(Press-News.org) EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Despite the wide-held perception that Christians have become more concerned about the environment, new research finds this so-called "greening of Christianity" is not evident among the religious rank-and-file.
According to the Michigan State University-led study, Christians report lower levels of environmental concern than non-Christians and non-religious individuals. More than 75 percent of Americans are affiliated with a Christian denomination.
"The results suggest this presumed greening of Christianity has not yet translated into a significant increase in pro-environmental attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of everyday Christians in the United States," said Aaron M. McCright, associate professor in MSU's Lyman Briggs College and Department of Sociology.
McCright co-authored the study with John M. Clements from MSU and Chenyang Xiao from American University. The findings appear online in the research journal Organization & Environment.
Historically, some scholars have argued that Western Christianity – with its claim of human dominion over the Earth – is at odds with environmentalism.
But during the past 20 years, some Christian leaders and organizations have begun to promote earth-friendly values and activities. Many Catholic parishes, for example, adopted the "Earth Charter" requiring a reduction in their use of energy and resources, while Southern Baptist, Evangelical and other Christian groups also have launched campaigns to protect the environment.
But the message doesn't appear to be getting through to the average Christian, McCright said.
He and his colleagues analyzed the national survey data of 1,430 people who were asked in 2010 about their religious beliefs and environmental beliefs and actions. The results were similar to those of past decades – that Christians are less pro-environmental than non-Christians and non-religious individuals.
This doesn't mean a greening of rank-and-file Christians won't occur in the future, McCright said.
"If the greening trend among Christian leaders and organizations deepens and broadens, we expect to eventually see a measurable shift in the general public as well," he said.
INFORMATION:
Are Christians becoming more 'green'?
2013-07-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Novel gene target shows promise for bladder cancer detection and treatment
2013-07-24
Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have provided evidence from preclinical experiments that a gene known as melanoma differentiation associated gene-9/syntenin (mda-9/syntenin) could be used as a therapeutic target to kill bladder cancer cells, help prevent metastasis and even be used to non-invasively diagnose the disease and monitor its progression.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, was a collaborative effort between Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., who originally discovered the mda-9/syntenin gene, and Santanu ...
New NIST nanoscale indenter takes novel approach to measuring surface properties
2013-07-24
Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of North Carolina have demonstrated a new design for an instrument, a "instrumented nanoscale indenter," that makes sensitive measurements of the mechanical properties of thin films -- ranging from auto body coatings to microelectronic devices -- and biomaterials. The NIST instrument uses a unique technique for precisely measuring the depth of the indentation in a test surface with no contact of the surface other than the probe tip itself.*
Nanoindenter head
Indenters have a ...
Fidaxomicin: Data subsequently submitted by manufacturer prove added benefit
2013-07-24
In the commenting procedure on early benefit assessment pursuant to the German Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), under certain circumstances drug manufacturers may submit to the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) additional documents for dossiers. The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now assessed such additional information for two studies comparing the antibiotic fidaxomicin, which is used for diarrhoea caused by Clostridium difficile infections, with vancomycin.
In contrast to the first dossier assessment, the ...
A magnetic pen for smartphones adds another level of conveniences
2013-07-24
Daejeon, Republic of Korea, July 24, 2013 – A doctoral candidate at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed a magnetically driven pen interface that works both on and around mobile devices. This interface, called the MagPen, can be used for any type of smartphones and tablet computers so long as they have magnetometers embedded in.
Advised by Professor Kwang-yun Wohn of the Graduate School of Culture Technology (GSCT) at KAIST, Sungjae Hwang, a Ph.D. student, created the MagPen in collaboration with Myung-Wook Ahn, a master's student ...
Solar system's youth gives clues to planet search
2013-07-24
Washington, D.C.—Comets and meteorites contain clues to our solar system's earliest days. But some of the findings are puzzle pieces that don't seem to fit well together. A new set of theoretical models from Carnegie's Alan Boss shows how an outburst event in the Sun's formative years could explain some of this disparate evidence. His work could have implications for the hunt for habitable planets outside of our solar system. It is published by The Astrophysical Journal.
One way to study the solar system's formative period is to look for samples of small crystalline particles ...
An evolutionary compromise for long tooth preservation
2013-07-24
This news release is available in German. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, have conducted stress analyses on gorilla teeth of differing wear stages. Their findings show that different features of the occlusal surface antagonize tensile stresses in the tooth to tooth contact during the chewing process. They further show that tooth wear with its loss of dental tissue and the reduction of the occlusal relief decreases tensile stresses in the ...
New study reveals dangers to biological diversity from global cashmere garment industry
2013-07-24
A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Snow Leopard Trust reveals a disturbing link between the cashmere trade and the decay of ecosystems that support some of the planet's most spectacular yet little-known large mammals.
The study finds that as pastoralists expand goat herds to increase profits for the cashmere trade in Western markets, wildlife icons from the Tibetan Plateau to Mongolia suffer – including endangered snow leopard, wild yak, chiru, saiga, Bactrian camel, gazelles, and other remarkable but already endangered species of remote Central Asia. ...
Pressurized virus blasts its infectious DNA into human cells
2013-07-24
The virus that causes those painful lip blisters known as cold sores has an internal pressure eight times higher than a car tire, and uses it to literally blast its infectious DNA into human cells, scientists are reporting in a new study. Discovery of the pressure-driven infection mechanism — the first in a human virus — opens the door to new treatments for viral infections, they add in a study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Alex Evilevitch and colleagues point out that the viruses responsible for influenza, AIDS and other infections that affect millions ...
Dark chocolate lovers show higher tolerance for bitterness in chocolate ice cream
2013-07-24
Philadelphia, PA, July 24, 2013 – To make the inherent bitterness of cocoa in chocolate ice cream more palatable, manufacturers add high levels of fat and sugar. Yet, bitterness is an integral part of the complex flavor of chocolate. In a new study published in the August issue of the Journal of Dairy Science®, investigators report that consumers who prefer dark chocolate in solid form tolerate twice the amount of bitter ingredients in chocolate ice cream than those who prefer milk chocolate. Elimination of some added sugar and fats in chocolate ice cream may be acceptable, ...
Study explains why Africans may be more susceptible to tuberculosis
2013-07-24
PHILADELPHIA—A researcher from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues have identified the genetic mutation in Africans with HIV that puts them at a much higher risk for tuberculosis (TB) infections.
Africans have some of the highest rates of TB in the world, and it has long been suspected that genetic susceptibility plays a role. However, establishing candidate genes across populations to gauge risk has remained a challenge.
Now, a new study, published this week in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National ...