The viewpoint of the LDS Church specifically is that the Second Coming will be a time when “the Earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.” Ultimately, according to LDS belief, the righteous who are resurrected will literally “inherit the Earth” and it will become Heaven for eternity. Indeed, according to N.T. Wright, a seniuor Anglican bishop and theologian, in his new book, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, what the New Testament actually says about the future of the Earth is precisely what Joseph Smith taught: rather than being whisked away to some other place, the renewed Earth will be the abode of the righteous for all eternity. Writhgt has even been criticized because his interpretation of the New Testament is so closely ligned with Mormon beliefs, but his response is that Joseph Smith was obviously paying attention to the Bible at the precise time when many other Christians were “dematerialize” the promises of Jesus and the apostles.

While there are plenty of Intermountain Mormons who are steeped in the hunting and land exploitation culture of the American west, the fact is that Mormon leaders like Smith and Brigham Young emphasized that the Earth itself is holy, as made by God, and should be treated with respect and gratitude for its blessings.

In The Pearl of Great Price, a Mormon scripture, the narrative of Enoch relates him seeing and hearing the Earth personified, groaning under the “pollutions” of sinful men upon its face, and appealing to God for relief and cleansing, which is accomplished first by the great flood.

The ethic of the Old Testament, which emphasizes stewardship and sustainable use of land for the benefit of future generations, is renewed in Mormonism and the Book of Mormon emphasis on “promised lands” which are also testing grounds to see if those given the blessing of possessing the lands will live up to their promise of obedience to God. In the Book of Mormon, men are only tenants of land that belongs to God, beggars who owe all of their material blessings to God. The land is not theirs to exploit and ruin.

I believe there are similar views among most Christian churches that we owe it to God to care properly for the Earth He created.

Contrast that with the disregard for environmental protection that was endemic in the officially atheist Soviet Union, which was notorious for polluting the land with chemical and radioactive poisons.