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I've always wondered why Christian fundmentalists go as far as to say global warming isn't happening. Whether humans are the cause or not, cleaning up the environment will be good for all of mankind. It also says in the Bible to care for the earth. Why are fundamentalists so against this? Is it because admitting that scientists are correct on global warming would push them towards admitting the earth is older than 6,000 years?
If some doom and gloom scientists are correct, our species may be facing extinction within the next 200 years if something is not done. I tend to not agree with those scientists, but what if they are right?
Wait a minute. The entire foundation of your question is baloney. A lot of eminent scientists have weighed in against global warming, particularly the link to emissions. When the head of Climatology of MIT says there is no cause and effect here, I'm inclined to listen. Mind you, these dissenting scientists are not paid stooges of Exxon. They are just looking at the data and saying, "Nope." Heck, as it turns out, even the UN's vaunted report on climate change was written by policy makers who overrode the strident objections of a lot of climate scientists. In fact, the computer models for global warming have been found to have inaccurate data. For example, the models used temperature data from the South Pole that was 40 DEGREES warmer than actual conditions.
The other thing to consider is that the climate has warmed up some over the past 100 years. At the same time, the climate has been much warmer than this in recorded history, as we have found through historical records, archeological digs, and other natural evidence such as tree rings. For example, we know that Iceland once had forests. Greenland had agriculture and sheepherding. Both of these would be impossibilities today. The lower third of Greenland was forested up to 100,000 years ago. Given that there were no coal-fired plants or Yukon Denalis back then, how do you account for that.
In fact, a good number of space scientists are placing the blame on global warming on solar activity, looking at the historical link between sunspots and temperatures. According to the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, the amount of solar radiation striking the earth today is roughly 1% greater than a century ago. Further, planetary temperatures of Mars and Venus are several degrees warmer than they were two decades ago. How do you blame emissions for that?
What's more, these same scientists are noting that we are actually seeing the beginning of diminished sunspot activity, a period that is known as the Maunder Minimum. So we could be actually on the cusp of colder global temperatures, not higher ones.
I think the other thing that bothers me about this entire Global Warming hysteria is the fact that it is an apparent backdoor attempt to curtail the use of internal combustion engines. Hey, I'm all for reducing air pollution. In fact, the US has done a remarkable job over the past 40 years of cleaning up the air and water. But if you want us to do more, then at least present the case in an honest fashion, rather than whip up some shrill Chicken Little scenario that has gaping holes punched in it on a weekly basis by respected scientists.
By the way, I'm not a fundamentalist. But your conflation was just too much for me to let pass without remark.
Well... to be honest... I haven't really researched the global warming issue as much as I would have liked. I have found some good articles on it, and I do plan on backing my opinions up later today/tonight after I do some more research. However, I really need to get to bed soon so I'll only offer my opinion(s) on what the OP was asking for the time being. I'll then present some evidence for my own opinions later on tonight if that's ok???
So first of all, I think what the original poster was referring to was something I saw in the documentary "Jesus Camp". I'm not sure of the entire belief behind it, but I seem to remember that there were fundamentalist Christians who believed that God made the Earth with all of the resources to be used at our own will and once they were gone the Rapture would come. This seemed to give the excuse that it was OK to use as many of our natural resources as possible as the ends were a justification for the means.
Now, please, it's been a while since I've seen the documentary so if I am wrong or inaccurate on that, someone correct me. That seemed to be the impression that I got from watching the video, or at least, the impression that stuck with me. This also seems to be the type of thinking that I believe the OP was referring to. Again, if I'm wrong on that, feel free to correct me.
Round Two coming up later tonight.... I'm all excited. How shall I ever go to bed??!!Research with a purpose!!
Just to explain how I see the earth, global warming etc...
As a Christian, I love what I see as God's Creation. I see the earth as the Lord's.. and I feel we need to care for it. I love showing its wonders to my children, and I want them to show the same things to their children. I teach them to be kind to animals, not disturb a bird's nest, pick up litter.
At the same time, the word "temperance" comes to mind, which is a fruit of the Spirit. "To be temperate in all things".. This doesn't mean that we are against change.. rather that there is a middle, rational way, and we don't need to be caught up in mass hysteria. I don't feel the need to go into debt to replace everything I own with the greenest thing on the market, but I do feel good about the electricity I save by replacing the lightbulbs in my house with compact flourescents, and when I need to make a bigger purchase, the "greener" item of course will be considered if its feasible. I don't plan to be an activist, or go live in a tree.
Where am I denying global warming? What more can I, or should I, do?
Although I have never applied the term 'fundamentalist' to myself, I do suppose I would fall in that category.
I have never heard any Christian deny that its happening, but that certainly does not mean they are not out there.
I think its a combination of human effect and the natural, cyclical life of our planet. Considering hundreds of years ago (even just 100 years ago) we did not have the technology to measure these things, we are still learning a lot about our planet and its natural cycles.
Doesn't global warming and global cooling happen every hundreds of thousands of years?
Yes, and it's never good for humans when it happens! From my understanding, volcanoes may have caused some instances from all the pollution they spew. If humans are doing the same thing now, at least we can try to reverse it. If Yellowstone has a major (as is predicted) eruption as a "super volcano", nothing we can do about that other than die off.
The global warning Alarm is to loud, in comparison to the ability to do much about it that does not hurt mankind.
In order to calm the bell sounders, we would have to kill off millions of people, through starvation, war and destitution. Unemployment brings social ills that would not be pretty.
The go Green movement has its merits, very few get a kick out of waste and destruction, yet it is attached to an ideology of birkenstock, tree hugger, gaia worshipping. Not being led by God, and His Holy Spirit.
The spark of catastrophe is more of a sky is falling chicken little agenda, that has very little real time merits.
I'm all for discovering better ways to do things, through proven market processes, not gestapo tactics of demonizing oil companys, or any others that have helped to get the quality of life we enjoy today.
THe alternative fuel push, ie. ethanol, and biodiesel (which i've produced and used for over 5 yrs.) will most likely continue to opress the poor, due to the cost of the feed stock going through the roof. The effects on third world economies and water pollution due to fertilizer and pesticide increases don't help either.
I see the global warming as more a shift of economic powers, not having any real selfless solutions, basically it is a short term gimic to get the Gorites a stage to look like super heroes.
We have here a moving train. If it is stopped as fast as some would like, we all get derailed.
One more thing to think about if its man made then why is the global temp on Mars increasing?
Solar flares. Same reason the earth is warming a bit. Even though many places have had the coldest and snowiest winters on record. Heck, even Baghdad had snow last month, first time in a 100 years.
Solar flares. Same reason the earth is warming a bit. Even though many places have had the coldest and snowiest winters on record. Heck, even Baghdad had snow last month, first time in a 100 years.
Exactly!!
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