3. To Restore the Garden of Eden
World Scripture
The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
Genesis 2.15
When God created the first man, He took him and led him round all the trees of the Garden of Eden, and said to him, “Behold My works, how beautiful and commendable they are! All that I have created, for your sake I created it. Pay heed that you do not corrupt or destroy My universe; for if you corrupt it there is no one to repair it after you.”
Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7.13 (Judaism)
In the days when natural instincts prevailed, men moved quietly and gazed steadily. At that time, there were no roads over mountains, nor boats, nor bridges over water. All things were produced, each for its own proper sphere. Birds and beasts multiplied; trees and shrubs grew up. The former might be led by the hand; you could climb up and peep into a raven’s nest. For then man dwelt with the birds and beasts, and all creation was one. There were no distinctions of good and bad men; being all equally without knowledge, their virtue could not go astray. Being all equally without evil desires, they were in a state of natural integrity, the perfection of human existence.
Chuang Tzu 9 (Taoism)
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.14
Isaiah 11.6-9
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Our planet Earth faces serious environmental problems. Environmental pollution and injury to nature show contempt for the beautiful and holy world that God created. People without true love abuse the natural world; they take it as merely something to be used. One serious consequence of the Fall is that Adam and Eve could not inherit God’s true love. As a result, people are unable to love their fellow human beings, and they are unable to love the creation. All creatures still yearn to receive true love from human beings. I would like to build an ideal community in South America, one that demonstrates the appropriate relationship of love between human beings and nature.
(271:75-76, August 22, 1995)
Live in the countryside rather than in the city. Embrace, nurture and protect the natural world with the same love that God had when He first created it. You and I have the responsibility to protect endangered species from becoming extinct. Only when we love all creation and all people in God’s stead can we return to our rightful positions as owners. Love nature. Love the sea, the mountains and the fields—all three. Love all living things, so that they may grow. As the descendants of Adam and Eve, you have the responsibility to love the water, the air and the earth in God’s stead, restoring them to their original condition before the Fall. They will supply nutrients for all things to grow, and all creation will return to the blessed world of Eden.
(May 10, 2003)
This planet earth is becoming barren. Year by year the deserts are growing, and plants are disappearing. Therefore, we should collect all the varieties of seeds that God created and sow them. With the loving heart that God had when He created all things on earth, we should increase the trees and plants, transplanting them and propagating their cuttings. We should protect the land. The land should contain a balance of plants, animals and human beings. If the plants die away, then human life and civilization will inevitably perish. We are now faced with a situation in which the purpose of creation is being trampled. Therefore, as we love God, His nation and His sovereignty, we should also love and protect His people and His land. By restoring the entire creation, we should create a lush and prosperous natural world where animals roam free, as God originally intended us to build.
(304:254-55, November 8, 1999)