Happy International Mother Earth Day!

Did you know April 22 is International Mother Earth Day? I often wish the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was louder about the sacred nature (pun intended) of environmental stewardship and the responsibility we all share to combat climate change, build a more sustainable culture, and protect our planet and the living things on it.

I searched the General Conference archives from the 1930s to the present day for mentions of “climate” and only turned up a handful of examples and almost all were figurative (e.g., “we must establish a moral climate”) or just part of the background of a metaphorical story (i.e., “these plants can grow in even harsh climates”). I found one talk that referenced “climate changes” by L. Tom Perry in 1981 as just one of a long list of “concerns” that brought about “a spirit of gloom” among people. He goes on to say “I can understand why those who are without faith in our Lord and Savior would become prophets of gloom. Times can be difficult. However, a look at the causes of the difficulties proves that they are man-made and that solutions are within man’s ability to accomplish.” (Is this a subtle endorsement of anthropogenic climate change? In the 80s? This was before I was even born, but I was surprised to find it.)

Then, I searched the General Conference archives for “Mother Earth” and was interested to see 28 mentions in the 1850s, 14 in the 1860s, 22 in the 1870s, then single digits from the 1880s-1970s. After that, most years have had zero reference to Mother Earth except for two talks in the 2000s. Of those two talks in the 2000s, one was Shayne M. Bowen quoting 2 Nephi 9:7 referring to flesh crumbling to Mother Earth without hope after death if there were no Jesus. The other was Thomas S. Monson, also describing a specific death with a casket lowered into Mother Earth. The older talks are a mix of expressions about death and burial, confident assertions that the Earth will provide for those who work, and some yeoman farmer idealization similar to the rhetoric of Thomas Jefferson. The closest I found to praising Mother Earth was a talk by Stephen L. Richards in 1940: “What a marvelous boon is mother earth! How abundantly she yields of her hidden chemicals and nutriments to make the verdure and the vegetation that gladdens and supports the race. My brothers and sisters, — countrymen of these mountain valleys, I fear we scarcely appreciate the inestimable privilege that we have to live on the soil.”

Brigham Young had some unique things to say about Mother Earth. He spoke in 1853 about how we human beings are as ephemeral as grass: “Why will the Latter-day Saints wander off after the things of this world? But are they not good? We can not do very well without them, for we are of the world, we are in the world, we partake of the elements of which it is composed; it is our mother earth, we are composed of the same native material. It is all good, the air, the water, the gold and silver; the wheat, the fine flour, and the cattle upon a thousand hills are all good; but, why do men set their hearts upon them in their present organized state? Why not lay a sure foundation to control them hereafter? Why do we not keep it continually before us that all flesh is grass; it is to-day, and to-morrow it is not; it is like the flower of the grass when it is cut down, it withers, and is no more?” More bizarrely, he claimed that the Biblical flood was a baptism that the Earth needed for a remission of its sins: “We are of the earth, earthy, and not only will the portion of mother earth which composes these bodies get a resurrection, but the earth itself. It has already had a baptism. You who have read the Bible must know that that is Bible doctrine. What does it matter if it is not stated in the same words that I use, it is none the less true that it was baptized for the remission of sins. The Lord said, “I will deluge (or immerse) the earth in water for the remission of the sins of the people;” or if you will allow me to express myself in a familiar style, to kill all the vermin that were nitting, and breeding, and polluting its body; it was cleansed of its filthiness; and soaked in the water, as long as some of our people ought to soak. The Lord baptized the earth for the remission of sins, and it has been once cleansed from the filthiness that has gone out of it, which was in the inhabitants who dwelt upon its face.” (I don’t know of any other LDS leader who has taught this.)

In modern times, protecting Mother Earth and fighting man-made climate change and its catastrophic effects are more important than ever. It’s strange to me that we don’t talk about this sacred duty we have more. I can’t recall environmental protection ever being a major feature of a Sacrament talk, Sunday School, or Relief Society lesson in my experience. The Church does have resources online of scriptures and talks addressing environmental stewardship and conservation, but am I the only one who pretty much never heard these messages at worship services or even in social events with other members?

Part of environmental justice is understanding the ways environmental injustice disproportionately impacts women, children, poor people, people of color, and other marginalized identities. Proper stewardship of the environment centers the experiences, ideas, and knowledge of those most affected. I once read a memoir called Unbowed by Kenyan environmental, political, and women’s rights activist and Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai. The way her values in promoting science, lifting up women and girls, and fighting for democracy all weaved together really moved me. If you don’t know a lot about environmental justice but want to start learning, I highly recommend reading her book. Regardless of how you choose to recognize the occasion, Happy International Mother Earth Day!