materials use.
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The potential of using religious ecological rituals in shaping an ecologically oriented worldview
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Oleg Aleksandrovich Naumenko
National University of Science and Technologies MISIS, Moscow
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Submitted:
December 29, 2025
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Abstract.
The purpose of this study is to examine and characterize ecological rituals in religious teachings such as pantheism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, and Bahaism, with the aim of deriving practical recommendations that can be used to promote environmentally sustainable behavior in modern society. This article examines specific ritual practices of religious traditions in shaping ecological behavior and preserving natural landscapes. Based on the study of texts and ritual practices of Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, Islam, and Bahaism, some rituals (veneration of local spirits, harvest thanksgiving rites, the practice of “releasing living beings”, purification rituals) are examined, along with their historical functions and role in modern society. Special attention is paid to the positive ecological effects of these rituals. The article offers recommendations for adapting traditional rites in the spirit of ecological responsibility and integrating religious practice with scientific approaches to nature conservation. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that, based on the consideration of ecological rituals in the aforementioned religious traditions, a new interpretation of their ecological potential is proposed, along with the possibility of using it to solve modern environmental problems. As a result of the study, the symbolic meaning of ecological rituals is revealed, demonstrating how they reflect and transmit religious concepts about nature, humanity’s place in the world, and its responsibility for the environment. A new interpretation of the rituals described in the article is also proposed, taking into account the current ecological situation.
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Key words and phrases:
религиозная экология
гармония человека и природы
экологические традиции и ритуалы
экологическое мировоззрение
religious ecology
harmony between humans and nature
ecological traditions and rituals
ecological worldview
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