Parable of the Sower

The phrase “God is change” is the central tenet of the religion that Lauren is developing. To her, change is the only constant in life, and her religion is a way of allowing herself to survive traumatic events. It’s different than other religions in many ways because it does not encourage prayer or the idea of an afterlife. Instead, it encourages its followers to “shape God” themselves and live in a way that encourages peace and compassion in the present world. Earthseed followers should care about others and choose a way of life that helps everyone feel safe and nurtured. Lauren understands that change is inevitable, and it’s better to plan and prepare for it than deny it or hope passively for better days: “Earthseed deals with ongoing reality, not with supernatural authority figures. Worship is no good without action. With action, it’s only useful if it steadies you, focuses your efforts, eases your mind” (226). By rooting its ideology in the present rather than a hoped-for afterlife, it requires its adherents to be active, informed participants in the real world. In doing so, Earthseed followers can actively work to create a better world, symbolized by their farming and planting