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 April
2005 |
| Contents Scriptural thought Scriptural Thought
D&C 104:13-14
Announcing Our Earth Day Issue by John-Charles Duffy, Media Director
Earth Day is an easy holiday to make fun of. It conjures up images of aging hippies and young, trendy liberals with sunglasses and dogs, milling through a park where nonprofits run displays about alternative energy next to big-chain outlets hawking expensive outdoor sporting goods. Still, however silly it might become in its incarnations, Earth Day stands for something important. On April 22, we have a chance to be especially mindful of our obligations as stewards of the earth and its resources. In the beginning, as we all know, God created the heavens and the earth, declared it all good, and then put human beings in charge--which some might say is like asking a four-year-old to take care of the good china. Earth Day invites us, collectively, in communities, to take stock of how well we're doing as stewards. Stewardship of the earth is a spiritual issue. As Gordon B. Hinckley has observed, "This earth is [Christ's] creation. When we make it ugly, we offend him." Caring for the earth's resources is part of living lives of reverence, worship, and consecration. It is also a question of justice and equity. Protecting the environment isn't only about saving endangered species or the rain forests. It's also about the slums and factories that are turning Third World cities into environmental and public health disasters. It's about rich nations eating up disproportionate amounts of the earth's resources and in the process producing mountains of garbage, putting holes in the ozone layer, and wreaking havoc on the ecologies of poorer countries. This month's issue of Anxiously Engaged has a special focus on the environment, in connection with Earth Day. You might also check out the following environment-related MESJ resources:
Standing in Holy Places by Craig Condie
Some of my earliest memories are of spending time in the branches at the top of our maple tree in our front yard. I loved that tree and took great pride in the fact that it was the second tallest tree on the street. To me, it was a refuge from all of the stress and frustration of having to eat nasty vegetables, get along with four older sisters, help with the dishes, and the multitude of other tribulations that trouble a six year old. In the top of my tree I was free to just sit and think because no one could see me to bother me. I always felt better and more able to cope with life’s frustrations when I finally returned to terra firma. As I grew older, the sources of stress and frustration grew along with
my age. I encountered the awkwardness of the teen dating years, social
and academic pressures of high school and then college, the pressure of
supporting myself when I became an adult, etc.. I didn’t always
have the maple tree, as I moved a lot and my parents eventually cut it
down anyway (I don’t know that I ever really forgave them for that
one), but I soon took up riding my bike through the forests and along
the river near the house where we lived. By college, I don’t know
that an hour in a maple tree would have done the job anyway. Instead,
I fell in love with the desert. My friends and I started heading down
to the southern Utah desert two or three weekends per month. While that
may seem excessive, it certainly beat the more common college coping mechanism
of binge drinking every Friday night. How this should play out in the current context of the wilderness debates,
especially in Utah and Alaska, is a complex factual question beyond the
scope of this newsletter. However, before making final decisions, I believe
we should pause and recognize the spiritual nature of the areas we are
seeking to infringe upon, and recognize their value as a refuge from the
craziness of the modern world. After reflection, we may realize that much
of the materialism of the modern Western world is simply another type
of coping mechanism, and that we may accomplish the same ends, while showing
greater respect for His creations, by spending time in the holy places
of the wilderness. Voices of Faith and Stewardship Statements and prayers from several faith communities
In the 1998 letter that provided the inspiration for organizing MESJ, the First Presidency called Latter-day Saints to "cooperat[e] with other like-minded individuals" in working for the good of our communities through civic participation. Efforts to promote wise stewardship of the earth and its resources are one area in which like-minded people of faith work together to bless their communities, local and global. The following statements and prayers about stewardship and the environment
come from a range of Christian and Jewish communities. Statements by Latter-day
Saints are included in the mix. These voices of faith offer food for thought--and
for the soul--about honoring our God-given charge to administer and care
for creation.
National Religious Partnership for the Environment
Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Episcopal Church (USA) Vaughn J. Featherstone
US Conference of Catholic Bishops
We have listened to a false gospel that we continue to live out in our daily habits--a gospel that proclaims that God cares for the salvation of humans only and that our human calling is to exploit Earth for our own ends alone. . . . For too long, we, our Christian brothers and sisters, and many people of good will have relegated care and justice for the Earth to the periphery of our concerns. This is not a competing "program alternative," one "issue" among many. In this most critical moment in Earth's history, we are convinced that the central moral imperative of our time is the care for Earth as God's creation. Presbyterian Church (USA)
Hugh Nibley
The environmental crisis is a religious challenge. As heirs to a tradition of stewardship that goes back to Genesis and that teaches us to be partners in the ongoing work of Creation, we as Jews cannot simply accept the escalating destruction of our environment and its effect on human health and livelihood. Where we are despoiling our air, land, and water, it is our sacred duty to acknowledge our God-given responsibility and take action to alleviate environmental degradation and the pain and suffering that it causes. Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Alexander B. Morrison
O God, enlarge within us the sense of fellowship with all living things, our brothers the animals to whom thou gavest the earth as their home in common with us. . . . May we realize that they live not for us alone but for themselves and for thee, and that they love the sweetness of life. Basil the Great
National Council of Churches of Christ
Wayne Owens Remember in Your Prayers...
Threats to freshwater: According to the United Nations, at least 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Within 25 years, half the world’s population could have trouble finding enough freshwater for drinking and irrigation. Currently, over 80 countries, representing 40 per cent of the world’s people, are subject to serious water shortages. Conditions may get worse in the next 50 years as populations grow and as global warming disrupts rainfall patterns. Pray for those who do not have access to adequate, clean water. Pray
for a greater spirit of conservation among those who do have ready access
to water.
In March 2002, 179 governments joined the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This Convention aims to promote effective action through innovative local programs and supportive international partnerships. Pray that those working to combat desertification will be blessed with wisdom and creativity to find effective solutions.
Pray for a greater spirit of moderation among the world's richer inhabitants (which almost certainly includes anyone reading this over the Internet). Pray for inspiration about how to simplify your own lifestyle and how to be a witness and instrument for change in our consumer society.
News from Local Chapters
Los Angeles: On March 17, the Los Angeles MESJ chapter was officially founded. The meeting to found the chapter was attended by James and Debora Tobler, Eric Taylor, and Charles and Kathrin Quisenberry. During the meeting, the group discussed how the teachings of the Savior and the prophets inspire them to offer solace to the oppressed and dispossessed. The group prayed for justice and comfort for those who suffer in the world and for greater love for those who are "the least of these our brethren." Charles Quisenberry writes that "the group is small, but then all good things have small beginnings. We humbly pray that our work is pleasing in the sight of the Lord, and that we can bring even a glimmer of his love into the lives of his children." Out of the Best Books by Lee Sheppard (Leighton Buzzard, England) Editor's note: The scriptures encourage us to "seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom" (D&C 88:118). In that spirit, we invite readers to submit reviews of enlightening or inspiring books about the intersection of faith and social activism.
Mr. Sacks has two main premises about society. The first is that an effective society consists not only of individuals and the state (as Margaret Thatcher famously declared) but also needs what he calls “civil society” -- churches, voluntary organisations, and most importantly the family. It is through these groups that we best teach the virtues that society needs to share in order to function effectively. The problem is that all these groups are being sidelined during the past few decades, and we are paying a fearful price. This is because “civil society constitutes a moral domain, a world of covenants rather than contracts, in which duty, obligation, loyalty and integrity restrain the pursuit of self-interest, in which I learn to value others and win their trust because that is the only way families and communities can be maintained.” The second premise is that society has accepted that all things are relative, and that there is therefore no final truth, no “better way.". The consequence is that we have removed from public discussion debate about virtues and responsibility. Instead we talk about rights -- trump cards that stifle debate. All values are to be personal and not common, and one is as good as another. Therefore, we can as a society debate with vigour what to do about CJD ("mad cow disease") or global warming (both worthy but unclarified topics of concern). “Yet the possibility that many of our social ills are related to the way we live and the principles we teach is resisted with a vehemence hard to understand, fateful in its consequences.” We need, therefore, to begin to talk again using the language of virtue, shared values, right and wrong. The book traces how and why this revolution in society has taken place, and then reflects on what can be done to change things. I wish I had the space to review his thoughts. They are thoughtful and in close alignment with LDS beliefs. Let me share just three thoughts. The first is about covenants. Rejecting the philosophical belief that we are all individuals purely looking after our own self-interest, or that society can work on this basis, Sacks declares that “we have attachments and affiliations, loyalties and loves. These cannot be reduced to contractual alliances for the temporary pursuit of gain. They are covenantal, which is to say that they are both moral and fundamental: they enter into our identity, our understanding of the specific person we are.” I like that insight into what difference covenants make in our lives. He reflects on his experiences growing up with the traditions of the Feast of the Passover, and describes it thus: “this was moral education, not education as the act of making choices, but as the process of learning who we are, where we came from, and the language of ideals of which we are a part." Surely that is the sort of education we should be providing for our children. And on families: “We can reinstate marriage in the simplest possible way, by revaluing it, cherishing it in our own lives and teaching it to our children. It takes moral courage to take the risk of marriage in a culture in which such commitment is neither valued nor supported. But of all commitments it justifies the risk, for there are few greater achievements of which we can be artists than a love hazarded and reciprocated and expressed in a moral bond, and none more awe-inspiring that bringing new life into the world. More than any other institution the family turns the everyday into unselfconscious beauty: it is the celebration of ordinary virtues, life made a blessing by being shared.” This is a well-written and very readable book. It is not light, in that we have to pay attention to catch all that he says, but it is well worth the effort. For me, it was good to be reminded that we are part of a greater community of good and faithful men and women who desire to help society through application of the true principles of the gospel. The Politics of Hope was also a strong reminder that the principles of family, love, and virtuous living are not only still relevant, but are essential for the future good of the society in which we live.
Sunday School Notebook
"The Holy Ghost . . . giveth utterance, that you may stand as a witness of the things of which you shall both hear and see, and also that you may declare repentance unto this generation" (D&C 14:8). Social activism can be a kind of testimony-bearing: standing as a witness of the way I have seen social problems, and efforts to solve those problems, impact people's lives. "That you may declare repentance unto this generation . . ." Repentance means a change of life. I believe that drastic changes are needed in the social and cultural values by which people live. Am I working toward implementing those changes in my own life? "Be patient in afflictions, revile not against those that revile" (D&C 31:9). Working for social change can be hard and unrewarding, and political activism can often mean running up against people who disagree vehemently with your cause. The early Saints knew what it was like to champion unpopular causes. The Lord's advice to them is applicable to those who today try to serve their fellow beings through social and political action.
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