When religion is at odds with climate change research

[Aegon]

The following is a real comment on a Wall Street Journal article I found on Facebook:

"My opinion is that God, who made this world and everything in it, knew what mankind would do with regard to pollution, etc. The earth is self-sustainable according to His plan, and nothing humans can do will cause permanent damage to God's plan. That is all."

I mean, the relationship between evangelical Christians and climate change deniers has been known for quite some time. Why do they disagree with scientific fact so much? Evolution I understand, simply because it goes against the idea of intelligent design, something that many Christians believe is vital to their understanding of our world. But climate change denial? Is it just because they're more likely to follow whatever conservative pundits say? Opinions like the one expressed on that WSJ article are damaging to climate change research here in the U.S.  I didn't know people like that were so open about their ignorance...

[brewer]

Oh come on. They believe in a historical global flood that wiped out almost everything and then magically everything came back into being. Reincarnation?

Magic makes climate change go away. Just like Dance Party and Waco!

[dyresand]

The more scientific findings and ground breaking research comes out the more it harms religion but
in this case in reality people will still be ignorant regardless of the evidence because they want to feel good
and special and not insignificant and want to believe there is a special place after death.

[Whateverist]

Oh you have to go with what the goat herders of the bronze age who wrote the bible have to say over today's climate scientists, surely. After all today's scientists don't even agree 100%.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I've no doubt they're contributing to the warming, what with all the hot air coming off the pulpits.

[Aroura]

My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.

Their willful ignorance could destroy more than just us, if we don't fins some way to stop it. It's hard enough to fight anthropomorphic climate change when you believe in it. It's impossible when we are fought every step of the way by the greedy people backed up by the common folks with their fingers in their ears.

It seems that some of the very things that were most useful for us in earlier times, traits we evolved that helped us master the world around us and survive in almost all habitats, will possibly cause our own destruction. Irony?

[Fake Messiah]

Yeah this is an interesting question. My conclusion is that you have to remember how much oil companies are involved in politics and since they can't control science, because it is based on observable evidence, they turn to these people that live in alternative reality to whom the "truth" comes from authority. So to me it looks like oil companies and evangelicals stroke a deal, OPEC tells them: listen you preach that global warming is a hoax and that Middle East wars are demanded by God and we'll elevate your "values", so it's win win situation.
I mean who was the biggest Christian president in this century? Bush jr.

And that's why you have Evangelicals not only denying global warming, but also embracing it. For instance in that doc "Jesus Camp" they play evangelical radio stations and you can hear a dj saying:

Why our kids thought that global warming doesn't exist?
Ok, why?
Look, rape this world rape this earth, take everything you want from her because, you know what?
It doesn't matter. We are not here for very long. Christ is coming to take us away from Earth, so cut down our trees, use all of our oil take advantage of everything that the Earth has to offer.
That's why you're here getting involved with issues like global warming.
It… it…it… you want to shake them.
And you want to say:
What… what what is you are not understanding by the of the Christianity?
How did you get here?
Our president [Bush] is still telling Americans that we should teach creationism in our schools.
That we should teach it right along side with the evolution.

[Pat Mustard]

The following is a real comment on a Wall Street Journal article I found on Facebook:

"My opinion is that God, who made this world and everything in it, knew what mankind would do with regard to pollution, etc. The earth is self-sustainable according to His plan, and nothing humans can do will cause permanent damage to God's plan. That is all."

I mean, the relationship between evangelical Christians and climate change deniers has been known for quite some time. Why do they disagree with scientific fact so much? Evolution I understand, simply because it goes against the idea of intelligent design, something that many Christians believe is vital to their understanding of our world. But climate change denial? Is it just because they're more likely to follow whatever conservative pundits say? Opinions like the one expressed on that WSJ article are damaging to climate change research here in the U.S.  I didn't know people like that were so open about their ignorance...

One of the original creeds of christianity is dominionism, the idea that god gave men the rest of the world to do what they want with and nothing bad will happen. Now mainstream christianity doesn't like to advertise this stuff much (mainly because it disagrees with their happy clappy propoganda), but fundagelicals are still more than happy to spout it.

[Homeless Nutter]

Of course global warming doesn't matter. The sooner this planet is utterly f*cked beyond recognition - the sooner we get to go to heaven... so that we can start f*cking that place up.

[vorlon13]

I'm anticipating some of those religious climate change deniers nevertheless demanding government buyout and relocation payments when their coastal homes flood.