Would more young members stick with the faith if the LDS Church went all-in against climate change?

Such an effort would fit with the faith’s theology. (Illustration by Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune) By Peggy Fletcher Stack Save the church by saving the Earth? More than three-fourths of Latter-day Saints say they revere nature and feel a responsibility to protect it. Classes on Earth stewardship at church-owned Brigham Young University are filling up as young members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrestle with the dangers caused by climate change and feel inexorably prompted to act. To do something. At the same time, many millennial and Generation Z believers, critical of some policies, are leaving the Utah-based faith and putting their idealism elsewhere. What if the church solved both problems by going all-in on protecting the planet, proposing concrete plans to be adopted in every region? Would being involved in an urgent global effort — much as the food storage mandates prepared members for lean times — give more young people a reason to stay? If there were a chance to engage “on climate restoration,” says BYU ecology professor Ben Abbott , “no doubt there are many Latter-day Saint youths who would continue to find a place in the faith — despite their doubts.” (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Brigham Young University ecology professor Ben Abbott, shown at the Utah Capitol in March 2024, believes stepped-up church efforts against climate change would keep “many Latter-day Saint youths … in the faith — despite their doubts.” A conservation program that could turn Latter-day Saint doctrine into meaningful actions at the ward (congregational), stake (regional), area and country level, he says, would “forge relationships across political divides and help unite the body of the church.” The church could capitalize on the energy of missionaries as well as create partnerships between young […]

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