There are a few threads on this already but I thought I ask again with a particular focus. What’s behind the religious denial of GCC? I understand there are financial reasons for denying GCC, but why would religious people be so against GCC? And is it mostly Christians or are there Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, etc. deniers too.
This is just off the cuff, based on my experience with evangelical Christians and neo-conservatives. I think it’s a couple of things:
First, it’s part of the right wing desire to keep any kind of regulation out of play. If there is climate change occurring and if it is caused by human activity, then regulation is needed to slow or reverse it. Regulation means more restrictions and higher costs for business.
Second, it damages some of the core fundy teachings: that god is in control and humanity can do little to influence things on a global scale, and that such things don’t really matter anyway since Jesus will return any day to begin the end times events.
Since there is a huge amount of overlap between the two groups (fundies and neo-cons) the effects are multiplied.
And let’s not forget Genesis 1:26. God gives man dominion over the Earth to screw it up for his (man’s) benefit. Of course we can take advantage of all the flora and fauna as well so according to the fundies we have free reign cause skypappy says it’s ok. Whatever benefits man or whatever profit we can derive from environmental destruction doesn’t matter. There’s pie I the sky when you die.
This is just off the cuff, based on my experience with evangelical Christians and neo-conservatives. I think it’s a couple of things:
First, it’s part of the right wing desire to keep any kind of regulation out of play. If there is climate change occurring and if it is caused by human activity, then regulation is needed to slow or reverse it. Regulation means more restrictions and higher costs for business.
Second, it damages some of the core fundy teachings: that god is in control and humanity can do little to influence things on a global scale, and that such things don’t really matter anyway since Jesus will return any day to begin the end times events.
Since there is a huge amount of overlap between the two groups (fundies and neo-cons) the effects are multiplied.
I’ll bet you’re right on. The Fascists in your first point, like the Koch brothers, are probably all about the money, and they use the poor religious folks like they do the tea party folks for their aims. And they make the perfect tools because of your second point. What I don’t get is why the hard religious right can’t seem to make the simple mental jump to “god gave us the earth as a great gift to take care of, we better do as god wants and stop GW”. That attitude doesn’t take anything away from god’s greatness and in fact makes humans even more important in her eyes.
I’ll bet you’re right on. The Fascists in your first point, like the Koch brothers, are probably all about the money, and they use the poor religious folks like they do the tea party folks for their aims. And they make the perfect tools because of your second point. What I don’t get is why the hard religious right can’t seem to make the simple mental jump to “god gave us the earth as a great gift to take care of, we better do as god wants and stop GW”. That attitude doesn’t take anything away from god’s greatness and in fact makes humans even more important in her eyes.
You should go ask some religious right-ers and let us know.
What I don’t get is why the hard religious right can’t seem to make the simple mental jump to “god gave us the earth as a great gift to take care of, we better do as god wants and stop GW”. That attitude doesn’t take anything away from god’s greatness and in fact makes humans even more important in her eyes.
Again, because (IMHO) of the large overlap between the political and religious right. On the other hand, most liberal Xians do take this attitude.
What I don’t get is why the hard religious right can’t seem to make the simple mental jump to “god gave us the earth as a great gift to take care of, we better do as god wants and stop GW”. That attitude doesn’t take anything away from god’s greatness and in fact makes humans even more important in her eyes.
Perhaps it has more to do with immediate personal comfort and
refusal to admit that endless growth and maximizing profits is the most important thing in life.
Just guessing and know it’s only a part of it, but man oh man is it frustrating trying to communicate with folks who are convinced real climatologists are either stupid or frauds… it would be so easy simply to write them off, until one realizes how many freak’n people think like that.
~ ~ ~
Also perhaps a part of it is the shear terror of appreciating the real world implications of how society is impacting the atmosphere and planet, and where it’s cascading consequence are going to be taking society, then humanity. Most depressing and most folks just as soon keep sucking off the boob-tube of their choice and ignore what’s happening out there.
Yo CuthbertJ, if you want to kick this can around, check out this, perhaps put in your two bits worth
Society has been dependent upon consumption,
Ever increasing consumption,
A mindset that got supercharged by the Greed Is Good School of Reaganomics,
However, we do live on a finite planet, no matter how much derision that school of though has received by rich and powerful along with their spokes-puppets.
President Carter, for all his faults, at least had the balls to look that reality head-on rather than the Disneyvision the rest of the country was working with.
President Carter’s warning during his April 18, 1977 speech may have cost him his re-election, but it’s Tough Love message was spot on
As recent history, and more especially current events are baring witness to,
with the real action yet to come.
As far as global warming goes, it’s real. You only have to plot the number of active glaciers in Glacier National Park to see the true “hockey stick graph.” Forget counting tree rings. Roughly speaking, for 10,000 years, there were 125 glaciers there, up until the park was opened in 1910. By 2010, there were only 25 active glaciers. That’s a loss of 100 glaciers in 100 years. Thus, the world is getting warmer. Is it a man-made phenomenon? Probably not. The reason to call it man-made is so that the government can tax cow farts.
Religious reason number 1: If god didn’t want us to use oil and coal, he wouldn’t have put it here.
Religious reason number 2: We know scientists are evil because they keep trying to question the biblical truths, so it stands to reason that they are lying to us about climate change.
Thus, the world is getting warmer. Is it a man-made phenomenon? Probably not. The reason to call it man-made is so that the government can tax cow farts.
Brilliant argument. I am totally convinced. Thank you.
Thus, the world is getting warmer. Is it a man-made phenomenon? Probably not. The reason to call it man-made is so that the government can tax cow farts.
There are a few threads on this already but I thought I ask again with a particular focus. What’s behind the religious denial of GCC? I understand there are financial reasons for denying GCC, but why would religious people be so against GCC? And is it mostly Christians or are there Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, etc. deniers too.
The monotheistic religions suppose that God gave the earth to man, and that everything was specially made for man. In the modern world view man is just a historical ‘accident’. The ‘homocentric’ view makes it easier to believe that God will not let it happen. In the end, he made it all for us!
