--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Religions have a special responsibility…" description: "\"Religions have a special responsibility to encourage and inspire people to love planet earth, which as far as we know, is the only place in the cosmos ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/thomas-keating-10246_cosmos_religions-have-a-special-responsibility_3001432.jpg" --- # Religions have a special responsibility to encourage and… ![“Religions have a special responsibility to encourage and inspire people to love planet earth, which as far as we know, is the only place in the cosmos that works in such a harmonious way that it can support intelligent life.” quote by Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/thomas-keating-10246_cosmos_religions-have-a-special-responsibility_3001432.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/thomas-keating-10246_cosmos_religions-have-a-special-responsibility_3001432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/thomas-keating-10246_cosmos_religions-have-a-special-responsibility_3001432.jpg) > “Religions have a special responsibility to encourage and inspire people to love planet earth, which as far as we know, is the only place in the cosmos that works in such a harmonious way that it can support intelligent life.” [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Religions should promote stewardship of Earth, recognizing it as uniquely suited for intelligent life. **In simple terms:** Religions ought to protect the planet. Key Takeaway Encourage faith‑based environmental action. Themes stewardship responsibility spirituality environment Mood inspirational thought‑provoking Type mission persuasion When to use this quote - faith communities - policy advocacy - education programs - interfaith collaborations Key Concepts theology ecology cosmic perspective Questions to Reflect On - What role should faith play in climate action? - How can religious groups influence policy? A Different Perspective Religious teachings may conflict with scientific views or economic interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Harmonious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmonious/) [Inspire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspire/) [Inspire People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspire-people-235269/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Intelligent life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-life/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Planet earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planet-earth/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religions/) [Religions Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religions-special-4767626/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I believe alien life is quite common in the universe, although intelligent life is less so. Some say it has yet to appear on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-believe-alien-life-is-quite-common-in-the-universe-although/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [My biggest aspiration is to inspire people to do good. I believe that our wish for a harmonious world begins and ends with doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-arison/my-biggest-aspiration-is-to-inspire-people-to-do-good-i-believe-that/) [Shari Arison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-arison/) > [All religions proclaim the advantages of peace, loving one another, and "doing to others what we would like them to do to us."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/all-religions-proclaim-the-advantages-of-peace-loving-one-another-and/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [I venture to say that it's not enough to respect and tolerate religions other than our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/i-venture-to-say-that-it-s-not-enough-to-respect-and-tolerate/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [If we ever established contact with intelligent life on another world, there would be barriers to communication. First, they would be many light years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/if-we-ever-established-contact-with-intelligent-life-on-another-world/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [As George Bernard Shaw observed: "All great truths begin as blasphemies." Yet I have to say, the idea that there is intelligent life elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/as-george-bernard-shaw-observed-all-great-truths-begin-as-blasphemies/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [The higher you go in a company, the less oxygen there is, so supporting intelligent life becomes difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-higher-you-go-in-a-company-the-less-oxygen-there-is-so-supporting/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“Like an alchemical wave sending ripples of love to every part of our being, once we become conscious of an intelligent life force existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atalina-m-homan/like-an-alchemical-wave-sending-ripples-of-love-to-every-part-of-our/) [Atalina M Homan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atalina-m-homan/) > [The surest sign that intelligent life exists somewhere else in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-siddiq-prince/the-surest-sign-that-intelligent-life-exists-somewhere-else-in-the/) [Young Siddiq Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-siddiq-prince/) > [The question is not whether there is intelligent life out there, the question is, whether there is intelligent life down here. As long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/the-question-is-not-whether-there-is-intelligent-life-out-there-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Intelligent life on a planet comes of age when it first works out the reason for its own existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/intelligent-life-on-a-planet-comes-of-age-when-it-first-works-out-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [ \[In the Universe it may be that\] Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare. Some would say it has yet… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-universe-it-may-be-that-primitive-life-is-very-common-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I keep wondering if, say, there is intelligent life on other planets, the scientists argue that something like two percent of the other planets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-keep-wondering-if-say-there-is-intelligent-life-on-other-planets/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [A stunning survey of the latest evidence for intelligent life on Mars. Mac Tonnies brings a thoughtful, balanced and highly accessible approach to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-brennan/a-stunning-survey-of-the-latest-evidence-for-intelligent-life-on-mars/) [Herbie Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-brennan/) > [The hardware and the software used in the Breakthrough project will be compatible with other telescopes around the world, so they too can search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-milner/the-hardware-and-the-software-used-in-the-breakthrough-project-will/) [Yuri Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-milner/) ## More by Thomas Keating > [It is essential for world peace that the world religions make peace with each other. If they don't, we can hardly expect the nations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/it-is-essential-for-world-peace-that-the-world-religions-make-peace/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [In the Christian perspective, the love of God and of all other human beings invites us to share and enjoy not just the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/in-the-christian-perspective-the-love-of-god-and-of-all-other-human/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [Science and technology have been embarrassed by two world wars, many smaller ones, and the spread of weapons that could destroy humanity. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/science-and-technology-have-been-embarrassed-by-two-world-wars-many/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [“As St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) taught, whatever we say about God is more unlike God than saying nothing. If we do say something, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/as-st-thomas-aquinas-1225-1274-taught-whatever-we-say-about-god-is/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [Humility is the forgetfulness of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/humility-is-the-forgetfulness-of-self/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [God will bring people and events into our lives, and whatever we may think about them, they are designed for the evolution of His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/god-will-bring-people-and-events-into-our-lives-and-whatever-we-may/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [For human beings, the most daunting challenge is to become fully human. For to become fully human is to become fully divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/for-human-beings-the-most-daunting-challenge-is-to-become-fully-human/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [The acceptance of all that God has given us and the willingness to let it go - to give it back to him at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/the-acceptance-of-all-that-god-has-given-us-and-the-willingness-to/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [The complementary movement towards divine love is growth in humility which is the acceptence of the reality about ourselves, our own weakness and limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/the-complementary-movement-towards-divine-love-is-growth-in-humility/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [St. Teresa of Avila wrote: 'All difficulties in prayer can be traced to one cause: praying as if God were absent.' This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/st-teresa-of-avila-wrote-all-difficulties-in-prayer-can-be-traced-to/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [I venture to say that it's not enough to respect and tolerate religions other than our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/i-venture-to-say-that-it-s-not-enough-to-respect-and-tolerate/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [God's first language is Silence. Everything else is a translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/god-s-first-language-is-silence-everything-else-is-a-translation/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [Union with God is really possible. Unity with God I presume, is what is meant by Heaven, but that too is available in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/union-with-god-is-really-possible-unity-with-god-i-presume-is-what-is/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [Every time you have a major breakthrough in self-knowledge, and see the way the divine works within your own psyche, external events, and interior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/every-time-you-have-a-major-breakthrough-in-self-knowledge-and-see/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [“To live in the presence of God on a continuous basis can become a kind of fourth dimension to our three-dimensional world, forming an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/to-live-in-the-presence-of-god-on-a-continuous-basis-can-become-a/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) [Explore all 67 Thomas Keating quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) ## More Cosmos quotes > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“The necessity of nothingness does not create anything. The real value and meaning of the Being are not in its necessity but in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-necessity-of-nothingness-does-not-create-anything-the-real-value/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [The entire cosmos is one vast burning bush, permeated by the fire of the divine power and glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kallistos-ware/the-entire-cosmos-is-one-vast-burning-bush-permeated-by-the-fire-of/) [Kallistos Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kallistos-ware/) > [If the estimated age of the cosmos were shortened to seventy-two years, a human life would take about ten seconds. But look at time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-grudin/if-the-estimated-age-of-the-cosmos-were-shortened-to-seventy-two/) [Robert Grudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-grudin/) > [I don't want to be the embarrassment of the galaxy to have had the power to deflect an asteroid, and then not and end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-be-the-embarrassment-of-the-galaxy-to-have-had-the/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“When a person dies, they cross over from the realm of freedom to the realm of slavery. Life is freedom, and dying is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/when-a-person-dies-they-cross-over-from-the-realm-of-freedom-to-the/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [“We take off into the cosmos, ready for anything: for solitude, for hardship, for exhaustion, death. Modesty forbids us to say so, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/we-take-off-into-the-cosmos-ready-for-anything-for-solitude-for/) [Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/) > [As George Bernard Shaw observed: "All great truths begin as blasphemies." Yet I have to say, the idea that there is intelligent life elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/as-george-bernard-shaw-observed-all-great-truths-begin-as-blasphemies/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [If the purpose of the universe was to create humans then the cosmos was embarrassingly inefficient about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-the-purpose-of-the-universe-was-to-create-humans-then-the-cosmos/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Finally, if life happened by chance on this earth and evolved upward, then it could seemingly happen elsewhere in the universe. But if, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hunt/finally-if-life-happened-by-chance-on-this-earth-and-evolved-upward/) [Dave Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hunt/) > [“Zero is a gateway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/zero-is-a-gateway/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Just as a wave is a movement of the whole ocean, you are the energy of the cosmos. Don't underestimate your power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/just-as-a-wave-is-a-movement-of-the-whole-ocean-you-are-the-energy-of/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Science is not just there for technology. It's part of what addressing who you are in the universe and understanding your place in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/science-is-not-just-there-for-technology-it-s-part-of-what-addressing/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“the entire operating system of the cosmos could be summed up by a single overriding command: spread energy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-entire-operating-system-of-the-cosmos-could-be-summed-up-by-a/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) [Browse all 783 Cosmos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Religions have a special responsibility to encourage and inspire people to love planet earth, which as far as we know, is the only place in the cosmos that works in such a harmonious way that it can support intelligent life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Keating" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/religions-have-a-special-responsibility-to-encourage-and-inspire/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cosmos" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/religions-have-a-special-responsibility-to-encourage-and-inspire/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/thomas-keating-10246_cosmos_religions-have-a-special-responsibility_3001432.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/thomas-keating-10246_cosmos_religions-have-a-special-responsibility_3001432.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/thomas-keating-10246_cosmos_religions-have-a-special-responsibility_3001432.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Religions have a special responsibility to encourage and inspire people to love planet earth, which as far…” — Thomas Keating", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Keating", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Religions have a special responsibility to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/religions-have-a-special-responsibility-to-encourage-and-inspire/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/religions-have-a-special-responsibility-to-encourage-and-inspire/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```