World Ocean Radio - Religion and Cultural Beliefs
This holiday season on World Ocean Radio we return with a special reading of "Christmas at Sea", an evocative poem by Robert Louis Stevenson written in 1883. Stevenson, the son of a lighthouse engineer, had intimate knowledge of nor'westers... Merry Christmas to all from the World Ocean Observatory.
Christmas at Sea
A poem by Robert Louis Stevenson
Christmas at Sea is an evocative seasonal poem published in 1888, five years after Robert Louis Stevenson’s beloved novel, Treasure Island, was published. The Scottish writer was the son of a lighthouse engineer and had intimate, first-hand knowledge of extreme weather, storms and nor'westers. Christmas at Sea appears in an anthology of poems compiled by the Radio4 program Poetry Please: The Nation’s Best-Loved Poems, with a forward by Roger McGough, published in 2014 by Faber & Faber Books.
Christmas at Sea is in the public domain.
This week on World Ocean Radio, we are revisiting an episode focused on spiritual and religious belief around the world, and religious commitment to the environment-the ocean in particular-and to the protection of natural resources. He reads from various doctrinal statements by leaders of the major religions of the world, whose beliefs pertain to ocean and water.
How do we govern the ocean? This week on World Ocean Radio we introduce a concept that advocates for a centralized Ministry for the Ocean, a voice at the highest level of government to champion for ocean policy and protection.
This summer we are revisiting some of our favorite World Ocean Radio episodes that highlight optimism for the ocean. This week we outline the myriad ways that UNESCO World Heritage sites both on land and at sea are an essential part of a strategy to conserve and protect the ocean’s vast contributions to our scientific knowledge, and their importance for our cultural history, for protection, conservation, diversity, sustainability, survivability, and as treasured pieces of our cultural heritage, connecting us all for generations to come.
In this New Year’s episode of World Ocean Radio, host Peter Neill details a number of sacred places around the globe--on islands, along the shore, on the banks of rivers, lakes and streams--and the allies that these spaces have found in protective movements, enforcement, and international action. He outlines the relationship of biodiverse regions around the world to their sacred and scientific importance, and how conservation justifies protection while simultaneously meeting the goals of religionists and conservationists alike.
