One cannot find any official position of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) on
contemporary
environmentalism. This apparent silence
has led some to criticize the
Although official positions are not
identifiable, LDS
scriptures and teachings provide a consistent picture of the role of
human
beings as stewards accountable before God for the use and care of His
creations. Scholarly examinations of LDS
theology and history have repeatedly demonstrated that the religion
offers a
unique and important perspective on the notion of environmental
stewardship and
a foundation for a strong environmental ethic.[1]
not all of which are compatible with
Christianity in general or Mormonism in particular.
But rather than using these occasional
incompatibilities as an excuse to demonize the “movement” of
environmentalism
and disregard the legitimate concerns that it continues to raise, the
symposium’s participants presented an LDS conception of stewardship
that
resonates well with the Christian environmental ethics articulated by
ecotheologians of many stripes, including Wendell Berry, John Cobb,
Wesley
Michaelson-Grandberg, and others. The
papers challenged LDS believers to do more to meet their
responsibilities
towards God’s creations. A book of
selected proceedings published by BYU’s
What, briefly, are the theological
underpinnings of environmental stewardship in the LDS religion? First, the LDS worldview stipulates that the
world is holy and animated by spiritual matter.
We are told in what is believed to be a restored account of the
creation
in The Pearl of Great Price: “I, the
Lord God, created all things… spiritually before they were naturally
upon the
earth” (Moses 3:5). This record of the
creation goes on to explain that this makes plants as well as animals
“living
souls” (see Moses 3:9,19). The notion
that physical matter and and all living things have some living
spiritual
character grants a sacred identity to the nonhuman realm, and this
would seem
to give us pause to consider the ethics of our use of such inspirited
material. This is made clear in a
revelation to Joseph Smith: “the beasts of the field and the fowls of
the air,
and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for
food and
for raiment, and that he might have abundance.
But it is not given that one man should possess that which is
above
another, wherefore the world lieth in sin.
And woe be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh
and hath
no need” (D&C 49:18-21). In another
revelation, we learn that “it pleaseth God that he hath given all these
things
unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment,
not to
excess, neither by extortion” (D&C 59:18-20). This
ethic exists mainly because, as LDS
prophets have consistently taught, no earthly possession truly belongs
to us
but to the Lord and we should therefore exercise care to use only what
we
need. The Lord requires the remainder to
be consecrated and redistributed for the upliftment of the needy, and
only in
this way we can be assured that there is “enough and to spare” of
nature’s
resources (see D&C 104).
LDS scriptures clearly announce the
centrality of human beings as God’s offspring and declare that all of
creation was
provided for human enjoyment and use.
Significantly, however, this human-centered view does not
justify abuse
of nature; enjoyment and appreciation come before use.
Before Adam learned that fruits of the tree
could be used for food, he learned to appreciate a tree’s beauty: “And
out of
the ground made I, the Lord God, to grow every tree, naturally, that is
pleasant to the sight of man; and man could behold it” (Moses 3:9). The Lord repeats this priority of aesthetic
over utilitarian value in a revelation to Joseph Smith: “all things
which come
of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and use
of man,
both to please the eye and gladden the heart” (D&C 59:18). In the LDS view, God expects us to make use
of nature, but the priority is on nature’s intrinsic beauty which bears
witness
of Christ’s love and for which we have an ethical responsibility to
demonstrate
due appreciation. Such appreciation,
unfortunately, is hard to inculcate in our era of aesthetic
impoverishment.
Christian doctrines of the millennium
and the eventual death of the earth have caused many believers to view
concerns
of some environmentalists as frantic and unwarranted worries. While Mormonism believes in a literal end of
the earth’s life, there is no LDS scripture that justifies inaction in
the face
of evil, even when such evil has been prophesied. It
must be admitted at least that it makes no
logical sense to believe that if our bodies are destined to die, we
ought to
neglect our health. Mormons are
certainly well known for not smoking, drinking alcohol, coffee or tea,
or using
illicit drugs. This practice is in
accordance with part of what is known as the Word of Wisdom, a dietary
code revealed
to Joseph Smith in 1833 that also stipulates a moderate and balanced
diet of
vegetables, grains, fruits, and infrequent use of meat.
While every active Mormon understands the
obligation to avoid the deleterious substances mentioned, these more
proactive
aspects of the diet are not always followed with the same strictness. If every Mormon were to reduce meat
consumption, especially red meat, in half, it would no doubt have a
tremendously positive environmental effect.
[1]Foundational
publications on the subject include Hugh Nibley’s classic
essays
“Subduing the Earth” in On the Timely and
the Timeless (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 1978) and
“Brigham Young
on the Environment” in To the Glory of
God. Mormon Essays on Great Issues—Environment— Commitment—Love—Peace
—Youth—Man. (Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1972); Thomas Alexander’s “Stewardship and
George B. Handley is
Associate Professor of Humanities at