As children of God, we have a divine calling to care for the earth, use its resources wisely, and preserve it for future generations.
Photo by Michael Pechardo
The budding of a flower, the pounding of a waterfall, the shining of the stars—each scene and element contributes to the masterpiece of the earth. God created the earth as the place where he could redeem his children through his Beloved Son. The article “Environmental Stewardship and Conservation,” published in the Gospel Topics section of LDS.org, describes our role in caring for the earth.
Our stewardship
God has entrusted us to take time to appreciate the earth, care for it, and use its resources appropriately. By doing so, we act in our divine calling as stewards over the earth.
Stewardship does not equal ownership. The article teaches us that as stewards, we are accountable to God to “preserve resources and protect for future generations the spiritual and temporal blessings of nature.” It also teaches us to “gratefully use what God has given, avoid wasting life and resources, and use the bounty of the earth to care for the poor.”
Being wise stewards can be as simple as picking up trash on the side of the road or as complex as starting a community recycling project. Wise stewards are aware of their environmental impact and are involved in preserving the earth’s resources.
The Church’s stewardship
Church leaders recognize the role of environmental stewardship in God’s plan and encourage us to conserve energy and natural resources. They have implemented green building initiatives, water conservation efforts, and recycling projects.
The earth has enough resources for everyone as long as we take care of it the way the Lord intended.
Read the full Gospel Topics article “Environmental Stewardship and Conservation.”
Source: Gospel Topics
—Kimberly Austin, Mormon Insights
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Raymond
This is a beautiful reminder that the earth is a gift and that we need to take better care of the gift we have been given. I think it would be interesting to look at what opportunities there are in my own community to conserve more. I have definitely been inspired to at the very least take shorter showers, recycle more, and turn off the lights as much as possible. Are there specific resources or community groups that the Church has in place to help people give back to the earth?
@bethany, that is such a good question! i too, have been inspired and would also like to know about any specific resources the church may have.
So unfortunately there aren’t a ton of resources from the Church beyond the Gospel Topics page, BUT there is a community group called LDS Earth Stewardship that I’m involved in that fills the niche you’re looking for 🙂 I’m actually working a research project right now for the coming update of their website which will have a collection topic-organized scriptures, Church magazine articles, and quotes from church leaders related to Creation and stewardship of the environment so that individuals can study and ponder what our doctrine teaches about our relationship to the Earth. Check out https://ldsearthstewardship.org/ and consider joining!
So unfortunately there aren’t a ton of resources from the Church beyond the Gospel Topics page, BUT there is a community group called LDS Earth Stewardship that I’m involved in that fills the niche you’re looking for I’m actually working a research project right now for the coming update of their website which will have a collection topic-organized scriptures, Church magazine articles, and quotes from church leaders related to Creation and stewardship of the environment so that individuals can study and ponder what our doctrine teaches about our relationship to the Earth. Check out https://ldsearthstewardship.org/ and consider joining!
I love that this is a gospel topic. I have always known that the Lord cares about how we treat the earth, and by extension, each other. And the scriptures prove it. This is such an important thing to think about and consider. The earth is God’s gift to us, and to give back, we should use the resources wisely and treat all animals, humans, and the environment with respect. I really liked this statement on the Gospel Topics page: “The state of the human soul and the environment are interconnected.” Truly, our actions affect everything around us.
I’m from the Northwest, and I’ve seen both extremes of this debate. I love the word stewardship because it sums up our responsibility to use resources to improve the lives of the people around us wisely. This earth is a gift, and we should treat it as such.