Three times in the past year and a half my wife and I have been privileged to see what we considered “the most beautiful place on earth.” But each time it was a different location! First we were convinced it was Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina. Next, we decided that Hunte’s Gardens in Barbados could be even more spectacular. Finally, it was the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden on the Big Island of Hawaii. On any given day we could give the nod to any of the three.
But there are several other competitors whose beauty we have found nearly as breath-taking. We just returned from a couple of weeks in the West, where we were awed again by the sights of Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, and Yellowstone Park. We have been similarly impressed by spectacular scenery in such places as the Peruvian Amazon, Panama, Guatemala, Iceland, Alaska, and Antarctica.
How can one account for beauty in nature without acknowledging the existence and love of a Divine Artist, who left such loveliness as His calling card? Randomness and nature left to itself never make things more beautiful. Our house doesn’t get cleaner automatically. Our car doesn’t get better looking and in better condition through neglect. Throwing paint at a canvas doesn’t result in an exquisite painting. Only the intervention of an intelligent being creates order and beauty. As Psalms 19:1 put it, “The Heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.”
Or, as Thomas R. Taylor worded it in his well-known hymn:
Earth with her ten thousand flowers,
Air, with all its beams and show’rs
Heaven’s infinite expanse
Sea’s resplendent countenance
All around and all above
Bear this record: God is love.
Rather than write a long philosophical treatise on the subject, in the balance of this post I would prefer to share a few of our favorite photos of beautiful places we have witnessed, as part of our testimony that God is real and loves us enough to create places of beauty to “please the eye and to gladden the heart.” (D&C 59:18.)
I first saw Iguazu Falls on my way home from my mission to Uruguay in 1963. I thought then that it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and vowed that someday I would take Virginia there. The promise finally came true fifty years later. We have since returned with other family members. It never ceases to amaze us. It is nearly two miles wide, split into 275 distinct falls, and comprises the largest waterfall system in the world. Though Niagara has slightly more water, the spectacular design and jungle setting of Iguazu prompted Eleanor Roosevelt, upon seeing it, to exclaim, “My poor Niagara!”
There are many other scenic waterfalls we’ve enjoyed, which we have felt were among the loveliest views nature has to offer. The following are just a sample:
Small fall in nature reserve outside of Panajachel, Guatemala, near Lake Atitlan. Some have theorized that this could be the location of the Waters of Mormon, where Alma baptized. The Book of Mormon tells us: “There was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king.” (Mosiah 18:5). The writer further tells us that these events occurred “by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever.” (Mosiah 18:30.) If Alma were hiding from the king, it would seem unlikely he would have done so on the exposed shore of the lake. More likely it would have been in a more secluded place, such as that shown above. We can’t know for sure, of course, that this is the place called the Waters of Mormon in the Book of Mormon, but I’ve often said, “If Alma didn’t baptize here, he should have!”
Many of our other favorite natural scenes involve lakes, mountains, ice, jungle, or some combination of the above. Here are a few:
Like rainbows, sunsets produce a beauty with spiritual qualities.
The animal and plant worlds also have a beauty of their own, witnessing again the power and love of their Maker. Here are a few of our favorite shots:
Speaking of the lilies of the field, Jesus noted that “Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.” (Luke 12:27.) Man has yet to create anything as beautiful as that which the Creator Himself has produced. The likelihood that it could have come purely by chance is so infinitesimally remote that it brings to mind the Psalmist’s declaration, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalms 53:1.) We are grateful for the beauty which abounds in parts of the world as yet unsullied by man. We view it as (1) evidence for God’s existence, (2) evidence for His love and goodness, and (3) a foretaste of that even greater beauty awaiting us in heaven above.