Kalikhasang Balaan: Elements of a Youth Specific Ecotheology in the Philippines

Abstract

Scientific consensus points to human activity as the primary cause of global warming triggering climate change. Mitigations include technology-assisted interventions and education of human agents, such as changing the human mindset and behavior, to avoid impending, irreversible environmental damage, among others. Among the competent sectors, religious communities can boost formative human interventions through religious ideas. The present study content analyzes the conceptual elements of “Kalikhasang Balaan” as a youth-specific ecotheological view drawn from a unidimensional Filipino measure on Christian Environmentalism. Our analysis is deductive in approach, drawing theological aspects of a peculiar youth ecotheology driven by the notion of “Kalikhasang Balaan”, framed within creation theology and Christian stewardship driven by environmental ethics. We discuss the unique attributes of this Filipino notion in the light of local Philippine church and government responses to understand how the youth ecotheological voice may correspond to institutional views.

Keywords

• ecotheology
• Filipino youth
• environment
• climate change
• religious attitudes
• ecological justice