Relationship with Nature: A Christian's Perspective

As I've recently finished my senior thesis for the literature dept., I've had time to reflect on what it means/meant to me. For my thesis, I examined the theme of mankind being stewards of the earth within Genesis. It's a subject matter that I'm honestly passionate about and I enjoy discussing it with others.


Through the past fews years I have spent a lot of my time becoming familiar with the "Green" movement within the Church.... the call to return back to caring for the earth in a Biblical light.... remembering that we were made as stewards of the earth. This is relevant to our American Indian Literature class because so often I find myself saying "Yes! This is Biblical!" whenever I come across Indians speaking of their relationship with nature... how they respect it... how they see themselves as caretakers.... If I'm being honest, I think that every Christian should be environmentalists- and radical at that. It's something that the Church has swept under the rug. Partially I think this is due because the Church doesn't want to face up to the fact that they were responsible for a lot of damage done to the Earth, but also redeeming the earth and cleaning it up takes active effort- and we Christians are lazy. 


For the longest time, I thought that I was a crazy Christian for believing that we had a responsibility to take care of the earth. My home church thought that I was this "hippy" and "earth freak," but I saw them as ignorant and stubborn. I didn't like how the Church saw the world or our bodies as "bad," because I saw nothing but beauty. God made the earth and God made our bodies- why would they be sinful even if we treated them right? I didn't understand why they saw themselves as "above nature" because we were created from it, from the ground, from the dirt. So many questions had me distraught for the longest time and at times I didn't think anyone understood where I was trying to come from. It wasn't until I read Walt Whitman for the first time in 11th grade that I realized that someone else did understand me. Whitman saw God in nature. He saw beauty in everything- even the smell of his own armpits. 

I drank Whitman up; I soaked in his poetry and basked in his optimistic spirit. I can remember shouting, "EXACTLY" every now and then whenever I came across a lyric that glorified the oneness of his relationship with everything around him. It wasn't until I read Zitkala-Sa in humanities324 that I think something "clicked" inside of me. Here's a picture of her:

Zitkala-Sa, or Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, is a Sioux indian (you can learn more about her here) and wrote one of my favorite essays of all time called, "Why I Am A Pagan." Here's a link to a copy of it online. Basically, if you don't have time to read it, she illustrates a time when she was sitting outdoors and could feel God's presence all around her, from the sway of the sunflowers to the rolling green hills. She was then interrupted by a Christian missionary who explained that the path to being a better Christian is to come to church every Sunday. Outraged, she proclaims that if finding God in the outdoors   makes her a pagan, then she's okay with that. It's better than being stuffed up in a church. It's summed up best with her closing statement:


The little incident recalled to mind the copy of a missionary paper brought to my notice a few days ago, in which a "Christian" pugilist commented upon a recent article of mine, grossly perverting the spirit of my pen. Still I would not forget that the pale-faced missionary and the hoodooed aborigine are both God's creatures, though small indeed their own conceptions of Infinite Love. A wee child toddling in a wonder world, I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers. If this is Paganism, then at present, at least, I am a Pagan.

I often return to this essay in my mind. I think about how for Zitkala-Sa, nature was her way of connecting to God, but for the missionary, it was inside the church. I have to remind myself that there are many, many, ways that God is able to reveal himself. For me, before writing my thesis and afterwards, I have a deep, intimate relationship with the earth. I like the imagery that the American Indian nations depict: all of the earth are our brothers and sisters, from the tallest tree, to the smallest rock. Beauty is in everything. Everything is connected. Everything has purpose and everything has soul. As a Christian I believe it. I don't just know that the trees are beautiful, but I feel their soul, their heart, their longing to have a relationship with me. While nature is a tool to experience God, I don't think that it stops there. God wants us to experience nature, to enjoy it, to relish in it, but most importantly take care of it. One of my favorite authors, Wendell Berry, writes, "The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility." I could go on about this subject for long time, explaining how God has commissioned us to be stewards of the earth, so if you ever want to chat, please do!

Reflection on Classroom Learning: Part 2

Something that I had not realized before our writing assignment today is how deeply I desire the approval of my peers, family, and respected community. I'll preface this blog with what I wrote today in class:

White guilt is another theme that I've explore this semester... i've realized that the reason i've felt it is because I didn't want to be associated with the "White Anglo Saxon" colonists who committed the monstrosities against the indigenous peoples... it sounds ridiculous that that would worry me but it does. This even applies to Christianity. I don't like being associated with the hoards of those who don't take it seriously... who commit absurdities in the name of God... who abuse, misuse, and rape the world while tucking a Bible under their belt. All this to say that if I look at the problem underlying it all then I realize that it boils down to my basic human desire to fit in, to belong.

To take this even a step further, the reason I am longing to fit in is because I don't have a complete, all-satisfying relationship with God. It was lost at the Fall and ever since then humanity has been reaching for something to fill the void that only God can fill. Music, clothes, hobbies, friends, school, boyfriends are all attempts to find that perfect love and approval from God. I'm not saying that they are wrong because everything has the opportunity to be beautiful if used/done properly, but to create an identity apart from God will never work. One of my absolute favorite authors, Donald Miller, recorded in one of his books an interview that he had. The press asked him why he wrote books and what about it attracted him. I'm terribly paraphrasing, but Don responded something along the lines of "I just want people to like me." And it's so true! I know it sounds ridiculous but I can't stand the idea of any American Indians hating me because i'm White... I hate being the cause of any pain or frustration... I like things in order, harmonious, peaceful, and I know I had no control of the whirlwind of monstrosities that happened to the American Indians but I just don't want them to associate it with me.

All this to say that I've realized that I while I don't have complete control over how they view me, I can have peace in the realization that I am willing to open up, be humble, search for answers, and make things right when I can. It's not this overwhelming burden that I feel anymore, but an optimistic hope that I need only focus on building friendships, one person at a time. This is a topic that can be discussed in many areas, not just race: cliques in school, teams in sports, gangs, country-to-country politics..... the list goes on. I truly believe that if people were more willing to be honest with people about what they don't know, then a lot of problems could have the potential to work out. I've seen it with my good friend, Zarian. I don't want to say that we are "better friends", but since we've had that initial conversation about politically correct racial tags, I think that it's enabled and positioned our friendship to allow deeper conversations.... to have a richer, fuller friendship... all because we have made an environment that allows questions and confusion and a desire to work through it all.

Reflection on Classroom Learning

Today in class we were assigned to reflect on what we've learned thus far, as well as how we learned it. I sat in my chair for a good five minutes not knowing what to write about because I couldn't choose just one topic! So I started writing about the main "theme" that I've been chewing on for the past few weeks ever since we watched "Business of Fancy Dancing."

Here's what I wrote in my journal:

To begin, I think I've not only reflected on the struggle for identity amongst modern/contemporary American Indians, but the identity struggles for every human. No matter what culture, there are social pressures that drive a person to be shaped a certain way. But the interesting thing for me is the reactions of the community when people choose an identity that's different than their collective, "homogenous" identity. It's as if they are witnessing some of betrayal on the part of the "deviant." In reality, there are no rules or laws that say you have to be a certain way. The need for people to create an particular, concise identity or to cling to the mass' identity is just fascinating.


I know I've already blogged about this once, but I just can't get identity off my mind. I was in my French class and we were talking about something (sadly I forget) but the topic came up and I whispered to my friend, "I think identity should be fluid" and she laughed an quickly imitated my words while pretending to be hippie-like... adding "yeahs" and a few "that's heavy, man"s. I laughed, but I also realized that how a lot of people understand identity... ridged. unchanging... like you have to declare what you believe and then stick to it. I don't think that's the case. I think people grow, change, evolve, develop into new people every day. Who's to say that I can't like both UNC and Duke. Who's to say that a former country music-lover like myself could ever learn to love it? One of my favorite lines from Whitman's, "Song of Myself" reads:

"Do I contradict myself? 

Very well then I contradict myself,

(I am large, I contain multitudes.) 

(My eerie-looking pal, Whitman.)

It's so harmful to relationships to hold people in strict boxes that not allow them to be who they choose to be. On the other hand, there is something beautiful about a close-knit community of people, a culture that celebrates their history and traditions. I struggle with this a lot. I don't know how people are to be individuals within a larger community. What freedoms are they going to sacrifice in order to submit to the larger body of people? Should they have to? Or if they don't will the very foundation of that community crumble? I don't think these questions have answer. No doubtably it changes and varies from every group of people. One solution for this group may not work for the other, and visa versa.

Like I said in class, this topic comes with a multitude of layers and variations. Nonetheless, I have found a lot of growth in my own understanding of identity and I think a continual reminder of this topic will reap huge benefits whenever I interact with someone different than myself- or even with my own close friends who suddenly decide to like rap music....