At dawn, when the sun was just rising and turning red a part of the sky over the coastal mangrove forest, we witnessed images of Cao Dai followers in Thanh Le hamlet, Bao Thuan commune and local people cleaning the environment, clearing weeds, collecting garbage on rural roads. The grounds of the Holy Temple as well as the village roads here were neat and clean, with rows of green trees shading the paths, creating a cool and fresh feeling.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Phung - a Cao Dai follower - said that since the local government mobilized to implement the model of environmental protection, my family as well as the followers of the religion and the community have responded positively, participating together with practical activities such as: clearing weeds, collecting garbage, cleaning the environment, and planting trees around.
"Everyone, whether religious or not, does this because it is a common task, to help make the environment greener, cleaner, and more beautiful," said Ms. Phung.
Ms. Phung said that the people here have always been conscious of putting trash in the trash can, not littering in the house, in the yard or on the village road. Therefore, from the village roads to each house are airy, always clean, with shady green trees, blooming flowers in front of the house and along both sides of the road, looking very beautiful.
In My Thanh commune, the locality is considered to be highly effective in implementing the campaign to mobilize Cao Dai dignitaries and followers to join hands to protect the environment in Ba Tri district in recent times. According to the representative of the Fatherland Front of My Thanh commune, since the model was deployed, it has changed awareness and impacted the environmental protection consciousness of the community. The model has helped connect Cao Dai followers, followers of other religions and non-religious people to protect the environment together.
Since then, dozens of livestock households have built biogas pits to generate gas, while also contributing to reducing waste that pollutes the environment. In addition, Cao Dai followers and people of My Thanh commune have actively participated in dredging canals, collecting pesticide bottles in the fields, not letting wastewater from livestock farming go directly into the environment, regularly sweeping, cleaning, and beautifying residential areas and public places to make them clean and spacious.
Saying goodbye to the enthusiastic people of the village and religious quarters in Ba Tri, we went to the Cao Dai Congregation of Ben Tre to better understand the religious movement to participate in environmental protection that the province has been trying to carry out.
Constitution Lu Minh Chau - General Secretary of the Church shared the efforts of Cao Dai followers to join hands and hearts, creating a ripple effect in the community, contributing to raising awareness in preserving the local environment.
In the story, he said that, in the process of building the homeland, Cao Dai followers have consciously contributed to the social and environmental scope, determined not to pollute the environment but instead to clean the environment by planting trees and reforesting, beautifying the worship grounds, and actively contributing to the provision of clean water and sanitation in the local rural areas.
The Church has been creating a strong change in awareness, actively participating in environmental protection activities such as: planting trees; coordinating to clean up the environment on village roads and alleys; especially mobilizing believers and relatives to change habits in daily life, production and livestock raising activities that are at risk of being unhygienic and negatively affecting the ecological environment.
Cao Dai dignitaries and followers also actively participate in dredging canals, collecting pesticide bottles in the fields, not letting wastewater from livestock farming go directly into the environment, regularly sweeping, cleaning, and beautifying residential areas and public places.
Constitution Lu Minh Chau excitedly said that from the model of mobilizing Cao Dai dignitaries and followers to participate in environmental protection, followers in localities have actively participated in many practical activities. If previously only about 50% of Cao Dai families built septic tanks, now 100% of households have built sanitary toilets, participated in collecting pesticide bottles, collecting garbage... Large-scale livestock households have also built biogas tanks to create gas, while contributing to reducing waste that pollutes the environment.
There are 60 churches in Ben Tre province with more than 800,000 followers. The Church will create a strong change in awareness, actively participate in environmental protection activities such as: planting trees at places of worship; coordinating to clean up the environment on village roads and alleys; especially mobilizing followers and relatives to change habits in daily life, production and livestock raising activities that are at risk of being unsanitary and negatively affecting the ecological environment.
“Cao Dai followers have actively contributed, proving the spirit of mutual understanding between religion and life, and the unity of religions. This is an endogenous religion, with the motto of uniting religions, and the mission of protecting the homeland. Religion is the driving force for social development, Cao Dai religion has a strong national identity, so with the environmental protection movement, we are even more aware of this. Moving forward, Cao Dai followers will be more determined, aiming to contribute to improving material and spiritual life better and better”, Hien Phap Lu Minh Chau shared more.
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