Global Warming Questionnaire
Until a few years ago, I was a global warming skeptic. The evidence I've seen has changed my mind. A recent blog about the evidence for global warming received good reader response. Many Christians tend toward distrust and fear of science, and global warming is nearly as divisive as Creationism. Pundits on both sides of the political issue are paid to play-up the propaganda, and easy-to-believe arguments are presented for both sides of our two-party system. While even scientists disagree on climate change, there are fewer skeptics. Let’s dig past the first round of issues, and see what lies beneath. Here are a few questions:
Some have claimed that areas of the world are colder. Global warming people point to records of warmer temperatures and proof of melt at both poles. What similar objective evidence exists of consistently colder trends and cycles? A few cold winters in Chicago obviously do not make up for polar warming. What locations on Earth have grown colder, and what are the sources of this information?
It's a big coincidence that this is happening only a century after heavy industrialization, urbanization, and deforestation. One can't prove a negative, but what evidence is there that global warming is from carbon emissions and greenhouse effect, and not a solar warming trend?
Government's job is to protect citizens--that is why laws are passed. Do citizens need protection from global warming? Answer that question geographically and for future generations.
Acid rain damage has been tracked downwind of heavily industrialized areas. Places like Mexico have pools up and down their beautiful coasts because sewage is on the beach. Third-world countries with few laws against toxic dumping have already trashed environments. Oil slicks on the oceans measure miles across. In spite of all this, some believe that short of weapons of Mass destruction, mankind cannot destroy the Earth. If we've already invented one way to do it, it's unreasonable to hold that another is impossible. An argument against abortion says that even if human life begins later than conception we should err on the side of caution. Should not the same argument be applied to the condition of the planet that we’re leaving for later generations?
Evidence shows that Christians all through history thought they lived in the end times. What if the Second Coming is still thousands of years off? If we abuse this planet long enough, the day will come when humankind is in need of space travel. It is possible that people playing bonsai-tree with the planet are having an effect. Web links and proof I've seen all appears very one-sided. What can it hurt to be careful now rather than sorry later?
8 comments:
What can it hurt to be careful now rather than sorry later?
That's what I was trying to say on your older blog post . . . but couldn't think of a succinct way to express myself.
I have trouble with the assumption that if one is a good Christian then one can't possibly agree with parts of so-called liberal ideas.
Why is ideology so closely tied with religion in the U.S.? --or does it just appear to be so from an outsider's point of view?
I should really get a google account :)
Because me wife is an environmental attorney I hear about this issue constantly. If I believed the planet was actually getting warmer because of mankind then I would say we should do something about it but I don't buy it. I think it's just a ploy to get control of people and to raise taxes. We definitely have a pollution problem even though in the U.S. we are much cleaner then we used to be. (Now if we could only stop smokers from throwing their cigarettes out the car window.) So the problem isn't global warming, it's pollution. The answer isn't more government, it's personal responsibility.
As for Christians believing they have been in the last days for the last 2000 years that is not necessarily true. The church went underground for the first 1500 and we have little record of what they believed. Biblically speaking we have been in the last days for 2000. Until recently the book of Revelation was basically ignored for numerous reasons but basically it was not understandable. Today when knowledge has increased we see things and understand elements of the book we could not 100 years ago.
If we knew Jesus was coming today or 20 years from now it should have no effect on whether it's okay to pollute or not. It's never a good idea.
I still suggest listening to Prager's 3rd hour "Red Hot Lies". Read the book or one of the many others that are out there. The mainstream media is not the place to get environmental news.
http://townhall.com/talkradio/show.aspx?radioshowid=3
Steve--
I should have said all historical evidence shows that believers thought the last-days were upon them. 1500 years were not completely without record. There are many accounts during the Black Death in the 1300s.
My brain was wiped last night, and I did listen to that radio hour while playing a computer game. I wish there were a list of references for points the author-guest made, because again, those who profit from the debate make so many claims with so little references. I did look up the glacial melt on Kilimanjaro, but of course equatorial glaciers would be more delicate.
There is so much propaganda on both sides--and I do think some would be surprised to learn their own side was truthful--that truth is hard to find in our Post-modern age. While I'd rather err on the side of climate-change caution, I also advise caution when anyone rattles the sabre of catastrophism.
Faith,
f
One thing that points to global warming (climate change is a better term) as being the result of human activity rather than climate cycles of a natural order is that if we went by the historical record, we should be heading into a cooling period instead of a warming one.
Besides, however long we have left on this planet, God gave it to us as a trusted steward. I'm afraid we are going to be worse than the unprofitable steward in the Bible. He at least gave the Lord back what he had been given. We are giving back a polluted wasteland if this keeps up.
The second coming is no excuse for betraying God's trust in our stewardship.
Terri
As dub, a Shoutlife & FaithWriter's friend says . . .
"I was discussing this issue with a friend who lives in my parallel world. She says that we are destroying our planet in such quick fashion that her world is in danger too, even though they are doing everything they can to reverse the cycle. It's really pure Genesis - God gave it to us to manage, we are tossing it away like a broken toy...I doubt God will give us another one ."
Reminds me of my step-dad's advice when I learned how to drive defensively: "It's better than being dead right."
Faith,
f
I cannot make myself get too excited about global warming one way or another. We're supposed to be good stewards whether the world's getting hotter or colder, so what does it matter?
That being said, as a nation, we need to be careful. Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, makes some good points about this. I think we should listen to him, because he has been there. He's lived under communist rule, we haven't, so he is likely to spot the warning signs of socialism/communism before we do. (And if you've ever heard him speak about freedom and liberty...the man understands our constitution way better than our own politicians do.)
No beach bon fires? Give me a break. No incandescent bulbs? For goodness sakes, what if I don't want to buy bulbs that contain mercury? Shouldn't I have a choice?
Bottom line regarding the environment, though, as Christians we should be good stewards, but, like it or not, this world is temporary. We can't let temporary concerns outweigh issues of eternal importance. Saving souls is always going to be more important than saving the earth.
I tend to agree with Jessica.
Thanks Frank for listening to the broadcast. There are so many books on both sides that one must study and weight the facts and philosophies of the authors. I lean towards almost all the propaganda coming from the global warmers (liberals). I'll be 50 this year and I can remember growing up in fear because of some global something... no more trees, Florida is going under water, acid rain, we're going to freeze, we're going to burn... it's always something. I'm tired of it. It's all lies to bring socialism and raise taxes. As I said in one other post I do my part to conserve and if everyone does something we'll be fine. The laws should be enforced and we shouldn't be making new ones.
According to DNA the Native Americans came from Asia and crossed over on dry land across the Bering Straight. Explorers keep finding the remains of cities underwater off the coasts of most continents. Could it be sea levels have risen that high without the efforts of our power plants and SUVs? I think history alone will prove the global warming scare a farce.
I said this in another blog elsewhere.....Hoax or reality? The media has shaped how we view our world and the media also shapes our view of the world. Most people believe what they read or hear.... There's truth and then there's TRUTH. I think either side of the Global Warming coin has "evidence" to support their "findings." For the most part I agree with Steve Taylor, it's a pollution problem and we have a "dirty room" that unless we start cleaning it up is only going to get dirtier by the day. The Theory of Global Warming could be classified in the same vein as the Theory of Evolution. As Christians we need to be good stewards of this planet. Not everyone will keep their "rooms" clean, but if we keep ours then at least we're doing what we need to do.
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