THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS IN MACEDONIAN SOCIETY
THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION ON ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS IN MACEDONIAN SOCIETY

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to examine the influence, that is the positive potential of religion (religious teachings, religious communities and leaders) on raising environmental awareness in Macedonian society. The rationale for this stems from the recommendations in various initiatives related to the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in which the need for a broad framework for cooperation between stakeholders in all social spheres is highlighted. Within these initiatives, religious communities and leaders are recognized as important partners in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, which derive from the 2030 Agenda. At the same time, considering the wide spectrum of these goals, the support of religious communities and leaders in environmental protection, that is, in raising awareness for environmental protection, is particularly emphasized. Starting from such observations regarding the influence of religious communities and leaders on raising the environmental awareness of believers, within this paper, an account of the correlation between religious teachings and the environment is initially presented. Then follows a thematic analysis of a secondary database from a previous empirical research on religious collectivities in Macedonian society in relation to man's relationship to nature, as well as a comparative analysis with data from research on the citizens' perception of religion and its role in Macedonian society. In the findings of such analyses, criticism of the insufficient involvement of religious leaders in raising environmental awareness, as well as the willingness of a large percentage of citizens to participate in environmental protection initiatives initiated by their religious communities, is evident. Such findings point to the presence of clear support for increasing the influence of religion on the environmental awareness of Macedonian citizens

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