Dry Creek and a Sunday Song: "Mother Nature's Son" by the Beatles & "Don't Kill the Birds" by Spencer W. Kimball

Maples at Dry Creek

“We crossed the Embarras river and encamped on a small branch of the same about one mile west. In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, ‘Let them alone—don’t hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.’ The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during our journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger.” 

--Joseph Smith (History of the Church, 2:71–72.)

For some, my choice of a Sunday Song this week may seem odd.  For me, nothing could seem more natural. Nature has always been my doorway to the divine.  I've never encountered anyone, personally or through ideas, who I considered to have reached a high level of spirituality who didn't come to the realization that all life is sacred and should not be misused or wasted, and that killing should never be sport.

Hunting is a big part of life in rural Utah.  For some families this is a healthy economic decision; a deer in the freezer allows money that would have been spent for beef to be allocated elsewhere.  I have no problem with this; it is probably even good to have to come face to face with your next meal, to realize some individual identity with a mind, body and soul had to be sacrificed to sustain yours.  But far too many, not only within my culture, but also the larger American culture, kill for joy--the excitement of the hunt.

Although the hunt is entwined in Utah culture, the sport of hunting is not and has never been endorsed by Mormon prophets from Joseph Smith onward.  Even though "tree-hugger" and "environmentalist" are dirty words around here, our prophets have reminded us time and time again that desiring to harm life without need reduces our soul.  From the time of Adam, we have been appointed as care-takers, our expected role towards the earth similar to that of parents.

And since that message seems to be getting lost in translation in my culture, I thought I'd pick this week's redemption song from an old hippy friend of mine, Paul.  Though he doesn't have, and most likely never will have, any clue who I am, as a poet he is indeed my friend.  Time and time again, he has said the right thing in the right way, and I have said, yes.

I have also included part of a talk from a former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Spencer W. Kimball.  This talk had great impact on me when I was young and when my own boys wanted to hunt birds for sport a couple of years ago and I was looking for it as a means to guide them, I couldn't find it.  Now, I have.

I think we all have a tendency to pick and choose what we believe in.  I know I do.  So, I'd have to be pretty hypocritical to damn someone to hell for "bunny blasting".  But, if I'm going to be labelled a "tree-hugger" in disgust for believing in the rights of all life, I'm going to stand up and say, "Yes, and the prophets are on my side on this one."

And this not only true of Mormon prophets.  Holy men everywhere recognize that you can't see evidence of the divine all around you and simultaneously take joy in its destruction.  Unfortunately, as in the time of Christ, the Shepard leads, but flock does not follow.

Excerpts from President Spencer W. Kimball's talk, "Fundamental Principals to Ponder and Live" (November, 1978) are italicized and in maroon text below  I have not attempted to paraphrase and have included the original internal documentation when Kimball quotes other sources.

(Sorry the video did not have copyright permission and was blocked.

However, I think the post is still valuable, and so I've left it up.  I'm pretty sure

everyone is familiar with "Mother Nature's Son" anyway.)

 

First, however, let's learn a little bit about this week's Sunday Song:

According to Wikipedia, "Mother Nature's Son," written by Paul McCartney, was "inspired by a lecture given by the Mararish Mahesh Yogi while the Beatles were in India," a lecture which also "inspired Lennon's unreleased song, 'Child of Nature,' the tune of which he later re-used for 'Jealous Guy'".

Newly planted flowers in the "Hanging Garden" at Dry Creek

And now let's here from Spencer W. Kimball:

Our Father in Heaven was gracious enough to give to us for our pleasure and convenience all life on earth. Let me read to you from his personal statement:

“And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

“And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Gen. 1:20, 29–31)

Back Patio at Dry Creek

Now, I also would like to add some of my feelings concerning the unnecessary shedding of blood and destruction of life. I think that every soul should be impressed by the sentiments that have been expressed here by the prophets.

And not less with reference to the killing of innocent birds is the wildlife of our country that live upon the vermin that are indeed enemies to the farmer and to mankind. It is not only wicked to destroy them, it is a shame, in my opinion. I think that this principle should extend not only to the bird life but to the life of all animals. For that purpose I read the scripture where the Lord gave us all the animals. Seemingly, he thought it was important that all these animals be on the earth for our use and encouragement.

Apricot Tree and Shadow, Dry Creek

President Joseph F. Smith said, “When I visited, a few years ago, the Yellowstone National Park, and saw in the streams and the beautiful lakes, birds swimming quite fearless of man, allowing passers-by to approach them as closely almost as tame birds, and apprehending no fear of them, and when I saw droves of beautiful deer [feeding] along the side of the road, as fearless of the presence of men as any domestic animal, it filled my heart with a degree of peace and joy that seemed to be almost a foretaste of that period hoped for when there shall be none to hurt and none to molest in all the land, especially among all the inhabitants of Zion. These same birds, if they were to visit other regions, inhabited by man, would, on account of their tameness, doubtless become more easily a prey to the gunner. The same may be said of those beautiful creatures—the deer and the antelope. If they should wander out of the park, beyond the protection that is established there for these animals, they would become, of course, an easy prey to those who were seeking their lives. I never could see why a man should be imbued with a blood-thirsty desire to kill and destroy animal life. I have known men—and they still exist among us—who enjoy what is, to them, the ‘sport’ of hunting birds and slaying them by the hundreds, and who will come in after a day’s sport, boasting of how many harmless birds they have had the skill to slaughter, and day after day, during the season when it is lawful for men to hunt and kill (the birds having had a season of protection and not apprehending danger) go out by scores or hundreds, and you may hear their guns early in the morning on the day of the opening, as if great armies had met in battle; and the terrible work of slaughtering the innocent birds goes on.

Trail head for "Dry Creek Trail"

“I do not believe any man should kill animals or birds unless he needs them for food, and then he should not kill innocent little birds that are not intended for food for man. I think it is wicked for men to thirst in their souls to kill almost everything which possesses animal life. It is wrong, and I have been surprised at prominent men whom I have seen whose very souls seemed to be athirst for the shedding of animal blood.” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1939, pp. 265–66.)

Maples, Dry Creek

It is quite a different matter when a pioneer crossing the plains would kill a buffalo to bring food to his children and his family. There were also those vicious men who would kill buffalo only for their tongues and skins, permitting the life to be sacrificed and the food also to be wasted.

Marci poses (reluctantly) by Dry Creek

When asked how he governed so many people, the Prophet Joseph Smithsaid, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.”

We look to the Prophet Joseph Smith for proper teaching. He said once: “We crossed the Embarras river and encamped on a small branch of the same about one mile west. In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, ‘Let them alone—don’t hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.’ The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during our journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger.” (History of the Church, 2:71–72.)

My Mom, who, along with prophets, taught me to never  kill the little birds.

Three prophets have spoken--Joseph Smith, Joseph F. Smith and Spencer W. Kimball and have said basically the same thing--"Don't kill the little birds."  And that's what my mother taught me too.  There she is.  Cat lover.  Bird lover.  Look at her.  Come on.  You know it's true--Don't kill the little birds (or snakes, wolves, raccoons, slugs and so on.