environmentalists?

[Dravin]

Just to point out...Christ, never once, rode in a Hummer.

He also never rode in a Prius, held US citizenship, or used electricity, plastics, modern antibiotics, computers, artificial fibers, chlorinated water, canned food... the list is quite large. While what you are trying to say, that you feel Christ would have made an effort to be as environmentally sustainable as possible may have value, your above point is rather silly.

Edited October 24, 2011 by Dravin

[theoriginalavatar]

I went to the temple today and during the endowment I started pondering how much that message seems to want us to take care of this earth that was made for us. It even seems to tell us to take care of the plants and animals so that they can have 'joy'. With these messages, why aren't members of the church more involved in environmental activist activities? or are they and I just don't see it? Does anyone else see the message the same way?

Hello s_i_f,

I am not at all certain that what I have to say will answer anything that you have asked, but I wanted to throw in my .02.

I am, and always have been, an avid hunter. I practically grew up on horseback, hunting deer and elk with my father and grandfather.

I am also a great respecter of our beautiful earth. I believe that Earth is God's canvas, and I firmly believe that we discrespect Him by not caring for it in a proper way.

To me, these two things are not mutually exclusive.

I hunt because I enjoy it, but I also hunt with a deep respect for the animals that I kill and the God who created them. I do not waste the meat; I use it to feed my family.

To me, the environment and how man and beast fit into it, is one eternal round. Much like it says in The Lion King, we kill the animals for our food, but we, in turn, also die and return to the earth. Our bodies nurish the ground and enable the grass and herbs to grow. The animals, in turn, consume that grass and life is sustained.

Whenever I kill an animal, I give thanks to God for providing it as food for my family and me.

I do not have to shoot an animal to eat...I live near grocery stores as most of us do...but, for me, it is a way of getting closer to the land and the circle of life.

Edited October 24, 2011 by theoriginalavatar

[annewandering]

I hate hunters who hunt just to enjoy hunting. I love hunters who hunt to feed their families and who enjoy being outdoors. Maybe people would think more about caring for animals if they couldnt just go to the grocery store and pick up hamburger meat. An animal died to provide them with it whether they kill it in person or not. It is an important lesson in life.

We can use the earth for our well being. It was provided for us. I am impressed with the posters here who all seem to attempt to be good stewards of our earth. It doesnt take being a Sierra Club member at all does it.

[cwald]

It makes perfect sense to talk about environmentalism and taking care of the earth in the same lessons we talk about morality. We generally only focus on sex --- but morality entails much much more than that - like racism, sexism and, yes, environmentalism.

A person can absolutely be chaste - but if they are not doing their part to protect the planet - I would dare guess they are not being "moral."

[mrmarklin]

Members of the Church should be the foremost environmentalists on the planet. After all we are the stewards of this world that God has given us.

Unfortunately the environmental movement has sometimes given itself a bad name because it has been hijacked by self serving political forces, various NGOs and educational institutions that will say and do almost anything to get their next grant. Or to gratify whatever pet hobby-horse that may pique their fancy.

[mikbone]

Best scripture for this thread

Moses 3:15 And I, the Lord God, took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it.

As far as I know that command is still in effect.

Hunting - Moses 4:27. It is my belief that God took Adam hunting, showed him how to clean the animal, how to perform the ordinance of sacrifice (Moses 5:6) and then how to make their own clothes.

[Blackmarch]

I went to the temple today and during the endowment I started pondering how much that message seems to want us to take care of this earth that was made for us. It even seems to tell us to take care of the plants and animals so that they can have 'joy'. With these messages, why aren't members of the church more involved in environmental activist activities? or are they and I just don't see it? Does anyone else see the message the same way?

We on average could probably do a better job in being caretakers of the environment.... unfortunately many "environmentalist" groups go overboard to various degrees.

Altho one i've seen that seems to be pretty good is the Nature Conservancy group.

[JudoMinja]

Hello s_i_f,

I am not at all certain that what I have to say will answer anything that you have asked, but I wanted to throw in my .02.

I am, and always have been, an avid hunter. I practically grew up on horseback, hunting deer and elk with my father and grandfather.

I am also a great respecter of our beautiful earth. I believe that Earth is God's canvas, and I firmly believe that we discrespect Him by not caring for it in a proper way.

To me, these two things are not mutually exclusive.

I hunt because I enjoy it, but I also hunt with a deep respect for the animals that I kill and the God who created them. I do not waste the meat; I use it to feed my family.

To me, the environment and how man and beast fit into it, is one eternal round. Much like it says in The Lion King, we kill the animals for our food, but we, in turn, also die and return to the earth. Our bodies nurish the ground and enable the grass and herbs to grow. The animals, in turn, consume that grass and life is sustained.

Whenever I kill an animal, I give thanks to God for providing it as food for my family and me.

I do not have to shoot an animal to eat...I live near grocery stores as most of us do...but, for me, it is a way of getting closer to the land and the circle of life.

It is this kind of perspective that I get very happy to see. :) Not only does hunting help us get in better touch with the earth and where our food comes from, but I think hunting for our meat is far better for the environment than buying meat from a grocery store. I was very sad when I saw a post on facebook recently that was a comment someone had sent into a newspaper- It was chewing out hunters for killing animals and said that they should get their meat from a grocery store where "no animals were harmed"...

For one, it was just very very sad to see that someone had become so out of touch with where food comes from that they didn't even understand what "meat" is. A sad testament of poor education, poor upbringing, and an extreme disconnection from the "circle of life". But what's more, most of the meat that ends up in the grocery store has been "industrialized"- big businesses forcing out the small farmers and transporting cattle great distances to get processed and packaged and preserved... So many people don't realize just what it takes to get that meat to the grocery store and that we would have a far smaller damaging impact if we would at least supplement our meat supplies with animals we've hunted ourselves.

[NeuroTypical]

chewing out hunters for killing animals and said that they should get their meat from a grocery store where "no animals were harmed"...

Heh - I used to know someone like that. We went to the SLC Greek Festival, and she decided to hold an impromptu protest at the place where they were roasting stuff on spits. She was starting to shout "murderers" louder and louder until I mentioned that we had just come from McDonalds, where she seemed to have no compuctions about wolfing down her big mac.

[Backroads]

I hate hunters who hunt just to enjoy hunting. I love hunters who hunt to feed their families and who enjoy being outdoors. Maybe people would think more about caring for animals if they couldnt just go to the grocery store and pick up hamburger meat. An animal died to provide them with it whether they kill it in person or not. It is an important lesson in life.

We can use the earth for our well being. It was provided for us. I am impressed with the posters here who all seem to attempt to be good stewards of our earth. It doesnt take being a Sierra Club member at all does it.

I read a book last month where the author mentioned he used his deer hunting license to get a couple of a deer a year. Even after the license fee, butchering, packaging, etc, he wound up with extremely cheap meat that was not as harsh on the environment as your average farm.

[Snow]

I went to the temple today and during the endowment I started pondering how much that message seems to want us to take care of this earth that was made for us. It even seems to tell us to take care of the plants and animals so that they can have 'joy'. With these messages, why aren't members of the church more involved in environmental activist activities? or are they and I just don't see it? Does anyone else see the message the same way?

I dunno - how much dough did you contribute to Green Peace last year and how many environmentalist organizations number your name among their active roles?

[annewandering]

I read a book last month where the author mentioned he used his deer hunting license to get a couple of a deer a year. Even after the license fee, butchering, packaging, etc, he wound up with extremely cheap meat that was not as harsh on the environment as your average farm.

Its even cheaper if you butcher and package your own.

[sister_in_faith]

Judo, you are exactly what I was looking for! I don't think all members should go join green peace and attack whale boats!!! I just wish that there was a little more encouragement or teaching from the church about how we need to be good stewards of the earth. I also would like to see more teaching about being 'kind' to animals.

I thought I made clear I wasn't for doing radical things like supporting green peace?

[annewandering]

I kinda like Green Peace going out there and stopping whale murderings. :)

[sister_in_faith]

I wasn't gonna say anything, but so do I... don't tell anyone! shhhhhhhh!

[annewandering]

lol!

[Seminarysnoozer]

I went to the temple today and during the endowment I started pondering how much that message seems to want us to take care of this earth that was made for us. It even seems to tell us to take care of the plants and animals so that they can have 'joy'. With these messages, why aren't members of the church more involved in environmental activist activities? or are they and I just don't see it? Does anyone else see the message the same way?

I think, as in most things, Jesus has the right perspective; Matthew 6;" 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

And "11 Give us this day our daily bread."

In other words, if we worry first about our spiritual well being then the "daily bread" which is all of our physical sustenance will continue to be supplied to us. As Jesus acknowledges, our daily sustenance comes from God, not from our own hand. I think the danger of most environmentalist that I have known is the pride associated with thinking that we have the power to provide even physical sustenance by ourselves and ignoring the idea that all these things come from God. It can drive people to spend too much time worrying about it and not being thankful and acknowledging where it really comes from. I agree with being good stewards but our primary stewardship is not to worry about what we should eat, drink or be clothed with. That is a secondary worry if that.

I have a friend that I visit regularly who spends a huge amount of time recycling and being "green" on a daily basis but can't find time to read the scriptures every day. Environmentalism has the potential to take over people's desires.

[Snow]

I thought I made clear I wasn't for doing radical things like supporting green peace?

Yeah - well - whatever... how much time, money and effort do you expend on environmentalist activities?

[sister_in_faith]

I'm assuming that you are asking this question in the context of this thread.

If you have read the thread you know that I have come to the conclusion that following the teachings of the church, makes us environmentally minded by default. For example, growing our own food, sewing our own clothes, caring for our animals and crops, all these things help decrease our carbon foot print so to speak.

I am not perfect in doing this, but I am striving to do better, and especially after discovering this I will really try to do better.

Does that answer your question Snow, or did I miss the point?

[Leah]

I went to the temple today and during the endowment I started pondering how much that message seems to want us to take care of this earth that was made for us. It even seems to tell us to take care of the plants and animals so that they can have 'joy'. With these messages, why aren't members of the church more involved in environmental activist activities? or are they and I just don't see it? Does anyone else see the message the same way?

I've always been taught that you don't talk about what goes on inside the Temple outside of the Temple.

[Leah]

I am confused by the OP and this thread.

I have always been taught that we don't discuss what happens in the Temple outside of the Temple. Yet sharing details about the endowment is okay on a public forum?

[Dravin]

I am confused by the OP and this thread.

I have always been taught that we don't discuss what happens in the Temple outside of the Temple. Yet sharing details about the endowment is okay on a public forum?

Not quite. We don't discuss certain aspects of what happens in the temple outside of the temple, both out of it's sacred nature and because of covenants we make. If what you are saying was literally true we wouldn't be able to tell anyone that we make covenants in the temple, or that we don't sacrifice virgins there.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Dravin

[JudoMinja]

I am confused by the OP and this thread.

I have always been taught that we don't discuss what happens in the Temple outside of the Temple. Yet sharing details about the endowment is okay on a public forum?

I don't think this has crossed any line of any "details" being shared. SIF simply shared her impression and feelings about a particular topic after going through her endowment session. I have not yet been through the temple for my own endowment, and I don't see how this thread has revealed anything I shouldn't know.

We can talk about the temple and what happens inside- there are just certain things (from what I understand) that we will be asked to keep "secret". Mostly, we just have to be careful to respect its sacredness and not bring up anything in a conversation that might subject these sacred things to ridicule or misunderstanding.

[Guest Magen_Avot]

He also never rode in a Prius, held US citizenship, or used electricity, plastics, modern antibiotics, computers, artificial fibers, chlorinated water, canned food... the list is quite large. While what you are trying to say, that you feel Christ would have made an effort to be as environmentally sustainable as possible may have value, your above point is rather silly.

We do sometimes make 'over the top' statements (don't we all?), and while the same statement stopped me cold, I had to read the rest to really undestand (at least I hope I did). I don't think it was worthy of a brow-beating though. IMO moderators are kinda like cops with badges and when they make comments it's different. Just a thought.

[Backroads]

Its even cheaper if you butcher and package your own.

Oh, yes! Though according to the author his wife did not allow deer butchering in her nice clean kitchen. Perhaps not being killed by his wife was worth the extra cost.