Religion and Oil

Bear with me as I get some thoughts off of my chest.... I have a question, but before I pose it I must preface it with a somewhat of a sermon. As a God fearing Christian I believe, as many if not all God fearing Christians believe, man was created to have dominion over this earth. (Gen. 1: 26, 28) The purpose of the earth's creation was to have man inhabit it. (Is. 45:18) (For those Ladder Day Saints out there, the D&C adds further light on the subject in D&C 59) We are God's greatest creation put on this earth to care for it and to use its resources for our benefit. I believe this. I have faith that God in all his power and glory is able to make good on all of His statements, including those that I have just highlighted.

Now, having said that, I pose my question... What purpose does oil have in nature other than for man to consume it? If oil ceased to exist on this earth, if oil somehow all went away and not a drop of it existed on this earth, would anything be different in nature? Would the environment be completely be thrown out of whack and all hell would break loose? As far as I know, and from what little research I have done on the subject, oil has NO value in nature whatsoever. Oil was put on this earth by God for one reason and one reason only, for man to consume it. That's it. So why are we, the beings for which God created this earth, so reluctant to utilize a resource that has no other purpose than for us to use it?

Now for anyone who doesn't necessarily believe in this theology of Deity and divinity, I still offer you this. The very essence of existence is purpose. To borrow a phrase from Mr. Smith from The Matrix, "Everything has a purpose..." This is true. From the big bang to the smallest known measurable particle, from worlds and universes to the smallest ant or pebble, everything has a purpose. For something to exist, it has to have a purpose. So I revert back to my original question: What purpose does petroleum have?

Now let me give you a hypothetical situation:

Let's say that somehow, over the course of world history, wood became the primary source of energy for the world. Wood to the world is what oil is in reality. Now if this was the case, I can see a devastating impact on the earth if we didn't regulate and use considerable reservation with the consumption of wood in the world. Wood plays so many other vital roles in our world's ecology. Less wood or no wood would do great harm to this earth. The same would be the case with water, oxygen, any kind of plant or animal, almost ANYTHING but OIL. (Again, I come to this conclusion having no answer for my original question of the purpose of oil..)

Now, to bring this all together I submit the following: The United States of America was founded on a foundation of faith in God. Why don't its people exercise that faith and use what God gave them? Why don't we the people believe that God gave us this blessed land to USE and extract the oil that it possesses? The United States has over a TRILLION barrels of oil reserves within its borders. TRILLIONS. Why aren't we using it? Why are we beginning to starve ourselves and our economy when we have a huge answer to our problems right under us? Don't give me the point of view that it's going to ruin our precious environment. We aren't talking about strip mining here. Comparing the advances in oil drilling and exploration over the last few decades to the advances in medicine, the difference would be comparable to a medical procedure that would require the entire abdomen to be opened up twenty years ago, to a nearly noninvasive procedure today. Besides, being a native Utahn and having lived here my entire life (minus two years) I challenge any environmentalist who wants to contest the extraction of oil shale in the state of Utah to tell me how much time they've spent on the lands where this shale lies. It's out in the middle of NOWHERE... The rabbits will adapt, the coyotes will survive, nature will survive... I also challenge those coastal states who say that the drilling of oil miles off their shores will ruin their tourism to show me what an oil rig would look like on their horizon.... Not very imposing and nothing that I can't photoshop out of my pictures. I also challenge anyone who wants to contest drilling in ANWAR to show me what REAL environmental impacts it would actually have.... Next to none.

Now I'm certainly not one who believes in 4 MPG SUV's using petroleum just as fast as it's produced or one who believes in industries and businesses waisting petroleum based products as liberally as they do. I certainly believe that we need to use reservation in our consumption of oil both for the sake of it being a limited resource as well as for the sake of the environment. I would be in heaven if we lived in a world of hybrid vehicles getting 60 miles per gallon with fuel costing $2 a gallon. It would be great for all of us individually as well as collectively, and is entirely possible if we were to tap into the reserves that we have here in the U.S.

God gave us petroleum. Petroleum has a purpose. I firmly believe that. We as a people are not putting our faith in Him when we deny ourselves from using it. Even to the point of injuring ourselves as individuals, families, and as a nation as a whole. Think about why God created this earth and what our purpose is on it. Think about what we are doing to ourselves by NOT using what God gave us.... (Remember the parable of the Talents?) Why AREN'T we using what God gave us? We need to utilize this resource not only to ensure greater economic stability and independence now and in the future, but as an exercise in faith. What is the purpose of petroleum?