Faith, Politics, and Environmental Stewardship

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I affiliate with the Republican Party. I am conservative. But, I joined the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance in February 2023. Three days ago, I joined the LDS Earth Stewardship on April 30, 2023.

All of these would not add up in the minds of many in the United States and around the world. This certainly would not make sense at all to many within the Republican Party and Conservative Movement. This political phenomenon certainly leaves questions o be answered in Political Science and in US Politics & Government.

How could anybody affiliated with the Republican Party these days be even remotely concerned with the earth and environment?

Why would they even be concerned with the earth and environment?

How could anybody who's conservative be even remotely concerned with the earth and environment?

Why would they even be concerned with the earth and environment at all?

I will begin with sharing part of my background with you to give context to you in clarifying my position on the earth and environment. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland. I lived the first two years of my life in Woodbine and Frederick, both in Maryland. Those who live in Maryland or have been in Maryland are certainly aware of the natural beauty to be found in Maryland. The Chesapeake Bay runs down from the Susquehanna River; consisting of Eastern Maryland with Aberdeen, Baltimore, Annapolis, Cambridge, and Saint Mary's City. The Potomac River borders Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland; running through Washington, DC. The Appalachian Mountains run from New York through Western Maryland down to parts of Georgia and Alabama.

I grew up in rural Southwestern Colorado. I grew up in a community where we often spotted wildfires and forest fires miles from us. We often experienced water shortages. I grew up seeing the mountains around us. I grew up in a family where I learned to plant, landscape, and garden. We often sacrificed and went without as a family. But, we had neighbors and members of our community who were often there to help and support us.

I live in Salt Lake City, Utah as of writing this. We recently experienced fires and droughts in Utah. The Great Salt Lake is drying up. This is resulting the Jordan River drying up. We were just hit with major snow storms.

Is Utah Lake in any better condition than the Great Salt Lake?

Is the Provo River in any better condition than the Jordan River?

What does Jimmy Carter think he could propose to rural communities located in Colorado or the residents of Salt Lake County in Utah to address their concerns associated with nature?

What does Al Gore think he could propose to the rural communities located in Colorado or the residents of Salt Lake County in Utah to address their concerns associated with nature?

Jimmy Carter is from Georgia. Al Gore is from Tennessee. Jimmy Carter and Al Gore come from the other side of the Mississippi River from Colorado and Utah. Al Gore might have been to Colorado. Jimmy Carter might have gone to Colorado as President of the United States. Neither Jimmy Carter nor Al Gore could possibly know enough of Colorado and Utah to have any satisfactory solutions for the pressing environmental concerns in either of those States.

I grew up hiking and going on camping trips. I spent much of my time out in nature, growing up. I enjoy hiking and camping. I enjoy walking and going on walks. I especially enjoy walking in Salt Lake County. I will share two observations with you from 2020 that led to my decision to finally join Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance and LDS Earth Stewardship earlier this year.

We experienced the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We were soon required to wear masks as a result of the pandemic. I often came across disposable masks left on the ground from others taking their masks off and throwing or dropping their disposable masks on the ground as I walked around Salt Lake. I was left shocked by the sight. The very people who claimed to care for the environment told us we had to wear masks. The very people who told us we needed to clean our air and water up started requiring us to wear masks. Those who I thought should have been environmentally conscious had little care for the environment during the pandemic. It seemed to me the environment was suddenly placed on the sacrificial altar in the zeal of government bureaucracy to protect the public health in the pandemic.

My other observation, more of positive observation, is from when I was with the Trent Staggs 2020 Campaign when he was the 2020 candidate for Salt Lake County Mayor. I started going out in July 2020 to knock doors and canvass Salt Lake County. I often walked as I went around to canvass and knock doors. I often ended up walking multiple miles in a day of canvassing. I have seen more of Salt Lake County in the three months of canvassing with the Trent Staggs 2020 Campaign than at any other time in my life. I was simply in awe and simply amazed by the natural beauty and biodiversity I was able to see around the Salt Lake Valley.

I was both religiously motivated and politically motivated to join the Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance and LDS Earth Stewardship. My membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and what my religion teaches of God, nature, earth, the environment, and stewardship are largely what led me to join those groups. Being taught God created us and created the earth reveals my relationship with God, others, and nature as a guide in my actions and behavior. Being taught God gave stewardship to humanity over the earth creates a special relationship for me with the earth as Creations of God.

My politics is similarly largely influenced by my religious faith. Both my religious faith and my politics influence my view on nature, earth, and the environment in turn. I grew up learning all are free to choose for themselves. I grew up learning all are to be held accountable before God for their choices and actions. I grew up learning all would be held accountable to God for how they personally live. God created us to be free and have liberty. God instituted government to secure our God-given unalienable rights.

Mormon Environmental Stewardship Alliance points to these results of the waste and degradation of nature and the environment:

Climate change has a disproportionately negative impact on the poor.

Life is unsustainable without pure, clean air.

Little is done to mitigate human-caused environmental catastrophes.

Fresh, healthy food is inaccessible for many without farm preservation and food security.

The poor and the disenfranchised are largely harmed by environmental degradation.

Failure to preserve and protect public lands results in the loss of natural beauty and loss of sacred places worthy of preservation and protection.

Enormous waste is caused by greed and consumerism.

Water quality is lost with the degradation of nature and the environment.

Animal life is lost as a result of maltreatment.

We learn in my Church the earth was created by God as a probationary state for us. We learn in my Church God put us here on earth to learn, grow, and become as He is. He created the earth and created us; created our physical bodies, spirits, and souls. He placed us here on earth to be tested, tried, and proven to see if we are worthy to return to His presence at the end of life and receive exaltation. We learn of a Plan of Salvation, a great plan of Happiness God has for us for our continual progression and learning.

Part of the Plan of Salvation involves sending us here on earth to learn, grow, and become. It involves each of us collectively and individually coming to earth with a stewardship. God sent us here to earth with the command to care for the earth and each to look and watch over our physical bodies and the stewardship He individually gave to each of us. He wants each of us to reverence our own physical bodies and the physical bodies of others. He wants us to protect and preserve the earth for generations to come after us.

A popular icon among conservative members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints including myself, even Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) recognized and acknowledged the need for protecting and preserving nature, earth, and the environment. He emphasized our stewardship both over the earth and over moral laws (BYU-Hawaii, February 11, 1983). He warned we do not have any moral latitude in our stewardship over our earthly blessings. Ezra Taft Benson spoke of a moral obligation to turn the land over to succeeding generations. He called for wise, selfless, effective use of precious natural resources-food and water (April 1957 General Conference, Welfare Meeting). He reminded the Church membership further to begin with themselves first in their stewardships, working outward to other responsibilities (BYU-Hawaii, February 11, 1983). Ezra Taft Benson reiterated to the Church membership of striving for progress along the road of goodness and freedom (God, Family, Country [1974], 361).

A man travelled to a far-off country. He called his servants to him and delivered his goods to them. He gave five talents to one servant. He gave two talents to another servant. He gave one talent to the last servant. The servant with five talents doubled his talents and returned ten talents to his master. The servant with two talents doubled his talents and returned four talents to his master. Both of these servants entered into the rest of their lord. The last servant buried his talent and returned it to his master when he returned. The master cast him out and gave his talent to the servant with ten talents (Matthew 25:14-30).

Environmental stewardship is more than protecting and preserving nature, earth, and the environment. Environmental stewardship is not even merely economics. It has everything to do with humanity and its interaction with themselves, each other, and the world around them. Everybody and everything is connected in this world and the Greater Universe. We certainly have the ability to choose for ourselves. But, we cannot escape the consequences of individual and collective choices, decisions, and actions.

We read in the Bible how God created humanity in His image, male and female (Genesis 1:26-27). They refer to this in Latin as Imago Dei. Being created in the image of God in His likeness, therefore, this means we have the potential to become as God. We have the potential to become as God because we are divine. we are divine beings of divine origin with a divine identity.

Environmental destruction means economic ruin and political instability. But, it causes more than economic ruin and political instability. Environmental destruction means the destruction of divine Creation. It means desecration. It is sacrilege. Humanity is wasted with environmental collapse. Genius, talent, and human giftedness is wasted away with environmental collapse. Destruction of nature, earth, and the environment is and means a great, possibly irreplaceable loss of human potential.

The question to ask is not what measures remain to be taken by government and political institutions. The question for each of us to ask of ourselves is what each of us could personally do in our corner of the planet in our personal lives, at home, in our local neighborhoods and communities.