“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you.
or let the fish of the sea inform you.”

-Job 12.7-8

“It would go a great way to caution and direct people in their Use of the World, that they were better studied and known in the Creation of it.

For how can Man find the Confidence to abuse it, while they should see the Great Creator stare them in the Face, in all and every Part thereof?”

-William Penn in The Fruits of Solitude

“That as the mind was moved by an inward principle to love God as an invisible, incomprehensible Being, by the same principle it was moved to love him in all his manifestations in the visible world. That as by his breath the flame of life was kindled in all animal and sensible creatures, to say we love God as unseen and at the same time to exercise cruelty toward the least creature moving by his life or by life derived from his was a contradiction in itself.”

-John Woolman in The Journal of John Woolman

“God calls Friends today. . .to look into our hearts and examine our relationship with the rest of Creation, and to recognize that our neighbor includes the entire Earth community. We, too, are being asked to give up habits and things which have made our lives seem easier, just as slaves appeared to make life easier for their owners.

-Lisa Gould– from Friends, Slavery, and the Earth

(Faith)

Friends in Northern Yearly Meeting find spiritual nourishment in our connections to Creation. As we care for pets or houseplants, work in our gardens, walk to work, hike in the woods, appreciate backyard wildlife, and retreat to nature for healing, we find a sense of renewal, of connection to God, and of unity with all Creation.

As individuals, we have a wide variety of beliefs about God, and about the details of God’s presence in the natural world. But beyond these differences, we share a sense that our relationship to the Divine is intertwined with our relationship to the rest of Creation. Brokenness in our interactions with the natural world grows out of- and feeds– - our separation from Spirit. Each step towards healing in our relationship to the natural world also brings spiritual healing and growth . As we grow more open to the Divine, we see and hear more clearly where we are called to act next in our relationship with the earth and in our daily lives.

Jesus said, “If you [have come to worship and]. . . remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift to God.” (Matthew 5:23-24.)

Our relationship with God will be whole and complete when we have been reconciled to those we have wronged or wounded. Could we consider including the damaged creatures and natural systems of Earth among those “brothers and sisters” with whom we seek reconciliation?

(History)

Human beings have always seen the Divine in the natural world. Indigenous cultures in all parts of the world have been aware of and honored Spirit within in all aspects of nature.

Hebrew Scriptures affirm that God created the earth, and that, even before humans were created, “. . .it was very good”. The Psalms speak of God as “.my Light and my Redeemer,” as “ruah (spirit/ wind/ breath),” as “my rock.”

Jesus sought out the wilderness for times of renewal and connection with the Divine, and he talked about our relationship to God in parables that speak of good soil, of a fruitful vine, a spring of water, of seeds, wind and fire, rock and sand, sowing and reaping.

Early Friends, too, appreciated this connection and spoke of it.

“What wages doth the Lord desire of you for his earth that he giveth to you. . .but that you give him the praise and honor, and the thanks, and the glory, and not that you should spend the creatures upon your lusts, but to do good with them, you that have much to them that have little, and to honor God with your substance. . .leave all creatures behind you as you found them, which God hath given to serve all nations and generations.”

(this was written in 1678, but I don’t know where it is found—anyone know?)-George Fox

Later, Rufus Jones, in Finding The Trail of Life, spoke of the importance of beauty in the natural world: “. . .my love of beauty in nature helped very much to strengthen my faith in God. I felt his presence in my world rather than thought out how he could be there. When I was moved with wonder, awe, and mystery, I was always reaching out beyond what I saw and touched. . .”

In the last several decades, as we’ve seen the results of our culture’s disrespect for the intricacy, diversity, and interconnectedness of the natural world, Friends have felt a need to speak more specifically about our responsibilities for stewardship and earthcare. Friends in NYM first voiced these concerns as a body in 1988, approving this minute: “Gathering on Holy Ground, we are feeling a concern for nature, for God’s creation as well as what harm we are doing to God’s creation. We perceive this as a spiritual concern.”

In 1993, another NYM minute stated, “We as Friends affirm our spiritual relationship with nature. Our concern for the earth is interwoven in all aspects of our lives, and we recognize that we are responsible for helping to maintain the precarious balance in all of Creation.”

FCNL’s 1997 policy statement also spoke of this concern: “The earth we share is limited in its capacity to support life and to provide resources for our survival. The environment that has provided sustenance for generations must be protected for generations to come. We have an obligation, therefore, to be responsible stewards of the earth, to restore its natural habitat where it has been damaged, and to maintain its vitality. Friends historic testimonies on simplicity have long stressed that the quality of life does not depend upon immodest [material] consumption. . .”

(Connections to Peace and Justice)

Friends testimonies for Simplicity, Community, Integrity and Peace all remind us to use the gifts of Creation wisely, not to take more than we need, and to be aware of the ways our actions affect others.

Whenever human beings have damaged the integrity of the natural world, there have been resulting violations of human rights– people have been deprived of basic human necessities such as clean air and water, the opportunity to grow their own food, and of cultural and spiritual connections to their land and their communities.

When we damage the earth, we are behaving blindly, disconnected from the enormity of the harm we are doing to ourselves.

“For our own well-being, we need to respect God’s creation or risk losing the loving sustenance God intends it to provide to us and to each sacred entity. When we carelessly treat our biosphere with lack of respect, we defy God, its creator. Such offenses harm not only the plants, animals, environment, and other people, but also the perpetrators. . . .we are behaving psychotically, disconnected from the fact that we are hurting ourselves.” (Diane Peterson, TCFM, 1995)

In 1763 in A Plea for the Poor, John Woolman urged to examine their lives to see if there might be the “…seeds of war in these our possessions.” Today we need to look closely not only at our homes, furniture, and garments, but also at the food we eat, the cars we drive, the ways we use our time and money , and our attitudes towards the earth. We should ask ourselves whether we are sowing the seeds of renewal and healing– or of continued ecological decline and the resource wars that come with it.

(Practice)

In 2001, a call for “A Testimony for All Creation” from Alden McCutchan (Cannon Valley Monthly Meeting) was included in a Friends Committee on Unity with Nature report to the NYM business session. He wrote, “Friends endeavor to live joyfully, mindfully, and with reverent regard for the natural world, supporting one another and keeping this leading a discernible element of living in the manner of Friends.”

How do NYM Friends do this?

We strive to remember the importance of balancing the urgency of the need to change the way we live with compassion for how hard (sometimes seemingly impossible) it is to make those changes. We recognize that each individual is at his/her own point on the path, and needs to discern the right next step– and we know the importance of corporate witness.

As individuals and families, and in our Meetings, we recycle and compost. We try to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and on toxic materials, We look for food that is organic or locally-grown. Some of us earn our livelihood through earth-healing work such as growing food, providing renewable energy, environmental education, or earth-friendly health care. We join ecumenical and secular environmental groups in the larger society to work for education and political change on a wide range of environmental concerns. Some Meetings have included renewable energy as part of their building designs. Some have offered “Simple Living” discussion groups to their communities. And yet many of us still feel that this is somehow not enough.

Friends within NYM live lives with a wide range of ecological footprints, but no matter how careful we are, we know we use more resources than mot people on the planet. In the State of the Society with Attention to Earthcare, approved by NYM in June, 2001, Friends agreed that

“We acknowledge that at times we participate in activities we know to be harmful to the Earth and to ourselves. Simply by living where we do, in the culture of the United States, we each contribute daily to the global eco-crisis. Knowing this, many of us struggle with feelings of frustration or despair, wishing we could change but not seeing a way forward. Economic survival, comfort, community connections, and convenience for ourselves and our families are often major factors in our decisions.

“We struggle. We celebrate. We live our lives as best we can. We wait and live in the Light. We search for individual and corporate discernment. We pray for Divine guidance and for the strength to follow it.”

Queries

For individuals: Reflecting on our Practice

1. How gently do I walk on the earth? Do I live simply, mindful of how my life affects the earth and its treasures?
2. What changes in my actions and attitudes will move me most clearly towards a right relationship with the earth?
3. What emotional and intellectual conflicts do I experience as I consider my actions and choices in relationship with the earth? How can I find support as I face these conflicts?
   –#s 1-3 from Walking Gently on the Earth, by Jack Phillips
4. How do I strive to live with respect and care for all of Creation, considering the consequences of my actions and avoiding those which sow the seeds of environmental destruction?
5. In what ways do I share the deep pleasure and exuberant joy in the natural world with children?

For Meetings: Reflecting on our Practice

1. What is our vision of how Friends could work together to “be patterns and examples” of a spirit-centered and truly sustainable way of life? What steps could we take towards making this vision a living witness?
2. How can we encourage ongoing conversation about and wrestling with our relationship to the earth, among our members/attenders, and in the wider community?

For Individuals or Groups: Discussion of Faith/ Ideas

1. How do you respond to the statement “There is that of God, not only in every human person, but in every element of Creation.”?
2. How do you perceive humans’ relationship with the natural world? What role do you think humans have in its preservation?
3. In what ways are your experiences in the natural world of a religious/ spiritual nature?
4. Do you see efforts to treasure and preserve elements of the natural world as ways of “keeping a covenant” with God? How?

Feedback and comments may be directed to: helpsmeet@usa.net or to Sandra Helpsmeet, 2550 Gregerson Dr., Eau Claire, WI   54703  by the end of November.