Nature is sacred; all creatures great and small are endowed with God’s life and a modicum of God’s spirit. This insight, shared by all religious traditions, is the basis of reverence and respect for all living things.
In the Abrahamic religions, God created every creature according to His purpose and imbued with His loving heart. Therefore, every existence, down to a grain of sand or a blade of grass, contains elements of the divine.
Furthermore, nature exhibits a marvelous balance. Hence, nature is a reliable source of poetic and religious inspiration. By contemplating nature in its original purity, we can touch God. As sensitive people recognize, all creatures possess some level of conscious awareness.
The diverse species of animals and plants form tribes and nations like the races and nations of man. They are our brothers and sisters, supported by the same Mother Earth that lent us the elements that constitute our bodies and sustain our life.
When thinking of all the things nature provides, we have much to be thankful for.
Not only that, as Father Moon teaches, each creature, a precious living masterpiece of God, exists for me for my enjoyment, inspiration and instruction, to love and care for.
1. Divinity within the Natural World
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24.1
Even in a single leaf of a tree or a tender blade of grass, the awe-inspiring Deity manifests itself. Urabe-no-Kanekuni (Shinto)
This earth is a garden, the Lord its gardener, cherishing all, none neglected. Adi Granth, Mahj Ashtpadi 1, M.3, p. 118 (Sikhism)
My energy enters the earth, Sustaining all that lives: I became the moon, Giver of water and sap, To feed the plants and trees. Bhagavad-Gita 15.13 (Hinduism)
The solid sky, the cloudy sky, the good sky, the straight sky. The earth produces herbs. The herbs cause us to live. They cause long life. They cause us to be happy. The good life, may it prevail with the air. May it increase. May it be straight to the end.
Sweet Medicine’s earth is good. Sweet Medicine’s earth is completed. Sweet Medicine’s earth follows the eternal ways. Sweet Medicine’s earth is washed and flows. Cheyenne Song (Native American Religion)
Thou makest springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst. By them the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches. From thy lofty abode thou waterest the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy work.
Thou dost cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man’s heart. The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon which he planted. In them the birds build their nests… O Lord, how manifold are thy works! Psalm 104.10-24
The stream crosses the path, the path crosses the stream: Which of them is the elder? Did we not cut the path to go and meet this stream? The stream had its origin long, long ago. It had its origin in the Creator. He created things pure, pure, tano. Ashanti Verse (African Traditional Religion)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
God’s hand has touched every small blade of grass that grows in the field. Every growing tree received the touch of God’s infinite heart. (6:338, June 28, 1959)
Everything in the universe arose from the heart of God. The universe in its entirety is the result of God’s creative idea, whose motivation is divine love. A poet who senses this is truly great. If, on seeing a single leaf shaking in the wind, he senses the cosmic Heart and expresses it, then he would be a poet for the entire universe.
When viewed while in a mystical state, a single grain of sand contains within itself the principles of the universe. A single atom contains the boundless harmony of the universe. All things that exist, though maybe not aware of it, are resultant beings that formed through the action of complex forces.
The smallest molecules, atoms, and even subatomic particles do not exist unconsciously, but contain a certain consciousness and purpose. Thus, all things that exist have come into being through God’s loving hand and necessarily possess a bond of heart with God. (9:168, May 8, 1960)
Did the Absolute Being create all the creatures in heaven and earth with a heart of sorrow? No. He created with a heart of joy. God rejoiced as He watched the creation unfold.
How joyful was He? If we knew, we could begin to recognize the supreme value of each one of God’s creatures. Yet, people do not know how much God values His creation. We do not know, because we are still searching for God.
(27:223, December 14, 1969)
People love nature; they may prefer nature to other people. Nature, because it still carries its original God‑given nature, is much purer than human beings. Even people who live in great houses and enjoy all the conveniences of civilized living want to vacation at the beach or camp in the mountains. Why? Their original form is looking for some comparable companion, and nature comes closest. (107:311-12, June 8, 1980)
Human civilization is inconceivable apart from nature. People display their power and authority, yet without nature, nothing is possible. Nature makes our life valuable; it is absolutely necessary for our lives. Therefore, if we do not feel the heart that flows in nature, we cannot enjoy true happiness.
Nor can we be close to God and partake of His glory. The next time you look at a flower or a patch of grass, see it from God’s point of view, reflecting God’s heart. Whenever you look at an insect, a bird, or an animal, a feeling should arise within you that connects you with God. (6:340-41, May 28, 1959)
Father! May all creatures of heaven and earth eternally offer hymns of praise to Thee, the Lord of the universe. Every created being is related to Thee. Owing to Thee, all things of heaven and earth, molded through Thy heart, raise up Thy glory, reveal Thy holiness and profundity, and display Thine infinite value.
(20:243, July 7, 1968)
2. Alive with Consciousness, Endowed with Purpose
No creature is there crawling on the earth, no bird flying with its wings, but they are nations like yourselves. Qur’an 6.38
I say: Just as the consciousness of a man born blind, deaf, and dumb is not manifest, likewise the consciousness of beings of earth-body [e.g., minerals] is also not manifest. Nevertheless, such a man experiences pain when struck or cut by a weapon, and so also do the beings of the earth-body. Likewise for water-beings… fire-beings… plants… animals… air beings: their consciousness and experiences of pain are actual, though not manifest. Acarangasutra 1.28-161 (Jainism)
If these [my disciples] were silent, the very stones would cry out. Luke 19.40
Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as the swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors Chief Seattle (Native American Religion)
The explanation of the goodness of creation is the goodness of God… Nevertheless, certain heretics remain unconvinced, on the ground that many things in creation are unsuitable and even harmful to that poor and fragile mortality of the flesh, which of course is no more than the just penalty for sin. The heretics mention, for example, fire, cold, wild beasts, and things like that, without considering how wonderful such things are in themselves and their proper place and how beautifully they fit into the total pattern of the universe, making their peculiar contributions to the commonweal of cosmic beauty. Nor have they observed how valuable they are even to us if only we use them well and wisely. Consider, for instance, poison. It is deadly when improperly used, but when properly applied, it turns out to be a health-giving medicine. Saint Augustine, City of God 11.22 (Christianity)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Human beings themselves are a part of nature. Perfect nature is sacred. (90:24, December 10, 1976)
When a stamen of a flower kisses its pistil, it exclaims, “Ah, it feels so good!” Do you think it feels such a sensation or not? The sensation of male and female for each other is the best sensation, composed of all five senses linked together.
Insects may be invisibly small, yet they have eyes, ears, noses, mouths and hands, don’t they? Look carefully at the lawn; so many insects are there!
With their ears they hear; with their mouths they taste; with their reproductive organs they copulate and produce offspring—in this they are like humans, only the class is different.
When insects reproduce and produce offspring so tiny you cannot see them, will the parents kill them, or protect and love them? [They protect them.] When they make love, do they do it with great pleasure? Or do they say, “I dislike it”? Which?
In this they are just like humans! There is no denying that God gave all creatures the sensibility to love through their five senses. With respect to love, God created male and female to have equal value. Love is the common denominator, equalizing the low-level world of insects with the high-level human world. Whether men and women, or male and female creatures, all share this God-given common denominator. (217:306, June 13, 1991)
The human body, though consisting of matter, fully responds physiologically to the emotion, intellect and will of the human mind. This demonstrates that matter has within itself elements that resonate with emotion, intellect and will—elements which constitute the internal nature of matter.
This is the reason all things in the universe respond to human emotion, intellect and will, albeit to different degrees. We become intoxicated with the beauty of the natural world and experience the rapture of mystical union.
We experience this because we are the center of the internal natures of all things in the natural world. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Creation 2.3.3)
God created every species of animal and insect to be preserved, that none becomes extinct. The food chain is balanced. While larger creatures eat smaller creatures, the larger ones do not reproduce as often. Many beasts of prey bear offspring only once every two years. For lions and tigers, it is two years and eight months, almost three years.
In contrast, rabbits bring forth their young every three months. By having many offspring, they provide food for the larger beasts as well as continue their own species.
Adam and Eve were created on behalf of God, and all things were created for the growth and perfection of Adam and Eve. They may sacrifice their lives, but they are assisting in the perfection of Adam and Eve’s bodies.
For this reason, people are permitted to eat anything, whether plant or animal. Greek philosophy looks at the world as a constant struggle, every creature an enemy to one another. On the contrary, they are not enemies. Such ideas arose only as a result of the Human Fall.
The Marxist dialectic, as described in Das Kapital states that development comes about through struggle, but that is not true. Even the vilest germs disappear when faced with their natural enemies.
Do you understand what I mean by natural enemy? A tiger is the natural enemy of a dog. When a dog sees a tiger, it freezes and trembles and crawls back into its dwelling to hide. Natural enemies balance each other; thus nature takes care of every circumstance that comes along. (May 10, 2003)
3. Mother Earth and Her Children
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1.11-12
Perhaps if we are lucky, Our earth mother Will wrap herself in a fourfold robe of white meal, Full of frost flowers; A floor of ice will spread over the world, The forests because of the cold will lean to one side, Their arms will break beneath the weight of snow. When the days are thus, The flesh of our earth mother will crack with cold. Then in the spring when she is replete with living waters, Our mothers, All different kinds of corn, In their earth mother we shall lay to rest. With their earth mother’s living waters They will be made into new beings; Into their sun father’s daylight They will come out standing; Yonder to all directions They will stretch out their hands calling for rain. Then with their fresh waters The rain makers will pass us on our roads. Clasping their young ones [the ears of corn] in their arms, They will rear their children. Gathering them into our houses, Following these toward whom our thoughts bend, With our thoughts following them, Thus we shall always live. Zuni Song (Native American Religions)
Set me, O Earth, amidst thy center and thy navel, and vitalizing forces that emanate from thy body. Purify us from all sides. Earth is my Mother; her son am I; and Heaven my Father: may he fill us with plenty… Whatever I dig from thee, Earth, may that have quick growth again. O purifier, may we not injure thy vitals or thy heart… As a horse scatters dust, so did Earth, since she was born, scatter the people who dwelt on the land, and she joyously sped on, the world’s protectress, supporter of forest trees and plants. What I [Earth] speak, I speak with sweetness; what I look at endears itself to me; and I am fiery and impetuous: others who fly at me with wrath I smite down.
Peaceful, sweet-smelling, gracious, filled with milk, and bearing nectar in her breast, may Earth give with the milk her blessings to me. Thou art the vessel, the Mother of the people, the fulfiller of wishes, far-extending. Whatever is wanting in thee is filled by Prajapati, first-born of Eternal Order [the first god]. May those born of thee, O Earth, be, for our welfare, free from sickness and waste. Wakeful through a long life, we shall become bearers of tribute for thee. Earth, my Mother! set me securely with bliss in full accord with Heaven. Wise One, uphold me in grace and splendor. Atharva Veda 12.1 (Hinduism)
Most High, omnipotent, good Lord, All praise, glory, honor, and blessing are yours. To you alone, Most High, do they belong, And no one is worthy to pronounce your name. Be praised, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, Who brings the day, and you give light to us through him. How handsome he is, how radiant, with great splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon and the Stars. In heaven you have formed them, bright, and precious, and beautiful. Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Wind, And for Air, for Cloud, and Clear, and all weather. By which you give your creatures nourishment. Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water, She is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure. Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire, By whom you light up the night. How handsome he is, how happy, how powerful and strong! Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister, Mother Earth. Who nourishes and governs us, And produces various fruits with many-colored flowers and herbs. St. Francis of Assisi, Canticle of the Sun (Christianity)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
When we were created, the universe lent us its elements to constitute our bodies. This means the universe gave birth to us. It is our first parent.
Our fathers and mothers are our second parents, the parents who brought us into the world. God, who gave each of us a spirit, is our third parent. Thus, human beings have three sets of parents. (106:84, December 9, 1979)
People in ancient times had a close relationship with nature. Then the natural world and the spirit world were close to human beings, not distant and foreign as they are to people living in modern times.
When people entered a grove of giant trees, they looked at them reverently and thought, “For thousands of years these trees have been here; through countless cycles of quickening in spring and dying in autumn, they remain unchanged; their shade makes a pleasant environment for all creatures.”
Observing them, they recognized that they were deficient in many aspects, and so they worshipped tall trees, great rock,s and high mountains.
They saw tall persimmon trees, thick with foliage in the summer and bare in the winter. With the arrival of spring their branches sprouted with new life: first buds, then blossoms, and finally delicious and fragrant fruit.
They marveled at this and sensed that those trees were better than they. Where is the fragrance in human existence? Do humans give off a fragrance that beautifies their surroundings, attracting birds and insects to nest in their branches? No, compared to nature, man is humbled and recognizes his inadequacy. (November 4, 1990)
When we look at the creation, we feel a religious emotion welling up from deep in our hearts and naturally bow down before it. Gazing up at the constellations of the night sky or exploring nature around us, we experience awesome and mysterious feelings surging up from deep in our hearts.
This state is the starting point of religion. While gazing at living things and the phenomena of nature, we can sing songs that arise from the precious world of the heart within. Playing nature’s music, displaying nature’s art and reciting nature’s poetry, all living things resonate in our hearts.
Then we can relate to God, who rules the heavenly bodies. Experience the feeling that you are intimately connected to everything; then you can enter a state of the heart to rightly appreciate them. You enter a mystical state in which you can feel everything in its reality.
God created human beings to connect with all His creation, which He had made inseparably interrelated with Himself. Externally, we appear to be extremely small and insignificant, but when we behold nature from this understanding, we can feel a human being’s true dignity and value. (5:344- 45, March 8, 1959)
I once asked God, “For whom didst Thou create this universe?” God replied, “Sun Myung Moon, I created it for you.” As God is my God, so the universe is my universe.
These are not only words; I feel it to my bones. In springtime, I behold the beauty of the universe in the beautiful flowers and fragrances, and in the butterflies and bees flying about.
These creatures show us God’s love and God’s precious value; they display the harmony of His angels. I feel connected to everything. A bird chirps; it is asking me to feed it.
It wants me to help it find a mate. I am very sensitive to the world of nature. When butterflies are fluttering together in pairs, or when a male and female bird sing together for joy, I see it as a lesson that men and women should live together with even greater beauty… and happiness than these.
When the birds and flowers stimulate me with their joy and love, I would in turn stimulate God in heaven with my songs of joy and love.
I may be penniless and my clothes may be rags, yet I never feel poor. I think, “The sky is my blanket, the flowing brook is my water faucet, and the plants growing nearby are my food.” When you feel that the house of God is your house, how can you feel poor?
When I see a small stream, I feel behind it the dignity of the great ocean. When I see a blade of grass, I think its beauty is greater than the greatest masterpieces in the world’s museums.
A painting may cost millions of dollars, but it is merely man-made. It cannot compare with this small creation of God. Once I caught a bird and kissed it, saying, “You are more precious than anything in the world.” (106:137, December 23, 1979)