When Francis of Assisi referred to nature as his sister, he was being deeply Christian.
There are three options for viewing the natural world: it can be our mother, our whore, or our sister. Paganism gives us mother nature; the earth itself, not a transcendent God, is the generator of mankind. It is therefore to be worshipped. Humans are, just like the elephant, a product of Nature. Nature herself is an animate being of sovereignty. Neopaganism (the movement towards paganism in the Post-modern West) is not to be confused with pre-Christian cultures such as those of Norse myth or the Greek Olympians. They are very different in many respects for one is pre-Christian and the other is anti-Christian. However, in this respect at least they are analogous; mankind is, for both of them, of the earth itself in body and spirit. The worship of inanimate objects by the old pagan and the greenies of today both typify this spirit of veneration for the earth mother.
In the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, humanity received a soul that was not merely physical. For most pre-Socratics, all things were material, like Thales, who postulated that all things are made from water. Christianity later perfected the idea of a transcendent God and the non-material nature of the soul. This philosophy of transcendent ideas, from Plato to Christianity, was a tremendous victory over the older animistic one-ism of the ancient world which has been revived in the university halls of modern scientism where all things are thought to be made from atoms alone — all things are now, once again, material. Modernity has accepted the priority of man over nature from Christianity and the scientism of today’s material philosophers (atheistic evolutionists). Nature, to the average man, is lower than himself (a Christian idea) and also merely physical (a pagan idea), this is the most toxic mixture. At least the old pagan saw himself as a part of a cosmic drama, one with the earth and sky and deeply connect with the natural order. The gods might be made out of the same stuff as himself, but he was at least below them in rank, while being, by right of brains, above the hippo in power. Man and nature made a whole. Our society sees the natural world as a disposable cup — cheaply made to be used and tossed (into the already polluted oceans). Sadly, many Christians today inadvertently also see nature as a prostitute to be used up and sent away. This comes from a wrong view of dominion. To take dominion is not to run roughshod over the earth, but to tend her, keep her, and use for the needs of mankind gently as a steward.
The earth was made by God Himself as are humans. This makes mankind, in a sense, brother to the earth. We are also made in the image of God Himself and have been given rationality and an eternal soul. We are the older brother, the one with all the inheritance, but let us not forget our little sister in the midst of our greater gifts. Christ became man not only to save you and me but to restore the cosmos to perfection. The creation, writes Paul, is eagerly waiting for the redemption of the sons of man. The salvation story has cosmic dimensions. It is not only to save the Shire but for the good of all Middle Earth. As stewards, given charge of the creation, take care of her for the glory of the coming King. Put her to work and revel in her bounty, but do not distress her; whatever is bad for her ought to pain you for you are her older brother.
Reflective Wanderer 