Commentary: My Adgenda

If you are anything like me, then you approach the so-called bloggernacle with an ounce of suspicion. When I visit a new blog or read a new post, I quickly try to determine if it is “virtuous, lovely and of good report.” Although I admit to sometimes reading posts that aren't lovely, but merely interesting or amusing. For the most part, I have been pleasantly surprised by the many intelligent and uplifting writings that are being posted. In fact, I am a little jealous of the writing and academic talents on display in the bloggernacle.


The agenda of Latter-Day Sustainability.

In hopes of mitigating suspicion, I will use this post to freely share my agenda for Latter-Day Sustainability.

Latter-Day Sustainability has one goal: To encourage good stewardship of God’s Creation.

I hope to achieve this goal in the following ways:

1. By providing a resource where interested parties can learn what church leaders, church members, and especially the Scriptures have to say about consumption, sustainability and environmental topics.
2. By providing a forum where consumption, sustainability and environmental topics can be discussed from an LDS perspective.

To very loosely paraphrase Joseph Smith, “I [am compiling a list of links to help people learn] correct principles, and [am hoping that they will] govern themselves [sustainably].”


What Latter-Day Sustainability is not.

Obviously I don’t speak for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Nor do I speak for any other organization, group, or specific cause.

This blog is not about pushing environmental politics and green guilt-trips. I am trying to avoid controversial issues that tend to polarize and divide, though I may end up writing about specific issues on occasion (time will tell). Be sure to point out if ever I stray.


Why sustainability?

This is the short answer (in Mormon speak): Because I have a testimony of our responsibility as stewards of God’s Creation.

Elder Oaks gave a great talk entitled Good, Better, Best. Some might put sustainability into the “good” category. I confess that when compared to the things of eternity, temporal issues like sustainability may not fall in the category of “best” or even “better.” However, I would point out that Earth is spiritual as well as temporal (Moses 3:5), and that the Lord saw fit to dedicate small portions of the Scriptures for instruction on environmental stewardship issues. Thus, I am content to hope that Latter-Day Sustainability will fill a small, if only “good” niche.

Just for fun, what other small–but-“good” niches haven’t been filled in the bloggernacle? Any Mormon Mariners fans out there?