Is global warming just another ‘End-of-the-World’ delusion?

[RickG]

If you're planning to bail out on your faith, Rick, don't do it at my expense.

This is about the third time you've laid that at my feet, and I want no part of it.

I want no part of a deceitful God AV. Yes, my faith is becoming very, very, very thin. I don't have to make totally absurd stuff up to believe in God, but apparently, there are some here that do just that.

Again, note my signature.

 

[TLK Valentine]

If you're planning to bail out on your faith, Rick, don't do it at my expense.

This is about the third time you've laid that at my feet, and I want no part of it.

You misunderstand him, AV -- you're not the cause, merely an example.

IOW, don't flatter yourself; you're not that important.

 

[TLK Valentine]

I want no part of a deceitful God AV. Yes, my faith is becoming very, very, very thin. I don't have to make totally absurd stuff up to believe in God, but apparently, there are some here that do just that.

"Any god who can be killed ought to be killed. . . and any god who needs to be protected from truth -- from any source -- is dead already." -- John Shelby Spong.

 

[RickG]

"Any god who can be killed ought to be killed. . . and any god who needs to be protected from truth -- from any source -- is dead already." -- John Shelby Spong.

I never questioned anything in the bible until I begin encountering YEC's. They have given me more reason than anything to question the existence of God. What is the point in believing in a God when one has to deny reality, deliberately misrepresent things and people, and just plain make stuff up to believe in that God.

 

[AV1611VET]

"Any god who can be killed ought to be killed. . . and any god who needs to be protected from truth -- from any source -- is dead already." -- John Shelby Spong.

No wonder you like Spong!

Because there are people capable of advocating those things without being an obnoxious twerp.

Name one.

John Shelby Spong.

 

[AV1611VET]

I never questioned anything in the bible until I begin encountering YEC's.

Well, that let's me off the hook then.

 

[mzungu]

I fear that YECs are doing a disservice to their religion.

 

[RickG]

Well, that let's me off the hook then.

1. An embedded age is YEC.
2. A belief that the earth is only 6,000 years old is YEC.
3. Belief of only one ice age within that 6,000 years is YEC.

Not singling anyone out. Just saying.

 

[RickG]

I fear that YECs are doing a disservice to their religion.

 

[TLK Valentine]

I fear that YECs are doing a disservice to their religion.

I don't fear it; I know it from years of observation.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Well, that let's me off the hook then.

And yet you still find a way to make yourself into a symptom of the disease which plagues Christianity.

 

[DennisTate]

Global warming two years here in NZ worst summer ever last summer even worse when you get three weeks of fine weather well its better than raining all summer

Do you mean that your summer was colder than ususal?

Here in Nova Scotia, Canada we had an unusually wet and cold summer in 2011 partly because a massive chunk of ice had slid off Greenland and was floating down past the province of Newfoundland. As wind blew over this ice, the air coming in off the ocean was especially wet and cold.

All the ice sliding off Greenland and in your case Antarctica can have a significant impact on weather over the short term.

 

[mzungu]

Do you mean that your summer was colder than ususal?

Here in Nova Scotia, Canada we had an unusually wet and cold summer in 2011 partly because a massive chunk of ice had slid off Greenland and was floating down past the province of Newfoundland. As wind blew over this ice, the air coming in off the ocean was especially wet and cold.

All the ice sliding off Greenland and in your case Antarctica can have a significant impact on weather over the short term.

Most people mistake "Weather" for "Climate"; With climate change you get all sorts of unusual weather patterns. On the other hand weather does not influence climate but the other way round!

 

[eclipsenow]

Most people mistake "Weather" for "Climate"; With climate change you get all sorts of unusual weather patterns. On the other hand weather does not influence climate but the other way round!

Yes, measuring climate is not just a matter of sticking your head out the window and yelling, "It's snowing so there's no climate change! I could do with it being a bit warmer hear actually!"

The Denialists here forget it is not just about a little warming in one particular region, but extra energy trapped in every square foot of atmosphere, and how that plays havoc on the global climate system. Havoc that we can see starting right now, and playing out in ever larger waves of destruction. This denialism thing... it just makes me cringe... especially when my Christian brothers and sisters do it for misunderstandings and misappropriation of bad theology.

 

[AV1611VET]

This denialism thing... it just makes me cringe... especially when my Christian brothers and sisters do it for misunderstandings and misappropriation of bad theology.

Scientists have been crying "wolf" ever since I can remember:

Overpopulation, depletion of natural resources, radon gas in the curtains, aluminum in the ceiling, lead paint on the walls, various syzygies, comets, asteroids, Hong Kong flu, Swine flu, Legionnaires' disease, Y2K, the Satan Bug, the Hellstrom Chronicle, the "Big One" (earthquake), radiation leaks, etc.

 

[eclipsenow]

Scientists have been crying "wolf" ever since I can remember:

Overpopulation, depletion of natural resources, radon gas in the curtains, aluminum in the ceiling, lead paint on the walls, various syzygies, comets, asteroids, Hong Kong flu, Swine flu, Legionnaires' disease, Y2K, the Satan Bug, the Hellstrom Chronicle, the "Big One" (earthquake), radiation leaks, etc.

Hey, the bible said it, that settles it, remember? The Last Days (started in Acts 2 2000 years ago) will have earthquakes and wars and famines... so what is your disagreement with science? Or look at it another way. When the first humans rebelled against God, we lost our proper relationship with God, with each other, and with nature. We once lived in a special garden where things were perfect, and were then pushed out into the 'real world' of thorns and thistles and sweat and death. If our rebellion caused that great a change to our relationship with nature at the beginning, surely you don't have to view global warming as somehow hostile to the bible? Surely there is ample room to view it as just another of the consequences of our sinful wilful ignorance, and denialism is just another way we fail to love our brothers and sisters on this planet?

And as to your outright REJECTION of the bible when you deny science, such as denying there has been or will be a 'big one' Earthquake, do you think that comes across as 'smart' or just hostile and unloving? Ever hear of the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 in which 240 thousand people died?

Oh, and another reason to get rid of coal fired power plants: coal kills millions of people globally a year. This is a fact. It's already happening.

Compared with other sources of energy, nuclear power is one of the safest. We worry about radiation but are happy to accept air pollution from fossil fuels. Coal-related air pollution from power plants is globally responsible for more than 100,000 deaths per year.1,2 The World Health Organisation estimates that indoor air pollution from biomass and coal causes 1.5m premature deaths per year.3

Fear of nuclear power is out of all proportion to the actual risks | Melanie Windridge | Science | guardian.co.uk

In other words, coal kills more people per week when it goes right than the entire history of nuclear power going wrong!

The solution to global warming and peak oil and air pollution is clean, SUPER-SAFE GenIV nuclear power that eats nuclear waste and could run the world for 500 years on the nuclear waste we already have. Once we have about half or 3/4 the grid running on GenIV nukes, renewables can take over the rest. You should be proud. American invented GenIV nuke technology, but sadly it was banned under Clinton. However, other countries are about to commercialise it and then sell it back to you!

In summary: don't deny science as thoughtful Christians simply don't do that. There's no conflict between Christianity and science. Failing to understand the real world consequences of our actions on pollution & climate is just plain stubbornly failing to love our neighbour.

 

[usexpat97]

The problem with calling GW an end-of-the-world-delusion is that it's being put forth by the scientific community--which is supposed to be the same community atheists are supposed to trust. So now you have to disbelieve both religion AND science in order to believe there is no threat to mankind.

 

[AV1611VET]

And as to your outright REJECTION of the bible when you deny science, such as denying there has been or will be a 'big one' Earthquake, do you think that comes across as 'smart' or just hostile and unloving?

Um ... the "big one" is a reference to another earthquake along the San Andreas Fault.

We Yanks still remember the 1906 San Fransisco Earthquake; and the "big one" is a reference to another, larger one, where ... melodramatically speaking ... California will 'fall into the ocean.'

 

[Strathos]

I notice that a lot of the stuff you're claiming scientists said was actually said by the media, who have a notorious record of exaggerating and misrepresenting scientific claims.

 

[SkyWriting]

The solution to global warming and peak oil and air pollution is clean, SUPER-SAFE GenIV nuclear power that eats nuclear waste and could run the world for 500 years on the nuclear waste we already have.

The theory is nice. None have been built yet. The safety is a matter of pure imagination. Nothing wrong with dreaming about the future.

I think the important thing is to ramp up all the power sources we can find, because much of the world will need to relocate in the next 200 years. And attempting that on wind power is not wise.