The world is full of ingrates, and ingratitude by anyone at any time is inexcusable. But there is a particular ingratitude which galls me, grates on me and angers me the most. And it surely must grieve and anger God.

With modern technology, photography, communication, computers, travel and the Internet, we are blessed to be able to see countless photos and videos about the marvels of “nature” all over the world. However, in most instances, there is an unspoken elephant in the room. It is the absence of any "thank you" to the source—the one who gave us nature! Not only is there no "thank you," there is absolutely no mention or acknowledgement of who gave us this luscious garden and zoo that we call planet earth! The silence is deafening!

In general, we know we should give credit where credit is due. If we see a movie, we see the credits—a very long list of the people who helped to make the film. But the One who deserves credit for the entire universe is seldom mentioned!

Or if a “cause” is mentioned, it is the irrational and ridiculous theory of evolution! That insults God even more than not mentioning God! That implies that everything physical must be far from perfect because it all is the result of a haphazard series of accidents! And yet any honest person can see that every creature is designed perfectly and functions perfectly.

Creation without a Creator?

We are expected to believe that creatures have no Creator, design has no Designer, art has no Artist, engineering has no Engineer, maintenance has no Maintainer, and administration has no Administrator! This is insane!

However, this doesn’t mean that practically all photographers and producers do not believe in God. But many believers are ashamed to publicly mention their belief. And those who do believe in a Creator are under pressure to be “politically correct,” which means they dare not mention God.

Everything in God’s creation is perfect. It is because the substances, laws, forces and processes are so utterly consistent and dependable that we can have the sciences of chemistry, biology (including botany and zoology), physics, mathematics, etc. Everyone relies on and benefits from this perfection, but most people don’t give God any gratitude for it.

Why no gratitude?

Why no gratitude? With many people, the problem is simply ignorance. Ignorance of the Bible, an absence of good parental teaching, ignorance of science and lack of logical thinking. With some, it is a desire to seem intellectual, modern and sophisticated. And laziness plays a part. Expressing gratitude takes some effort.

With many others, it is their carnal, stubborn, rebellious human nature. Since they don’t want to obey God, they don’t want to give Him any credit or acknowledge that He has any authority. They would rather not even think about God. 

That is summed up by Paul: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Romans 8:6-7).

Worshipping creatures rather than the Creator

Paul thoroughly describes this subject in his letter to the Romans (Romans 1:18-32). People “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). Much about God can be “understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20). “They did not glorify [God] as God, nor were thankful” (Romans 1:21). “Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). They “exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). “The lie” primarily is the religious devotion to the theory of evolution, the idea that creation did not need a Creator. And then the rest of the chapter describes the result of rejecting God—increasing mental and moral problems, a downward spiral into irrationality and evil.

Notice again: They “worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Many people adore and even worship nature. They proudly fancy themselves as nature lovers, environmentalists, preservationists and ecologists. For example, the producers of nature videos are obviously greatly enamored with their subjects. Their gods are the creatures, and their overall god is Mother Nature. This is in spite of the fact that throughout the Bible, God repeatedly warns against having any false gods. Having any other god is highly insulting toward the true God. It is sacrilege and blasphemy. And it is irrational and ridiculous.  

I love seeing photos and videos of God’s creatures and creation! I love seeing the fascinating and often humorous relationships and interactions of animals, birds, sea creatures, etc. I love reading and learning about all of creation, including the universe.

Quite often I think: “Wow, God, thank you for that amazing creature! It is so perfectly designed, so beneficial, so pleasant to observe, so entertaining! Thank you for making it, and for making it exactly as You did!”

Then the omission in the video hits me and I’m angry. I feel like yelling at the video. “Hey, you didn’t mention who designed and made these creatures! You should be ashamed. If it were not for God, none of these creatures would even exist! Yet you are giving zero credit and glory to the One who deserves all the credit! Don’t you realize you are insulting God?”

Not giving God credit for His creation may be the most egregious ingratitude. What do you think?