Scientific research on life in the universe has caught the public's imagination. This new field of astrobiology has also deepened our understanding of life on Earth. One such insight has come from planetary science. It studies life on a planetary scale in the interaction of the Earth's geology and biology. But what are the implications of seeing life on this planetary scale for the views of life in the universe held by world religions? Astrobiology, Religion, and Society takes up this question. Drawing on a dialogue between astrobiologists and scholars of religion at the Center of Theological Inquiry, this volume of essays offers a detailed account of the varied ways in which Christian theology, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and environmental ethics consider life on this planetary scale. This book shows the value of seeing life as a planetary phenomenon for global religious understanding and ethical responsibility in the Anthropocene.

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