Earth Responds to Sin and Righteousness

"Sadly, today we live in a world where individuals may choose to reject God and treat His creation with disdain. When this occurs, God and creation are pained."

Because of our selfishness we have failed in our responsibility to be guardians and stewards of the earth. “We need only take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair” (ibid., 61). We have polluted it, we have despoiled it, endangering our very lives. For this reason, various international and local movements have sprung up in order to appeal to our consciences. I deeply appreciate these initiatives; still it will be necessary for our children to take to the streets to teach us the obvious: we have no future if we destroy the very environment that sustains us.

We have failed to care for the earth, our garden-home; we have failed to care for our brothers and sisters. We have sinned against the earth, against our neighbours, and ultimately against the Creator, the benevolent Father who provides for everyone, and desires us to live in communion and flourish together. And how does the earth react? There is a Spanish saying that is very clear about this. It goes: “God always forgives; we humans sometimes forgive, and sometimes not; the earth never forgives”. The earth does not forgive: if we have despoiled the earth, its response will be very ugly.

Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the Lord, because he cometh to judge the earth.

“The Spirit of the Lord and keys of the priesthood hold power over all animated beings. When Father Adam transgressed the law, he did not fall at once from the presence of the Lord. . . . Men continued to sin and degenerate from generation to generation. . . . During this time the earth and all creation groaned in sin, and enmity increased, and the lives of men and beasts decreased. . . . In this dispensation the keys . . . will be restored, and we are to return into the favor and presence of the Lord. . . . Cease hostility with the serpents and lay aside all enmity and treat all animals kindly.”

"You are here commencing anew. The soil, the air, the water are all pure and healthy. Do not suffer them to become polluted with wickedness. Strive to preserve the elements from being contaminated by the filthy, wicked conduct and sayings of those who pervert the intelligence God has bestowed upon the human family."

"It is then that the enmity of the beasts of the field as well as that of all flesh will cease; no more one beast of prey devouring and feasting upon another that is more harmless in its nature; no more will this enmity be found in the fish of the sea, or in the birds of the air. This change will be wrought upon all flesh when Jesus comes; not a change to immortality, but a change sufficient to alter the ferocious nature of beasts, birds and fishes. in those days the lion will eat straw like the ox; he will no more be the terror of the forest, but will be perfectly harmless and gentleness will characterize all the wild and ferocious animals, as well as the venomous serpents, so much so that the little child might lead them and play with them, and nothing should hurt or destroy in all the holy mountain of the Lord; all things becoming, in some measure, as when they were first created. For it will be remembered that animals did not devour one another until after the fall, neither was there any death, until after the fall. What did they eat, then? The Lord said, 'To every beast of the field, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat.' The grass, and the herbs, and every green thing were their food. And Adam and Eve ate fruits and vegetables, not animal flesh. The whole earth will be restored; and man will be restored; and not only upon man, but upon all flesh the Spirit of God will be poured out and they will eventually be restored to all that was lost by the fall of our first parents. Then the knowledge of God will cover the whole earth, as the waters cover the great deep. And then the animal creation will manifest more intelligence and more knowledge than they do now, in their fallen condition, Indeed, we have a declaration, by John the Revelator, that when this time shall come, they will even know how to praise God. He says, 'And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honor and glory, the Lamb for ever and ever.' What? The animal creation endowed with language? Yes, a language of praise, saying something concerning the Lamb that was slain, and about his glory and excellency. What a beautiful creation this will be when all these things are fulfilled."

"As we have discussed, we live in a world in which individuals may choose to reject God and treat His creation with disdain. When this occurs, God and creation are pained. LDS scripture contained in the Pearl of Great Price relates a vision in which Enoch of Old Testament times saw that the God of heaven wept on account of the poor choices and suffocating selfishness of humankind—His children."

"According to LDS scripture, when man pollutes this world spiritually or temporally, not only God, but nature also suffers!"

"When He [Christ] interviews us, I feel certain that one of His questions will, in essence, be the following: 'What have you done with the earth which my Father and I gave you as a home? Have you cherished and protected it? Have you dressed it and kept it, as your father Adam was commanded to do? Or have you laid waste to it, defiled its waters, destroyed its fertile lands, befouled its life-giving air?' To those questions, I fear there are many, even among those who aspire to become a Zion people, who will hang their heads in shame. The earth groans under the insults inflicted upon it."

And he heard a loud voice; and the heavens were veiled; and all the creations of God mourned; and the earth groaned; and the rocks were rent; and the saints arose, and were crowned at the right hand of the Son of Man, with crowns of glory;

And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah?

Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me?

1. Great King of heav'n, our hearts we raise To thee in prayer, to thee in praise. The vales exult, the hills acclaim, And all thy works revere thy name.

2. O Israel's God! Thine arm is strong. To thee all earth and skies belong, And with one voice in one glad chord, With myriad echoes, praise the Lord.

2. O messengers of truth, go forth, Proclaim the gospel story, Go forth the nations to prepare To greet the King of glory. We shout hosanna, shout again, Till all creation blending Shall join in one great, grand amen Of anthems never ending.

5. He died, and at the awful sight The sun in shame withdrew its light! Earth trembled, and all nature sighed, Earth trembled, and all nature sighed In dread response, "A God has died!"

"Our agency affects the earth in less overt ways as well. Throughout ancient and modern scripture, it is clear that the productivity of the earth is tied to the righteousness of its inhabitants. It cannot yield its strength to us when we do not keep the Creator's commandments. Hence, one of the underlying causes of current environmental degradation is undoubtedly that the earth groans under the burden of wickedness upon its face."

"It is unrighteousness in general that is bringing the earth down, not just environmental abuse; indeed, one gets the impression from all that Enoch sees and hears in this vision that a little smog is the least of the earth's worries. But that in itself is an important point and teaches a lesson that is often overlooked in discussions about the environment: nature suffers when man is unrighteous. Enoch is telling us [in Moses 7:48] that the earth, like God, has a low tolerance for sin of any sort, and that the strip mining, overgrazing, air pollution, and animal abuse that constitute the meat and drink of mainstream environmentalism today are actually only part, and probably a small part, of the problem. Just as devastating to the planet, perhaps in ways not as immediately apparent but every bit as real, is the 'great chain' Satan holds in his hand, with which he veils 'the whole face of the earth with darkness' (Moses 7:26). One shows 'compassion upon the earth,' to use the prophet's phrase, by keeping all God's commandments, not just those that speak directly to the subject (Moses 7:49)."

"The prophet Enoch’s vision of the mourning earth constitutes a poignant and remarkable confirmation of the reality of the earth’s spirit and capacity to experience pain. Enoch ascended a mountain and 'beheld the heavens open' and 'all nations of the earth.' After observing the Savior’s mortal ministry and wickedness of humankind, 'Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?' '[W]hen Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth?' Anguished by the vision, Enoch repeatedly asked the Lord, 'when shall the earth rest?' He learned that the earth would rest only after Zion was established and the Savior returned to the earth."

"Just as we depend on this earth, the earth depends on us. We are intimately interrelated, and I'm concerned that she groans under our sins. The biological and physical worlds are pure. They fully obey the will of the Lord and are redeemed through their service to us, but they also suffer due to our disobedience. I believe we humans are the cause of much of the 'natural' chaos in the world. It is a reflection of who we are and of the choices we have made.

2. Rejoice! Rejoice when Jesus reigns, And Saints their songs employ, While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

1. All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your voice and with us sing, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Oh, praise him! Alleluia!

2. Thou rushing wind that art so strong, Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice; Ye light of evening, find a voice, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Oh, praise him! Alleluia!

3. Thou flowing water, pure and clear, Make music for thy Lord to hear, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou fire so masterful and bright, That gives to man both warmth and light, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Oh, praise him! Alleluia!

4. Dear Mother Earth, who day by day Unfoldest blessings on our way, Alleluia! Alleluia! The flow'rs and fruit that in thee grow, Let them his glory also show, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Oh, praise him! Alleluia!

"Our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us . . . This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor"

“Failure to fulfill our obligations as faithful trustees of the gifts of God’s creation will inevitably bring God’s judgment upon us. The earth itself will rebel against our greedy and thoughtless exploitation of nature and our irresponsible fecundity.”

This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand

Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. . . . Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word: Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars: Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: . . . Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.

Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

And behold, there shall be great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall be many places which are now called valleys which shall become mountains, whose height is great.

Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole earth, yea, both above the earth and beneath.

Yea, at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this earth, which are both above the earth and beneath, which ye know at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass, shall be broken up;

Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted

And all these things must surely come, saith the prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature suffers.