Is there any evidence whatsoever that Christians are somehow more wasteful than any other segment of society?

I think that Mormons may have a unique perspective on all of this. Part of this comes from D&C Section 104. Starting with verse 13-

For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures. I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therin are mine. And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine. But it must needs be done in mine own way; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low. For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.

There is a lot here. The earth is the Lord's, and he will hold us accountable. This should make us a respectful stewardship. Yet, the earth is full and there is enough and to spare. So, I feel we do not need to panic.

Oh, and one more.

I have had members ask me if they should worry about things like saving for retirement, or for their childrens missions, or college, since the second caoming is coming anyway. So why bother to save for that stuff.

I find this attitude to be a poor one.

Eric, while I would agree that the attitude of disregarding the future that you described is a poor one, I suspect it may be more pervasive than we care to admit. It is absurd to me, since it is quite clear in the scriptures that even the angels don't know WHEN Christ will return. Oh yeah, He's coming back. But none of us know whether it will be in our life time or not.

What prompted my original question was not any specific evidence that Christians are more wasteful, but rather a comment left over on my silly little personal blog. I was describing using zip lock bags to make omelets in. I made the statement: "Yeah - I know, using all that petroleum based plastic just to toss it out is wasteful and bad for the planet. I admit it, I'm a lazy American blissfully sucking resources for my own convenience. I make no excuses. I pick and choose the areas where I conserve and do try to use things responsibly, but I'm a sucker for the many uses of good old zip locks!" I was being flippant, not considering any serious discussion of resources. But then, one of the comments I got back in reply (from someone active LDS) said:
"I figure the planet's in bad enough shape as it is and that the Second Coming will happen before we've used up all our landfills, so while I try not to be too wasteful, I'm also not too terribly worried. Bring on the ziplock bags!"
I suspect Tristi was being every bit as flippant as I, and not making any serious comment on her deep held views of our role in caring for the planet. Still...it got me to thinking. How DOES belief in the Second Coming influence the day to day choices we make in planning for the future?

When the early Saints were being driven from area to area some of them asked the Prophet if they should just build temporary shelters. The Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation after solicitation by Bishop Edward Partridge. The Lord makes it very clear that they were to be good stewards of the land and...

“And I consecrate unto them this land for a little season, until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence;
“And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good.” [D&C 51:16–17]

I am sure that the same counsel should be given to Saints today. We do not know when the second coming is going to occur. We should do all we can to preserve the land for future generations. Afterall, if the Prophet were going to come to visit our home wouldn't we want to clean it, repair it, and make it as presentable as possible? How much more should we prepare our surroundings for when the Savior comes to visit. I want him to say to me, "Well done thou good and faithful steward."

The Church's opposition to the storage of nuclear waste in Utah is the focus of a High Country News story from June 2006. It references a 1981 letter from the First Presidency denouncing the MX nuclear missile, saying that the "statement expounded on the church’s role as steward of the earth". I'll have to search for the exact text of the letter later--sounds interesting.

Many years ago, I protested these nuclear waepons & waste with my family. Is it bad that we used various types of polystyrene to fashion those missile costumes?

Is it bad that we used various types of polystyrene to fashion those missile costumes?

Yes. Just as bad as me littering. :-)

To answer your question, "How do we keep from viewing respectful stewardship of the earth in the same light?" I would say that how I treat the earth may not be so much about the earth as about what kind of person I want to be.

Sure it may not drastically hurt the planet, or cause lasting damage to the atmosphere if I am wasteful or pollute, but it does make me a callous and careless person if I knowingly do things that are hurtful, especially when there is an acceptable alternative.

Only Apocalyptic Christians/Mormons.

Other Christians are pretty-much OK.

Yeah, I recognized me as soon as I saw the topic of conversation! :) Yes, I was being flippant.

I don't run around wasting things -- I believe that we do have a stewardship and I take that seriously. To answer Eric's comment, saving for a mission and college, is, to me, part of being prepared, as we've been commanded to do. We should have money reserves just as we should have food reserves.

I try to reuse leftovers -- I reuse my bags from the grocery store. What I do not do, however, is get freaked out about it. I know people who are so worried about the state of the environment, they forget to enjoy the environment they live in. I'm not going to use my time washing off my tinfoil and ignore my children while I do it. We've got to preserve our families and our sanity as well as the earth, and I'm not willing to get carted off to the looney bin because I couldn't figure out a way to get the freshly laundered plastic wrap back on the roll.

And, yes, I'm being flippant again. But the thought is sincere.

Tristi -
Yeah, I knew it was an off the cuff remark you made over on Mind-Muffins, but it DID get me to do some serious pondering and that's a good thing.

Always love hearing your point of view. By the way - Your book "Nothing to Regret" is making the rounds with various folks. My visiting teacher's son absolutely LOVED it. The writing crew here has yet to read it so we haven't been able to get a discussion going yet...perhaps yet to come?

Well, I sure hope so! I'm sorta waiting over here with baited breath.

By the way, the sequel should be out sometime soon. I say "should." Final word on that hasn't come yet. But it's a good book, if I do say so myself.

I think this sums it up rather well.

In a general conference address in April 1950, Elder Richard L. Evans of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “I recall a reported statement, attributed, as I remember it, to President Wilford Woodruff. Some of the brethren of his time are said to have approached him … and to have inquired of him as to when he felt the end would be—when would be the coming of the Master? These, I think, are not his exact words, but they convey the spirit of his reported reply: ‘I would live as if it were to be tomorrow—but I am still planting cherry trees!’ ”

“Chapter 24: Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, 250