Religious groups across the country took a unified stand the first week of October against a common enemy: global warming.

About 4,000 churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and schools were enlisted by The Regeneration Project, an interfaith ministry, to be part of the “Spotlight on Global Warming” campaign. Most chose to take action by showing their members and the public movies about global warming and urge the attendees to do their part in the fight for ecological stability, according to The Regeneration Project's Web site.

Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, led by Reverend Sally G. Bingham, was one of the participants. They offered a free screening of “An Inconvenient Truth” on Oct. 3, which about 250 parishioners and community members attended.

“It is one of the most moral, if not the most moral, issues of our time,” said Bingham, who is the executive director of The Regeneration Project’s Interfaith Power & Light campaign. “The people in the pews need to understand that they are stewards of this land.”

Ron Epstein, a lecturer emeritus in SF State’s philosophy department and current research professor at the Institute for World Religions in Berkeley, agrees with Bingham.

“Of course it is a responsibility,” said Epstein. “In the West, where Abrahamic religions are the most prevalent, Jews, Christians and Muslims should see themselves as the stewards of God's creation.”

Although he was unaware of the “Spotlight on Global Warming” campaign, SF State’s Muslim Student Association president Atif Madyun said it is an issue religious organizations can have an impact on.

“We’re against global warming, so anything we can do to help, we’ll be there,” Madyun said on behalf of his organization.

At Grace Cathedral, the evening started with a prayer by Bob Howard, the chair of Grace Cathedral’s Stewardship of Creation Committee.

“Today more than ever, we are aware of our interdependency,” said Howard in the prayer, referring to the cross-religion efforts to combat global warming. “We have become aware that we can no longer count on those resources upon which we have become so dependent.”

The first week of October was chosen to concentrate these efforts because it is a holy time in many faiths- Ramadan, Yom Kippur, and St. Francis Day are all celebrated around this time.

“We all share a common concern, whether it arises from a religious perspective or from a scientific perspective,” said Howard. “We’re all concerned with the environment.”

“I think the importance is to reach out to the community and also explore the relationship between the environment and spirituality,” said Howard.

Adam Anaya, 21, a music major at SF State, disagrees with Bingham.

“I don’t think religion has any more responsibility to stop global warming than individual human beings,” said Anaya.

It may be because of this that Bingham stressed the importance of religious groups becoming involved in global warming education.

“I think we will be the institution that makes the difference,” said Bingham. “It was the moral voice of religion that has made so many of the changes in this country.”

Bingham cited the civil rights movement, the abolition of slavery, and women’s suffrage as victories for civil rights in our country that religion played a role in achieving.

Epstein was not so sure that religion would actually be the means to stop global warming, as Bingham believes.

“I hope so, but I am not holding my breath,” said Epstein. “Short-term gratification of selfish cravings seems to be the order of the day.”