Somebody loved me and gave me the Planet Earth series for Christmas. I am completely mesmerized every time I watch it. The beauty, diversity, and richness of this world as captured in this film is completely staggering. 
What does this have to do with the Mormon Endowment ceremony as presented in LDS temples? The presentation includes a portrayal of the creation of this earth. In the temples of the pioneers the setting was set with murals paints on the walls of the creation room. Since the inception of the video presentation of the endowment the creation story presentation has been augmented by beautiful cinematography highlighting the beauties of this earth. Considering the endowment has been streamlined into a two-hour presentation compared to the all-day experience as Joseph Smith originally shared it, I think it could be completely appropriate to consider mentally inserting this Planet Earth series right in the middle of the story of the creation of the earth and celebrating the glory and beauty of the creation.
In the last couple years I have found myself becoming more and more of an environmentalist, hence asking for the Planet Earth Series for Christmas or writing a post like this. This could be considered a major shift from my previous behavior. When I was in junior high I had an overly sentimental fanatic environmentalist teacher and I think her pushing of her own environmental agenda rubbed me the wrong way, turning me off to the word, environmentalist, and justifying my occasional joke about the extremist.
As I look back and try to make sense of this change I cite a couple experiences explaining my drift towards becoming a nature-lover:
- Living with quick access to wilderness
I loved living along the Wasatch Front during college. I regret I did not take greater advantage of it. Living there it was possible to completely get away from civilization in a matter of 20 minutes by going to the back side of Timp or up Rock Creek Canyon. I loved running on those trails and, even more so, biking the trails because you could get deep in the forest so quickly. I miss having that wilderness as my backyard.
2. Reading Approaching Zion and Nibley’s biography
Nibley had fascinating views on the environment eons before they were on general political radar screen. I’m also amazed at how early and consistent his views were.
3. Hiking in Zion National Park
Again, I regret having only discovered the beauty of Zions my last year in Utah. One of the most beautiful places on earth.
4. Wildlilfe in Ghana
When I was working in Ghana my mates and I tried to hit all the big guidebook-recommended places, most of which were associated with the natural world as the author was a nature-loving Brit who obviously loved birdwatching as it became a constant recommendation throughout his review. Ghana wildlife parks don’t have the same level of tourists that their East Africa counterparts recieve so we were able to experience wild elephants, monkeys, bat caves, tropical jungle waterfalls, and jungle canopy walks in relative isolation and proximity.
5. Planet Earth in HD
Perhaps a rare justification for watching television and one I would love to see in high-def on the largest screen possible. In this series I have been able to experience nature as I would never be able to experience it personally in one lifetime (the behind the scenes extras make that absolutely clear and make one appreciate the film even more).
It must pain the Creator to see the natural world systematically pushed aside by mankind. When we think about the natural world I think we should be thinking about stewardship and not milking it for all we can get. If my 7th grade teacher could see me now…
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I haven’t seen the Planet Earth series. I’d love to see it!
I have come to believe that creation is an ongoing process and that we are co-creators with God. My fundamental Baptist upbringing taught me that God created “man” to have “dominion” over the earth (a literal translation from the King James Version of the Bible). But I’ve come to a much more progressive worldview. Our relationship with the environment is reciprocal. Creation is an ongoing process and evolution of which humans are co-creators with all nature and with God (who is not merely transcendent but also immanent). Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki explains it very well using a metaphor of water and making a case for prayer:
“Think of water as a different metaphor for God. Water rushes to fill all the nooks and crannies available to it; water swirls around every stone, sweeps into every crevice, touches all things in its path – and changes all things in its path. The changes are subtle, often slow, and happen through a continuous interaction with the water that affects both the water and that which the water touches. Particles of sand and sediment change the color of the water, and the water’s action changes the stone, and the land, and the life that can be supported. The water doesn’t exert its power by being “single-minded” over and above these things, but simply by being pervasively present to and with all things. It does not evoke the “command” of power over its creation; it is more like a “persuasive” power with and around its creation. Its power is a power of presence.
“What if God is like that? Could we not imagine a God pervasively present throughout all the universe, filling all its vast and small spaces, its greatest galaxies and its tiniest motes of stardust? If God’s power works through presence, and if God’s presence is an “omnipresence,” then one could say both that there is no center to the universe and that everything in the universe is center to all else. There is no center, for all things are “equidistant” from God, and the centeredness of God is unbounded. But, paradoxically, we can say that all things are center, for if all things are in the presence of God, then it is God who centers them. The Earth, then, is indeed privileged, and we do have a privileged history – but so is every space and every history privileged, for all are presenced and centered by God. One could as easily say that some small planet in the Andromeda Galaxy is a focus of God’s gracious work as to say that Earth is a focus of God’s gracious work. For if God is omnipresent, centering all things, then God is like the rushing water of the universe, filling all spaces, honoring all spaces, centering all spaces through the specialness of divine presence. Prayer in such a universe makes eminent sense – for God is always present. And perhaps this divine presence invites us into communion.”
As community, our congregation (http://www.gladeucc.org) is observing “green Lent” this year. Every Sunday worship service during the Lenten Season focuses on a specific aspect of being “green.” So for Lent, rather than giving up something per se, I am engaging in more environmental-friendly practices. And by doing so, I am engaging beneficially in the reciprocal relationship with nature and with God.
Hey Greg, thanks for taking the time to post. I see that we’re neighbors here in Virginia on top of both being fans of Ron Paul.
On the word “dominion” Hugh Nibley, the great Mormon scholar, has had this to say:
Hugh Nibley, in his book Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless (1978), has said,
lordship and dominium are the same thing; the responsibility of the master for the comfort and well- being of his dependents and guests. . . . [H]e is not a predator, a manipulator or an exploiter of other creatures, but one who cooperates with nature as a diligent husbandman.
The ancients taught that Adam’s dominion was nothing less than the priesthood. . . with the understanding that ‘from this time forth, man must work to improve the earth and preserve and take care of all that is in it, exactly as God had done before.’ (88)
Man’s call to dominion then is a “call to service,” not a call to “exterminate” (Nibley 96).
The full quotes can also be found in this book on googlebooks.
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