Moving Mountains of Peace

"The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness." - Psalm 72:3

Over the course of this past week, there have been constant reminders about the importance of taking care of the Earth. It is this way every year on Earth Day: people finally stop to think (if only for a fleeting moment) about what they are doing and what kind of "footprint" they may be leaving behind. Even here on campus, we see vivid reminders thanks to the work of Professor Julie Rabun's classes.

I want to point out a more constant reminder, however. Unfortunately, they are not visible from most of campus, but they stand as silent sentinels, rolling in gentle waves and sharp ridges above and around us. They are the beautiful, magnificent mountains that I have called home for my entire life.

What you do not know - or perhaps have conveniently ignored - however, is that these mountains are being destroyed. My mountains. Our home!

I realize that it is hard to imagine. A mountain being destroyed? You probably have not noticed because the trees beside the highway act as carefully placed screens to hide the destruction from view. If you get beyond the screen, however, you will see the large, gaping scar of a mountain that explosives have blown apart.

The coal companies call the process "mountain top removal" (MTR). It is exactly as it sounds: they blow off the top of the mountain to get to the coal, often shoveling the debris into the valleys below.

In Tennessee, they call it "cross-ridge mining," and argue that they restructure the mountain to resemble its previous shape after they have gathered the coal. Lindquist-Environmental Appalachian Fellowship (LEAF) is a Christian fellowship that supports legislation that would ban this practice in Tennessee.

Pat Hudson, co-founder of LEAF, explained that the mountain is ripped apart, its coal harvested, and its water veins crushed, polluted and filled with debris. The fresh, pure mountain water is gone. The coal company must either restructure the mountain so tightly that no native species can grow there, or restructure so that, within a number of years, a landslide may occur that the state will have to clean up.

Hudson shared with me that one of the best descriptions of this process that she has ever heard was when someone called it "putting lipstick on a corpse."

If you are still wondering why you should care, you should imagine a poor mother, bathing her small child in water she knows lead and other heavy metals have polluted, but having no other option. Imagine the communities who step outside to find that their streams are nothing but thick black sludge. Envision the devastating floods and the explosions within 300 ft. of someone's home. Hudson can share with you these stories and more.

Unfortunately, the Tennessee Scenic Vistas Protection Act, which LEAF supported, will likely fail to pass in the House once again this year. As I read the e-mail action alert, tears filled my eyes. How can we delay while God's children suffer and His creation is destroyed?

I believe that as Christians, we have a biblical responsibility to care for God's creation. It is a simple matter of stewardship. He gave us this beautiful earth to care for and enjoy; we have no right to destroy it. When we purposely destroy what is around us without care or thought to the consequences, we sin against others.

Moreover, the Bible makes it clear in Psalm 104 that God loves all of His creation. Nature praises and worships Him. The world responded violently to His death and no doubt rejoiced at His resurrection. Yet, we destroy it.

It is so very, very easy to take the mountains for granted. We cannot always see them and when they are there, they are a part of the background - too easy to ignore. If you find yourself falling into that habit, I challenge you, do what I do as often as I can; head towards the mountains and let them awe you with their majesty.

Maybe, if you can find the time, you could make a drive up to Shady Grove. I have only been there once, but in my mind, it has become a kind of paradise on Earth. It is a small valley where very few people live, but it is nestled among the mountains so that when you stand in the middle, the mountains surround you on all sides. It is not claustrophobic, as you may think. Instead, you feel awe and wonder. You can feel the peace.