Topic: Mormons and the Environment
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Hi Ketharin,
We are a 501 (c) 3 Native American Religious Non Profit Organization. One of hte things we do is an outreach to other people from other beliefs. We have number of people in our area from churches who have started to attend our annual Pow Wow. We also have some of our folks who are doing seminars and workshops. Nature workshops and interpretive walks and such. The key to getting people more involved is to get them out there in nature and help them to sense the Creator in everything around them. Soon they start to understand that when we harm the Creation, we also Harm the Creator, (Not in a physical way, but as a child harms a parent by doing things that are destructive). It is my belief from the point of a 54 year old Naturalist that knowing something abd believing something can often mean the difference between talking about something and doing something. If we set out to teach people something and we follow hte approach of teaching, then we will meet the natural resistance that humans have to learn as they go. If we can simply give people the desire to "know" more, then we cna start them on a journet which will produce much fruit. Suppose that there is a group of young people in your church who rarely have the chance to get into teh forest. There is no greater place to commune with the Creator then in the mountains especially the forested mountains...LOL Of course I am biased on that point since I live in the Eastern Woodlands Mountains. Being able to sit in nature and quietly listen to all hte life that we so often ignore because of its absence from our every day lives tends to bring a stronger awareness and open our spirits and minds to greater thangs. There is something that I call a "Heart Rush". Almost everyone experiences it on ocassion in their lives. The first time they see a great spectacle of Nature. Teaching them how to allow that "Heart Rush" to be felt over small things as well will make our environment, echosystem,habitat and everything that is connected more important to them. It is a fact that people protect the things that are important to them. The most important things are the things they love the most. There is an analogy I use at times, it is this" Give a Man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him to fish and feed him for a life time". But teach him to love the fish and he will not waste a single one. Teach people the importance of the invironment and they will get as involved as they feel they need to to protect the earth. Teach them to love the earth and they will protect it with their lives. I am sure that there are a world of other people here with thousands of great ideas. I hope others will understand the importance of the discussion you have started. If all people make the earth an important part of their spirituality, then the earth not any ecreatures on hte earth ( including humans ) will become endangered from ignorance and abuse. With Respect, Jim |
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Thank you, Jim!
You're right, a lot of the people in my area do not get out into nature much, despite how easily they can get to it here. The biggest trouble is that many of them don't WANT to because they think it's a dirty, uncomfortable place to be. I've been trying to start a church group where I would lead a short hike or even guide people to a spot to go birdwatching once a month, and invite anyone who wanted to go. I still need to do that - I never feel that I have enough time. The other problem is that many of them like to go out into nature, but they do it in a destructive way - off-roading, hunting for sport, etc. I actually had someone tell our church class how beautiful it was to watch a duck he'd just shot fall to the ground. It was horrifying. I'm unsure how to change that attitude, especially since these people already think that they love nature, and already spend much of their time there. The trouble is, their hearts and minds are in the wrong place - they're not looking for beauty or peace, but for adrenaline and danger. I'll start with that nature group, if I can (I'm unsure how many people would go who don't already do that kind of thing). Do you think it would help to have things for them to ponder? Quotes from our church leaders on the beauty and sacredness of nature? |
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1) "Kindness to Animals and Caring for the Earth: Selections from the Sermons and Writings of Latter-Day Saint Church Leaders" compiled by Richard D. Stratton. This is my personal favorite, as the author gives none of his own opinions. Instead, it's simply a compilation of quotes from LDS church leaders. It's also a very simple read, separated by topic with a simple list of quotes on that topic.
2) "New Genesis: A Mormon Reader on Land and Community" edited by Terry Tempest Williams, William B. Smart, and Gibbs M. Smith. Also a great one, though a longer read and each chapter was written by different people, not all of whom are leaders in the LDS church. Yes, Terry Tempest Williams is a Mormon AND and environmentalist! Go figure!
3) "Stewardship and the Creation: LDS Perspectives on the Environment" edited by George B. Handley, Terry B. Ball, and Steven L. Peck. Another awesome one, this book is a compilation of a bunch of talks given at BYU a couple years back. Once again, not all of them were LDS church leaders, but many were or are professors at BYU.
Is this a cultural thing (the Western idea of conquering the wild, the anti-government-regulation attitude), or is it prevalent in the LDS religion throughout the world? How can this attitude of nonchalance and even aggression toward the environment be changed? Although our Institute where I live now has cans for recycling in nearly every room, many of our churches continue to lack any sort of method for recycling, for instance.