Via Andrew Sullivan comes this green Mormon blog. Why?
This is the short answer (in Mormon speak): Because I have a testimony of our responsibility as stewards of God's Creation.
Elder Oaks gave a great talk entitled Good, Better, Best. Some might put sustainability into the "good" category. I confess that when compared to the things of eternity, temporal issues like sustainability may not fall in the category of "best" or even "better." However, I would point out that Earth is spiritual as well as temporal (Moses 3:5), and that the Lord saw fit to dedicate small portions of the Scriptures for instruction on environmental stewardship issues. Thus, I am content to hope that Latter-Day Sustainability will fill a small, if only "good" niche.
Clearly there's some religious significance to the good-better-best business that's going right over my head. But hey: the more the merrier.
New religious coalition seeks climate ‘redemption’ via carbon plan
Charles and Benedict chat about climate
Catholic Climate Covenant seeks aid for world’s poor
Comments View as Flat
LGT Posted 11:03 am
28 Jan 2008
Mormon View
What's the prevailing Mormon view on family size?
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apsmith Posted 11:49 am
28 Jan 2008
Hey thanks
Dave, I wonder if I'm the only person who's met both you and Elder Oaks (mentioned in the quote) in person! Probably not, but at least I got to comment first :-)
Yes, I'm a Mormon, and I can give a shout-out here to any other "left" leaning LDS people - come join us on the LDS-Left mailing list and help change the world!
Despite recent affinities with the Republican party, there is quite a long history of environmentalism among Mormons. Brigham Young and Joseph Smith (the second and first of the prophets) both made statements that sound very environmentally enlightened for the early 19th century. Organizing the settlement of the essentially desert areas of the Great Basin meant learning how to live sustainably from the first.
Now I just hope Mitt Romney gets repudiated by the voters for some of his stupidities on this - he's been attacking McCain on the environment lately, I can't imagine that will go down well in Florida or California. There's no basis in his faith for that stance, it's all politics. Sad really.
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Latter Day Sustainablist Posted 12:45 pm
28 Jan 2008
Thanks for the Shout-Out
Thanks for all the attention you have sent to my blog: Latter-Day Sustainability.
That said, I am a little overwhelmed by the attention! Originally, I intended my blog to persuade Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) of our environmental stewardship theology. Hence, the quote above is geared towards Mormons. However, I am glad to have found a greater audience.
Come and visit for more info on Mormons and the environment.
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caniscandida Posted 9:58 pm
28 Jan 2008
what promising good news!
Thanks, LD Sustainablist, for opening up this interesting new frontier in environmentalist progress.
Yes, APSmith, it certainly makes sense that Brigham Young's followers should have all kinds of traditions and techniques adapted to life in arid regions -- about which the rest of us know little or nothing.
As for Mormons' long being unquestioning members of the Republican party, why is that? And are there signs that that loyalty may be beginning to weaken?
This is an interesting passage (IMHO) from George B. Handley's paper (linked on LD Sustainablist's home page):
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What often goes unnoticed is how many Mormons are actively involved in environmental causes and how directly LDS belief has motivated their efforts. In February of 2004, Brigham Young University sponsored a well attended symposium, entitled "Our Stewardship: Perspectives on Nature" that explored the theological foundations for stewardship. In addition to demonstrating that LDS belief is not incompatible with good stewardship of the earth, the symposium cleared up at least one more myth regarding environmentalism: its spelling notwithstanding, it is not an "ism" in the traditional sense. It is an inadequate word to describe a whole host of often competing movements, organizations, philosophies, and values
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.
>>
It would be interesting to know what are those aspects of environmentalism which are considered to be not compatible with either Christianity or Mormonism.
By the way, nothing personal, but I strongly dislike the words "sustainability" and "sustainable" as they are freely being used nowadays in green circles. True sustainability does not and cannot exist in this world, any more than infinite parallel lines can exist, or perfect spheres, or the square root of negative one. That is because of the mortal nature of creation. "Sustainability" may be used to refer to some historically limited and temporary systems of human society. But the suggestion that any such system can overcome its inevitable limitations is just another version of the denial of death.
Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.
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caniscandida Posted 11:17 pm
28 Jan 2008
"Good, Better, Best"
It looks like fairly simple, straightforward ethics to me, DR, without any exclusively Mormon suppositions getting in the way. Many of the examples are homely and familiar, available to people of all religious traditions and none.
The comparison of competing choices for good, to determine which of two is better, and which of several is best, is an ancient commonplace. In the 5th-century spiritual classic, the "Conferences," a compilation by John Cassian of sayings of the Desert Fathers, the noteworthy answer to the question put to one of them, "Which is the mother of all virtues?," is "Discretion."
Now, it is a different matter what Mormons may mean by "eternity" and "temporality," and how those considerations may determine their ethical choices.
We should remember that while in some major ancient Greek ethical traditions, e.g. Stoicism and certain adaptations of Platonism, it is correct to value only the eternal, immortal and immutable, and to think less of the temporary, transient, mortal and mutable (and probably utilitarianism amounts to something like that), that is not the typical approach at all of orthodox Christianity. Indeed, many of God's creatures most certainly deserve to be -- and ought to be -- loved and cherished, even at the expense of one's life.
Given our limited knowledge of a tradition that has long prized its secrecy and exclusivity, we cannot say how closely Mormon ethics resembles that of orthodox Christianity.
Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.
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apsmith Posted 1:11 am
29 Jan 2008
Mormon ethics!
Well, I'm not sure about the secrecy and exclusivity bit - there's plenty of details on church doctrine and organization (and talks such as the one referenced) available on the lds.org website for instance.
But to get into the theology just a bit - the central element for Mormons is personal (subjective) spiritual knowledge. That differs from traditional Christianity in that it minimizes the role of mediators such as priests: each person is believed to have the right to their own contact with the divine. Many evangelical groups within Christianity have similar understandings of God as one who cares about us personally, but they generally don't accept that the individual can also receive their own enlightenment or revelation directly.
There are many guides for us - the written works, church leaders, the knowledge that the world has accumulated over centuries. But ultimately for the Mormon member it's a matter of studying whatever there is, and then praying about it and seeking to know what the will of the Lord is.
LDS theology is sometimes called "materialist", in the sense that we believe there is something special about our corporeal, material existence, and that in life beyond this we will not be disembodied, but exist as real physical beings through eternity. That in fact God also has such a physical existence. To that extent there is a fundamental centrality of the physical environment to the faith that may be missing in a more traditional context. In particular, LDS theology rejects the notion of original sin or a fundamental sinful nature to physical existence, which is present in at least some traditional Christian approaches.
But whether or not an individual member feels compelled to fight for environmental justice is more a matter of personal conviction that that is what is good and right, then an explicitly designated tenet of the faith.
But I suspect Latter Day Sustainablist has more to say on this; I hope this new blog will be able to add more enlightenment on the issues.
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spaceshaper Posted 1:44 am
29 Jan 2008
Not so different...
I am startled by the proposition that minimizing the priestly role and emphasizing direct access to the divine is to be considered a Mormon specialty. I'm no theologian, but has this approach not been central to the whole of protestant christianity since the time of Martin Luther?
The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.
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Latter Day Sustainablist Posted 2:24 am
01 Feb 2008
Mormon Environmental Ethic Explained
I just put up a post that attempts to explain the Mormon Environmental ethic to those who are unfamiliar the Mormon theology. Check it out..
New Post
CANISCANDIDA- Interesting points on "sustainability" and "Good-Better-Best" -thanks. I chose my moniker to play on the "LDS" theme. I can't say that I have given it much thought beyond that.
APSMITH- My new post glances by the topic of personal vs. church mandate for environmental action.
SPACESHAPER- I agree.
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caniscandida Posted 3:37 am
01 Feb 2008
Mormon metaphysics!
Hi, LDSustainablist. I shall check it out.
We would all be very much richer, I am sure, to have a serious contribution from Mormons, learned in classic Western philosophy, on the subject of "material" vs. "spiritual."
Chickens are our cousins! So are fish! So are other sentient animals! Let us learn to be kind.
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