If you haven’t heard, the Sierra Club has praised the LDS Church for the Church’s role in developing the City Creek Center in Salt Lake City. You can read about the Sierra Club’s praise for City Creek in this Deseret News Article, or in this post at the Green Mormon Architect blog.
GMA has done a great job highlighting these exciting developments. Rather than rehashing what has already been written, I’ll just refer you to GMA’s blog –highly recommended.
After studying the reader comments to the Deseret News article, I am a little shocked at the responses to the Sierra Club. In my shocked state I came up with a few questions:
What is an appropriate response to the Sierra Club’s praise for the Church and the City Creek Center?
What would Jesus do if he were praised by the Sierra Club?
-This is the part where I jump into controversy by suggesting how our Lord would respond.-
I believe that Jesus would humbly acknowledge the praise then continue to quietly watch over His stewardship. Jesus knows that His disciples include those who in good faith love the Sierra Club and those who in good faith loathe the Sierra Club. (His discilpes also include great many, including your's truely, who fall somewhere in between.) Because one’s attitude to the Sierra Club is not a litmus test for discipleship, Jesus would continue to embrace those on all sides of this issue. Just like His Church is doing, Jesus would continue to build buildings that are spiritually, fiscally, and environmentally responsible.
Don’t believe me? Check out this release from the Church’s newsroom. Oh, and be sure to listen to the audio files in the press release. I guess the Mormon Church is "green".
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Commentary: EXPENSIVE GAS, what is the cost of convenience?
Today I drove to a nearby town to do a little work. My drive was great. The sun was shining bright, and the grass and trees were green and beautiful. I wasn’t in a big hurry so I just turned on a little talk radio and enjoyed the drive.
The talking heads on the radio were all concerned about the high gas prices. I too like to complain about high gas prices, so I enjoyed the ranting. One of the radio voices suggested a return to the 55 MPH speed limit as a way of conserving gas. Liking the idea of saving gas (money), I slowed down to a more energy efficient speed. It made me feel very much like my grandmother -she always seems to be going a speed very different from everyone else on the road (at least I stayed in the right hand lane).
So there I was, in the right lane, driving slow, and listening to the radio go on-and-on about gas prices. In my mind I was imagining the other drivers on the road were also complaining about gas prices. Then I asked myself the obvious question: If these other drivers are also mad about high gas prices, why don’t they slow down too?
That is when it hit me…
Complaining about the high cost of gas is really just complaining about the high cost of convenience. I want to drive fast, but I don’t want to be burdened by the additional cost of fuel associated with that convenience. I want to a drive big comfortable car, but I get annoyed by the cost of that convenience too.
My rants about the price at the pump are just rants about the cost of the convenient and comfortable lifestyle that I have chosen. I am blessed that rising fuel costs are only an annoyance for me.
The talking heads on the radio were all concerned about the high gas prices. I too like to complain about high gas prices, so I enjoyed the ranting. One of the radio voices suggested a return to the 55 MPH speed limit as a way of conserving gas. Liking the idea of saving gas (money), I slowed down to a more energy efficient speed. It made me feel very much like my grandmother -she always seems to be going a speed very different from everyone else on the road (at least I stayed in the right hand lane).
So there I was, in the right lane, driving slow, and listening to the radio go on-and-on about gas prices. In my mind I was imagining the other drivers on the road were also complaining about gas prices. Then I asked myself the obvious question: If these other drivers are also mad about high gas prices, why don’t they slow down too?
That is when it hit me…
Complaining about the high cost of gas is really just complaining about the high cost of convenience. I want to drive fast, but I don’t want to be burdened by the additional cost of fuel associated with that convenience. I want to a drive big comfortable car, but I get annoyed by the cost of that convenience too.
My rants about the price at the pump are just rants about the cost of the convenient and comfortable lifestyle that I have chosen. I am blessed that rising fuel costs are only an annoyance for me.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
30 years ago...
This is a little off my primary topic, but I want to commemorate a wonderful thing that happened 30 years ago this week. You can read about it in this post, or this document.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Resource: Kimball Quote (A retro localvore!)
President Kimball has so many quotes on subjects germane to my blog that it was difficult to choose one for this post. I chose the quote below because it shows that President Kimball was a pioneer in the now popular "localvore" movement! Mormons are way ahead of the times yet again.
Quote from The Stone Cut Without Hands, General Conference 4/76, Spencer W. Kimball:
"We commend to you the garden fever. If every family had a garden and rural families had a cow and chickens, some fruit trees, and a garden, it is amazing how nearly the family could be fed from their own lot."
And many more quotes from President Kimball to come...
Quote from The Stone Cut Without Hands, General Conference 4/76, Spencer W. Kimball:
"We commend to you the garden fever. If every family had a garden and rural families had a cow and chickens, some fruit trees, and a garden, it is amazing how nearly the family could be fed from their own lot."
And many more quotes from President Kimball to come...
Monday, May 19, 2008
Resource: Luke 12:15
The words of Jesus, Luke 12:15:
Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Resource: Hymns (Music and nature show God's glory)
Few things can communicate God's glory and love like music and nature. We find the best of both in the LDS hymnbook. Here are just a few examples:
#33 Our Mountain Home So Dear
The streamlet, flow’r, and sod
Bespeak the works of God;
And all combine,
And all combine,
With most transporting grace,
His handiwork to trace,
Thru nature’s smiling face,
In art divine.
#62 All Creature of Our God and King
All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia!
#92 For the Beauty of the Earth
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
What are your favorite hymns (from the LDS hymnbook and beyond) that celebrate God's glory and creation?
#33 Our Mountain Home So Dear
The streamlet, flow’r, and sod
Bespeak the works of God;
And all combine,
And all combine,
With most transporting grace,
His handiwork to trace,
Thru nature’s smiling face,
In art divine.
#62 All Creature of Our God and King
All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia!
#92 For the Beauty of the Earth
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
What are your favorite hymns (from the LDS hymnbook and beyond) that celebrate God's glory and creation?
Monday, April 28, 2008
Commentary: Gospel, Consumption, and Algebra
If you haven’t seen Saturday’s Warrior, don’t. If you have, you know all about “Zero-Population.” Rather than learning about the Mormon tenet of “multiply and replenish” from a cheesy Mormon musical, how about using algebra?
Let ‘R’ equal average consumption per person.
Let ‘P’ equal the total population.
Let ‘C’ equal total capacity for consumption.
R x P < C
For those who understand numbers better than letters, let's say that we have 50 apples and 10 people. Using a little algebra and little division, we can conclude that each person gets an average of no more than 5 apples:
50 apples / 10 people > 5 apples per person
Taking this equation (or “inequality” to the math guru -but let's just call it an equation) to a global scale, we can multiply the average individual consumption by the total world population to find the total resources consumed. However ‘R x P’ must not be larger than ‘C’, because we cannot surpass the Earth’s capacity to sustain life.
The Restored Gospel teaches us about each term in the equation. We learn about ‘C’ from Doctrine and Covenants 104:17. This scripture teaches that the Earth has enough capacity ‘C’ for everyone:
"For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves."
We learn about ‘P’ from (among other places) “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” This document says that for now, we (at least the Latter-day Saints) are commanded to multiply and replenish (increase ‘P’):
“We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”
Considering that the Earth’s resources (‘C’) are "enough," but finite, and that population (‘P’) is to continue growing, the equation demands that our rate of consumption (‘R’) be limited. The gospel also demands that we limit our rate of consumption. Elder Neal A. Maxwell, referencing the Doctrine and Covenants 104:17 said this:
“The resources so necessary to sustain human life are so generously provided on this particular planet; unless they are mismanaged, we are told that there is ‘enough and to spare’.”
Using the language of the equation, we can restate Elder Maxwell’s statement in this way: ‘C’ is so generously provided on this planet, that unless ‘R’ is mismanaged, we are told that there is enough and to spare for all of ‘P’.
I am convinced that our current rate of consumption is taking a serious toll on God’s Earth. I pray we can all enjoy God’s creation, but not in excess (see Doctrine and Covenants 59:18-20).
Let ‘R’ equal average consumption per person.
Let ‘P’ equal the total population.
Let ‘C’ equal total capacity for consumption.
R x P < C
For those who understand numbers better than letters, let's say that we have 50 apples and 10 people. Using a little algebra and little division, we can conclude that each person gets an average of no more than 5 apples:
50 apples / 10 people > 5 apples per person
Taking this equation (or “inequality” to the math guru -but let's just call it an equation) to a global scale, we can multiply the average individual consumption by the total world population to find the total resources consumed. However ‘R x P’ must not be larger than ‘C’, because we cannot surpass the Earth’s capacity to sustain life.
The Restored Gospel teaches us about each term in the equation. We learn about ‘C’ from Doctrine and Covenants 104:17. This scripture teaches that the Earth has enough capacity ‘C’ for everyone:
"For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves."
We learn about ‘P’ from (among other places) “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” This document says that for now, we (at least the Latter-day Saints) are commanded to multiply and replenish (increase ‘P’):
“We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”
Considering that the Earth’s resources (‘C’) are "enough," but finite, and that population (‘P’) is to continue growing, the equation demands that our rate of consumption (‘R’) be limited. The gospel also demands that we limit our rate of consumption. Elder Neal A. Maxwell, referencing the Doctrine and Covenants 104:17 said this:
“The resources so necessary to sustain human life are so generously provided on this particular planet; unless they are mismanaged, we are told that there is ‘enough and to spare’.”
Using the language of the equation, we can restate Elder Maxwell’s statement in this way: ‘C’ is so generously provided on this planet, that unless ‘R’ is mismanaged, we are told that there is enough and to spare for all of ‘P’.
I am convinced that our current rate of consumption is taking a serious toll on God’s Earth. I pray we can all enjoy God’s creation, but not in excess (see Doctrine and Covenants 59:18-20).
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