Excess and Extortion: How Political Polarization Killed Mormon Environmental Theology
The Provo Utah Temple, constructed in 1969, sits in front of the Wasatch Mountain Range. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
“And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.”
– Doctrine and Covenants 59:20, The Book of Mormon
Environmental stewardship, or the moral imperative to care for the Earth, is a religious tenet in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church. The theological consensus within the Church is that the Earth is God’s creation and humanity must both venerate and care for it.
This environmental theology appears to translate into the beliefs of the Church’s members, at least superficially. In a 2023 study, 84 percent of American Latter-day Saints reported that living up to their “God-given role” as stewards of the environment is important to them, and 71% described feeling a “deep spiritual connection” with nature. Latter-day Saints ranked the highest among all major religious groups within the United States on both of these questions, demonstrating the profound relationship between religion and the environment within the Church.
However, this environmental ethos is limited. 92% of Latter-day Saints believe that the planet is warming, yet nearly half are convinced that it is due to natural patterns in the earth’s environment rather than anthropogenic ones, such as burning fossil fuels. Latter-day Saints also rank low in climate risk perception: a mere 10% believe that climate change is a crisis, and 43% believe that God would not allow humans to destroy the Earth. However, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that climate change poses an increasingly dangerous existential risk to both the Earth and the billions of people who live on it. There is a glaring disparity between the environmental theology of Mormonism and the climate skepticism of its members. But what drives this gulf between religious theory and political behavior? Increased political polarization in modern America, particularly surrounding climate change, explains the anti-environmentalist attitudes of Latter-day Saints.
In recent decades, Americans have shifted towards ideological extremes. More and more people hold consistently liberal or consistently conservative beliefs, while centrists have become something of a dying breed. Congressional ideology has followed this trend closely, with Republicans growing more conservative and Democrats growing more liberal. Because the vast majority of politicians run as Democrats or Republicans under the two-party system, voting generally means signing onto a complete set of liberal or conservative values, even if citizens’ individual political opinions do not fit neatly into one of the two boxes.
Climate change has not escaped this polarization. Polling data shows that liberals have greater belief in climate change, are more concerned about the danger it poses, and express greater support for policies to address it than conservatives. Congress reflects this trend, with Democrats being far more likely to vote in favor of pro-climate legislation than Republicans. This polarization comes from a variety of sources. For one, curbing climate change requires regulating a capitalist economy that predicates its growth on burning fossil fuels, which free-market Republicans tend to oppose. International cooperation and climate finance, such as in the Paris Agreement, are particularly unpopular. The decline of coal production has driven unemployment and poverty in traditionally conservative coal-mining states like West Virginia, prompting opposition to pro-climate policies that could further threaten their livelihood. No matter the cause, the writing is on the wall: political polarization has made it virtually impossible to be an American conservative who prioritizes climate action.
Where do Latter-day Saints fit into this equation? When they first settled in what would later become the State of Utah, Latter-day Saints established communities that emphasized social cooperation, environmental stewardship, and sustainable agriculture. However, in the late 1800s, as the transcontinental railroad reached Utah, “old order” environmentalist church leaders like Brigham Young died, and Utah gained statehood, Latter-day Saints became increasingly integrated into the American economy and value system. In the mid-20th century, Mormon religious leader and government official Ezra Taft Benson helped convert then-moderate Latter-day Saints into staunch conservatives. Driven by extreme anti-communist and conspiracist beliefs, Benson believed that Democrats were authoritarian socialists determined to expand government and rob Americans of their individual freedoms.
This oppositional rhetoric culminated in the idea that one could not be both a “good Mormon and a good Democrat,” which he preached throughout his life, including during his tenure as president of the Church from 1985 to 1994. Additionally, the increased focus on cultural issues in American politics cemented the alignment between Latter-day Saints and Republicans. Mormon religious teaching condemns homosexuality and abortion, which Republicans historically oppose. The majority of Latter-day Saints prefer a less-involved government with fewer social services, in alignment with the “small government” that Republicans advocate for. The progression of their political beliefs from egalitarianism to right-wing libertarianism has thus far stuck; today, Latter-day Saints rank among the most conservative religious groups in the United States, with nearly three-quarters registered as Republicans.
The Church and its members are therefore stuck between a theological rock and a political hard place. To fit within a broader conservative ethos that does not allow room for environmentalism, eco-theology has been sidelined. Polarization means that voting for the environment requires cosigning a liberal policy agenda that many Latter-day Saints perceive as antithetical to their religious values. Often, they feel as if they have no choice but to vote Republican and adopt the climate-skeptical rhetoric that reverberates through the party.
As the Church has become politically polarized, the very relationship between theology and culture has shifted. The dominant external culture of conservatism shapes religious interpretation rather than religion informing political opinion. The modern Church has broadly deemphasized environmental stewardship in its teachings, with any statements being vague and public-facing rather than directly taught to Church members. Without strong central guidance, opposition to environmentalism has thrived among Latter-day Saints. Anti-environmentalist interpretations of religious texts have grown more common; for example, a rise in eschatological fatalism has popularized the idea that the Second Coming of Christ will restructure life so drastically that the impacts of climate change are irrelevant. The prevailing attitude seems to be that climate change is real but outside of human control.
Embracing conservative and anti-environmentalist attitudes is a clear departure from the original eco-conscious theology and lifestyle practiced by Latter-day Saints until the mid-20th century. The uncritical adoption of climate denialism appears to be a highly political decision for a religion that consistently expresses its commitment to staying “neutral in matters of politics.” Will the Church ever diverge from the Republican platform that consistently denies climate change and enacts policies that threaten to destroy the natural environment, or will it continue to unquestioningly follow this rhetoric?
As the effects of climate change become more dire and America becomes further entrenched in political polarization, the Church may be forced to reevaluate its relationship with politics. Some Latter-day Saints have called for a reinvigorated focus on environmental theology from Church leadership, but they are solidly in the minority, so much so that their arguments are largely ignored. Thus far, though, the historical environmentalism of the Church has proven too weak to stand up to the overwhelming political forces that guide Latter-day Saints to conservative climate denialism. Mormon theology places a uniquely profound emphasis on humankind’s relationship with nature, but unless the American political sphere reverses a decades-long trend of polarization, the practice of environmental stewardship may forever be a relic of history.
Emma Listgarten (BC ‘27) is a staff writer for CPR, studying political science and environmental science. She is interested in the politics of religion, African politics, environmental policy, and migration. She can be reached at ejl2204@barnard.edu.