How can Christianity and Environmentalism be reconciled? From one perspective, it seems as though the two groups lie on opposite ends of a spectrum. Christianity places the highest priority on human life and exaltation. Environmentalism places the highest value on keeping the Earth in balance. Humans have a long and ugly tradition of mistreating their environment. I will attempt to argue that neither group is mutually exclusive, that to truly belong to one necessitates belonging to the other.
What does it mean to be a Christian? In the most fundamental of terms, Christians are followers of Christ’s teachings and example. Since there is wide debate on what religions fall into this category, let us focus on the teachings of Christ. Man was created from the earth. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)” It seems that man must be composed, at least partly, of the earth to be considered a living soul. There is a link throughout the scriptures between the immortal spirit and the earth. The Lord said, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19) He continued his teaching of the interdependence of man and his surroundings with the Parable of the Sower, “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. “(Matthew 13:5-6) It seems that the earth is not only important, but necessary, for eternal salvation. In Christ’s final hour he said, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17:4) Christ’s ministry could not have been complete without the Earth. What then of the eternal destiny of the earth? Christ spoke on this matter as well, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) For the earth to be mentioned by name as part of one’s eternal inheritance, there must be some significance to it’s place now and in the eternities. (This fact is further expounded upon through the revelations of Joseph Smith who revealed that the earth would one day become celestial.)
What of the Environmentalists? How does devotion to the planet and balance necessitate grounding in Christianity? As previously stated, devotion to the planet is inextricably linked to Christianity. If indeed the Earth has a soul, or some other aspect of being that can become immortal, explanation through religion is necessary. Balance is the key reason for any Environmentalist to become a Christian, or at the very least religious. Throughout environmental literature, there is a consistent theme of the interrelated, the connection between who and what a person is and their surroundings. Many authors find a lack of words to describe the connection that a person feels with the Earth, to one’s environment. I would like to name the indescribable: spirit. There is a link from spirit to spirit of things all around us. Just as the physical elements interact, there is a spiritual interaction that can be sensed, influenced. It is the neglect of this spiritual element that disrupts balance and can only be rebalanced through religion, an understanding of the spiritual elements.
Just as there is sin and repentance of the spiritual, there is misuse/neglect and reconciliation with the environment. No one is perfect, but it is the stewardship and steady progression within our lives that determines who we are. I believe that as we come to accept and understand this truth as Christians, we will come to appreciate and revere the Earth while we continually improve our surroundings and ourselves.
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Great post. I especially liked your idea that environment necessitates a grounding in Christianity or at least some spirituality. It's interesting to see how today Christianity is moving towards a more environmentally friendly position. Catholic leadership has spoken out against abuses of the environment, and pastors such as Rick Warren teach about the need to be environmentally conscious. I wonder if some day the LDS church will take an open stand, or if this is one of the issues in which individuals always will be encouraged to form their own opinions.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this. It is true that the earth is mentioned a lot throughout the scriptures. We know that we were sent down here to earth to experience mortality. It would be impossible without the earth to have a body and to experience the trials and treasures of life. We need to respect it because without it we would not be here. I liked the quote from Elder Morrison where he speaks as the savior "What have you done with the earth which my Father and I gave you as a home?"
ReplyDeleteYour reconciliation of the environment/religion debate is beautiful. You take two things that have previously been seen as opposing and brought harmony to them in a clear and compelling way. Your use of scripture was wonderful as well. I think if everyone had a stewardship view of the earth-human relationship our earth would be better taken care of.
ReplyDeleteI believe I have posted this in the past, but I think that there needs to be balance in everything. How much better would an individual be if they had a faith in Christ and all that He created? The balance of the two brings out the best in each other. How much more effective would an environmentalist be if he/she had a knowledge of the plan of salvation and Christ. The church continually tells its members to find balance in their lives and I believe if we could really try to balance our lives the earth would be a much cleaner and happier place.
ReplyDeleteThe word "balance " was dropped a lot in this passage, and I think it is true that responsible human beings must have balance. There is no need to hug a tree, and on the other hand it would certainly be terrible to deforest an area. Balance is key in preserving what we hold dear: the environment. Christianity teaches that there shouldn't be waste or over indulgence and instead should be a healthy use of the environment.
ReplyDeleteWhen you own something, you normally take better care of it than when you are renting it. I liked this post, because in a sense, the Lord gave us this earth as a gift for our mortal probation. It is still His, but being that we are heirs to all that He has, the earth is, in part ours. It is time we as Christians began to realize that and take some responsibility for the earth. That doesn't mean we have to save every leaf of a tree and stop using the resources of the forests, oceans, and lands to better our lives, but it does mean that we need to be conscientious of how we are using and/or abusing this gift of ours.
ReplyDeletewhen considering Christianity and what it is and then thinking about what we are given (a world) i feel that my actions and appreciation for what i have may be offensive to the one who spent so much time and energy in creating it for me, with me in mind. having balance is just what i need to discover.
ReplyDeleteThe author nailed this problem on the head, and the title says it all. So often we invent incompatabilities where none exist. Christianity and Environmentalism go hand-in-hand, not head-to-head!
ReplyDeleteThe reason why the earth gets misused all the time is because of ignorance. When people begin to understand the purpose of the earth and their own purpose everything will take care of itself and be preserved.
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