The Nature of God, or the God of Nature?

The current news headlines regarding the natural world are all about crises – climate change, species extinctions, poaching and the depletion of natural resources, amongst others. For people who care, these headlines can be rather depressing, or represent a ‘call to arms’ (or donations), to try and turn the seemingly overwhelming tide of destruction. Nature conservation has become an important topic, and you don’t have to look far to find an imperilled species or habitat that needs help.

Against this background, conservationists and the concerned public often feel like they’re engaged in a battle of good versus evil. Nature is classed as good, and destructive people are classed as evil. In this battle, we should be doing everything we can to stop the destruction of Nature, even if it means killing people who think otherwise (e.g. shooting poachers). Just as the wrong side becomes vilified, the right side becomes idolised. Nature itself is put on a pedestal, and saving it becomes a reason for living for many conservation activists.

As the conservation battle has intensified over the last few decades, an ancient belief system has crept into the minds of those on Nature’s side. When coupled with the belief that Nature basically created itself (through evolution), it easily becomes godlike. In the minds of these activists, it should be revered and maintained as sacred. For others who maintain a belief that there is a personal God, Nature becomes a part of Him. Thus, if we hurt Nature, we hurt God, and if we destroy it, then we will destroy a part of Him. Although these two belief systems are different, they both lead towards the protection of Nature becoming a religious exercise that is carried out with great fervour by true believers.

As a conservation biologist, I agree that we should protect the earth and all that is in it, but as a Christian, I am concerned about the increasing religious undertones within conservation circles. Here, I will consider the opposing concepts that Nature is a part of God (or a god in itself), or that God created Nature as separate from Himself. Even if you are not actively involved in the conservation field, these issues will influence your views and actions regarding the natural world and your fellow inhabitant of this planet. I will start by examining the views that Nature is godlike or a part of God, and end by explaining my view, that God created Nature and is therefore not part of it.

If Nature were a completely self-governing system that came into being for an unknown purpose, then we would have reason to give it a godlike status. After all, if it were not for the universe creating itself and then setting off the process of natural selection, then we wouldn’t be here. It follows logically that if we damage the thing that produced us, then we would destroy ourselves in the process. This provides us with an ultimately selfish reason to conserve nature – we don’t really want to destroy our own species! In order to avoid doing so, we should revere Nature and try to get others to view it in the same way.

The view given above is one commonly held by scientists who classify themselves as atheists. Some scientific authors present traditional religions that revere natural areas or species as good examples of conservation, which the rest of us would do well to emulate. Furthermore, Hinduism is commented on favourably as a mainstream religion that leads to more conservation-oriented behaviour. Although these scientists may deny worshipping Nature, their affinity for religions that do reveals their own underlying belief systems.

Whilst atheistic conservationists may not openly admit to worshipping Nature, others who believe that there is a God like to think that He is part of Nature. Thus, conservation becomes an act of worshipping God, whereas the destruction of Nature actually kills part of Him. According to this reasoning, we would not only destroy ourselves by annihilating the planet, but would also destroy part of God. Thus, conservation activists claim the moral high ground over those who want to use or abuse Nature.

I have a few questions for anyone whose views are similar to those I have described above. If Nature is all there is and there is no God, then why should we be so concerned about its destruction, or that of our own species? If we manage to make the planet uninhabitable for ourselves, then we will be wiped out and Nature will more than likely bounce back and continue on as though we never existed. It appears from historical records that the earth has overcome similar mass extinction events in the past, so what would be so different about this one? Surely, we should just allow our self-destruction and ‘let Nature take its course’? If our selfish motives for saving the earth come to nothing and the human race is destroyed, the other species that we are currently killing (or trying to save) would probably thank us for failing!

If, however, you are more inclined to believe that Nature is a god or part of God, then there are other matters to consider. We know from current experience and historical evidence that humans are capable of dominating the natural world and changing it entirely. We can turn a rainforest into an unproductive wasteland, or a piece of desert into a beautiful garden. We can drive a species to extinction, yet domesticate a similar species and allow it to become extremely successful. If humans can thus play with Nature, which supposedly has a godlike status, then this god is weaker than we are! If Nature is an intimate part of who God is, then why can we walk all over Him? Occasionally there are natural events (e.g. tsunamis) or species (e.g. disease-carrying mosquitoes) that kill humans, but on balance we have dominated or destroyed more of Nature than vice versa. The human race continues to grow at an astonishing rate, and it seems that there is little that Nature can do about it.

Finally, I will ask whether Nature really makes a good god. It may be beautiful, but it can also be cruel and unresponsive. We cannot communicate with Nature as we do with our friends or family. It is entirely unconcerned with our daily struggles in life, and provides us with very little reason for living. Indeed, if we are really serious about saving Nature, perhaps the best thing we can do for it is to kill ourselves and others of our kind. If we die, our bodies will become part of the soil once more, and Nature will continue on without even considering how we lived our lives. Even if we spent all our time and energy trying to save it, Nature would not thank us for our efforts. The fact is, that even if we attribute a godlike status to Nature, it is incapable of behaving like a god.   

Let me now present my view as a Christian conservation biologist. I love Nature, but for different reasons than my fellow conservationists who do not know my Lord. Nature is indeed beautiful – I have spent many happy hours with camera in hand trying to capture some of this beauty. Flowering plants fascinate me, cats of every kind enthral me, and I can immerse myself in studying and photographing all of the many facets of Nature. Yet, to me, it has a much deeper meaning than what I can see and study. Although I do not believe that it is part of God, I do believe that God’s fingerprints are all over it. Whilst examining Nature, we are afforded glimpses of the awesome God who created it.

This aspect of Nature was re-emphasized to me in what may appear to be a strange place – at a pottery. I have recently joined a group of people who make pots and other works out of clay. When you walk into the pottery, you can see several creations at various stages of completion. As there are few limits to what you can make, each person makes what they like. Some of the creations are straightforward plant pots with a few decorations. Others are sculptures that can be classed as works of art. Some are brightly coloured, and some are earthy colours. It is easy to see how the personality of each potter is made manifest in the pots they make. Any member of this little group could probably tell you who made which pot, just by looking at its design and colour scheme. Nonetheless, if you would like to get to know each potter, you would have to go beyond just examining their creations, and talk to them face-to-face.

In the same way, God’s creation (i.e. the universe) is a manifestation of His personality. His majesty is on display for all to see in the stars above us and the earth beneath us. His supreme designs can be found in everything from a single strand of DNA to the tallest trees and largest animals. The processes set in place to sustain life (e.g. natural selection) point to His wisdom in maintaining His creation. The human mind (a wonderful creation itself) is unable to create a solar panel as efficient as a single leaf, or a camera as versatile as an eye.

Even as we are overwhelmed by Nature’s beauty, I would like to remind you that it is merely a tool in the hand of God. It is not a part of Him, so He is able to use it for His purposes and will one day wrap it all up and start anew (Rev. 21:1-4). Perhaps the greatest purpose for Nature is to declare the Lord of creation to all people:

The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

 Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

 There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard.

 Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their words to the end of the world

(Psalm 19:1-4)

As the apostle Paul explains, the fact that God has revealed Himself in Nature means that humans do not have an excuse for ignoring Him (Rom. 1:18-23). Even without reading the Bible, the glory of the Creator is undeniable. However, if you want to get to know Him, you need to go beyond studying His creation.

If Nature fascinates you (as it does me), then the God who made it will blow your mind. But I would like to take you further than that. Not only did God make it all, but He has set us over it and let us use it as we see fit (Psalm 8). He has subjected His beautiful work to the only creature He made in His own image. Sadly, we have abused this gift just as we have abused the many other gifts He has lavished upon us. I am a conservationist because I want to look after the gift of Nature as God originally intended us to. As you can tell, I enjoy this gift thoroughly and would like to share that enjoyment with others.

It is a tragedy that the perfect creation that was once given to us has been trampled underfoot by sinful humans. What is even worse is that most people have rejected God’s greatest gift of all – Himself. This is where the real God truly distinguishes Himself from everything else we may worship as a god. He loves us. He knows us all by name, and He cares about the decisions we make and the actions we take every day. He listens when we call out to Him, and He wants to start a relationship with each one of us. He is a Friend that is closer than a sibling, and a Father who will guide us through life better than any human parent. The greatest tragedy of today is that so many people reject His invitation to them. If one of your chief goals is to save some part of Nature, then let me urge you to first look to the God of Nature who is willing and able to save you.