God will save the planet...

[anonymous1515]

It is worse than you thought. It was James Watts, the Secretary of the Interior for Reagan. He said, "God gave us these things to use. After the last tree is felled, Christ will come back." And he was in charge of the environment...

Wow. ...just, wow. I am actually shocked by what I've seen on this forum. Truly shocked.

I wonder how many atheists or agnostics hold the same environmental principles and values as Merlin, allhart, and Gospgirl. Although, to be fair, despite their apparent carelessness for the world, there are too few ignorant religious wingnuts to singlehandedly destroy the world. And thankfully we live in a democratic country where intelligent, educated views far outweigh the ignorance presented here.

I guess I should thank you Merlin, allhart, and Gospgirl. You've just given me a reason to do my utmost to convince others to vote.

 

[gwenmead]

Although, to be fair, despite their apparent carelessness for the world, there are too few ignorant religious wingnuts to singlehandedly destroy the world.

To the contrary: religious lobbyists in this nation are powerful enough to influence presidential elections with their activities. Falwell was frightening not for his bigoted ideology, but because millions of people followed him.

All it takes for evil men to triumph is for good men to do nothing. I heartily encourage you to vote, and in your efforts to encourage others to do so as well.

 

[FadingWhispers3]

Counterpoint:

Christians believe that there will be resurrection of the dead. This would seem to encourage negligence towards health. However, since human bodies are the temple of God, they have a duty to take care of themselves.

In the same way, christianity holds that God is the owner of everything and that humans are given charge of it to manage responsibly. Like the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14), people are given different amounts of resources and expectations accordingly.

A nonchalant attitude towards preservation of the earth is dangerous because of several reasons. The first being that it betrays a lack of weight put into the consequences of actions. The second is that it shows a irresponsible attitude towards what God entrusts to humanity.

By the way, I do not suggest that skepticism of humanity's role in global climate change is necessarily an desertion of responsibilities. However, if someone who DOES believe their actions will harm the earth (and therefore the children who come after), and yet still does so then they are guilty. The same way that someone who thinks eating food before idols is sin yet eats anyway is guilty.

So christians do what they think best. But someday God may want an accounting of what humanity as done with His property.

And when that time comes, will he say "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

 

[FaithLikeARock]

Global warming is one of the signs of the end of the world (it is cited in Revelation many terrors and prophecies that might be caused by something along the lines of global warming) but it doesn't change the fact that we shouldn't just add too it. Honestly, if Christians think that it is the end of the world, why add to it? Obviously, they think that it's up to MAN to bring about the end of the world since it's essentially MAN that's causing global warming. That seems to go more against God's will than trying to prevent it.

Besides, we ARE called to take care of the Earth God has bless us with; Genesis 2 is very clear that this world was created for us and Genesis 2:15 even says "The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it". The Garden of Eden has always, while also existing as an actual place, been a small sample of the rest of the world. It was created for us and we were created for it. And BECAUSE it is created by God we should already be working to protect it. You don't destroy your body because it is a temple. Why should we condone destroying nature when it is just as much God's creation as anything else?

Earthquakes, thunder storms, natural occurrences are God's but global warming is not. It's caused by improper and overuse of the elements God has created. Christians should not only FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE IT but be just as willing to stop it as they are so many other essentially pointless things. The first few chapters of Genesis as well as many parts of the rest of the Bible really sets out the purposes of nature and animals. Instead of using God's beautiful design as an excuse to preach fire and brimstone, we should be making sure we preserve it as much as we can and if God decides to destroy it, that's God's decision to make.

 

[MoonlessNight]

While I think that a notion of not being able to fix everything should be in a Christian perspective (i.e. not expecting a perfect society because any human society will be necessarily flawed) and in that sense there should be a trust in God saving the world, rather than our saving the world, it certainly doesn't mean that Christians should ignore concerns of the world. It seems pretty clear that we are meant to make the world a better place, including being caretakers of the environment, even if we can't make the world a perfect place.

In fact I think that the perspective that no matter what happens, that all this will pass away and there will be a new Earth can be good for perspective, if nothing else. It's a knowledge that anything we do is only temporary, which can be abused into thinking that we can do whatever we want because of no permanent consequences, but also turned into an appreciation for what is here now.

However, what I find most confusing is when people argue that things like the state of the environment, or moves to war are signs of the last days and thus should be hurried along. It strikes me as having very little faith in God, since if that's the way things are going to play out, it's not like you're going to be able to stop God's plan by trying to help people out. In fact that view almost has some sort of perverse mistrust in God, as if God has not ability to deal with an improving world.

 

[JudyB1169]

Hopeless. Ignorance

So you don't care about what happens to the planet, because Gawd will burn it anyway? That is beyond stupid

Retarded

Does it say in the bible to ignore reality at all cost

I was asked what I thought. I did not participate in this thread to be attacked or have my opinions ridiculed. This will be my final post in this thread.

 

[Beanieboy]

In the Native religion, when one takes from a tree, they give something back to it, usually an offering of tobacco. What they understood is that if you simply take from the land, and not give back to it (fertilize it), you dry it up until it is no longer able to give you anything, and no longer fertile. They did not worship the land, but respected it. You thank the tree, because it gives you food. If you don't care for the tree, it dies, and you have no food. You can kill a buffalo for food and warmth from its pelt. If you kill all the buffalo, they die out, and you have nothing.

Unfortunately, we are destroying the rain forest, and deforesting other areas, and think there will be no consequence. We spill poisin into our water, then are surprised when it makes it back into our faucets or the fish on our plate.

I find it disheartening when a Christian will claim that treating the Earth with respect is the same as worshiping it. I don't worship my house, but I clean it, and respect it, because it gives me shelter. Someone who abuses their house or doesn't care for it will eventually have a house that is condemned as unsafe.

I think that until something really bad happens - summers reach 120 degrees in Minnesota, for example, people aren't going to take it seriously. However, when it happens, because I think it will - we aren't doing nearly enough to reverse it - the same Christian that said it was a myth when then say that it is God's wrath on the wicked, all while spraying her hair one more time, and denying that aerosol is any part of the problem.

 

[stan1980]

In the Native religion, when one takes from a tree, they give something back to it, usually an offering of tobacco. What they understood is that if you simply take from the land, and not give back to it (fertilize it), you dry it up until it is no longer able to give you anything, and no longer fertile. They did not worship the land, but respected it. You thank the tree, because it gives you food. If you don't care for the tree, it dies, and you have no food. You can kill a buffalo for food and warmth from its pelt. If you kill all the buffalo, they die out, and you have nothing.

Unfortunately, we are destroying the rain forest, and deforesting other areas, and think there will be no consequence. We spill poisin into our water, then are surprised when it makes it back into our faucets or the fish on our plate.

I find it disheartening when a Christian will claim that treating the Earth with respect is the same as worshiping it. I don't worship my house, but I clean it, and respect it, because it gives me shelter. Someone who abuses their house or doesn't care for it will eventually have a house that is condemned as unsafe.

I think that until something really bad happens - summers reach 120 degrees in Minnesota, for example, people aren't going to take it seriously. However, when it happens, because I think it will - we aren't doing nearly enough to reverse it - the same Christian that said it was a myth when then say that it is God's wrath on the wicked, all while spraying her hair one more time, and denying that aerosol is any part of the problem.

Very well said. I guess we just love this earth more than some other people do. I make no apologies for this assumption, as i think it show's contempt for this planet to rely on God to "fix it". Considering the only bit of evidence we have that an intellectual God has ever medalled with the earth is in some ancient, very unreliable scriptures, it is a very dangerous way to think in this way indeed.

 

[EnemyPartyII]

yes, Now you can prevent personal impacts as much as possible , but you have no power in sustaining life on this plant. Just like hurricane or tornado's bad or good. To be a good Stewart Yes. But not a rich one. On the backs of the poor. You need to exchange one thing for something better or the economy you so call live on will implode.