The Pope blames atheists for global warming
Pope Benedict XVI thinks the Flying Spaghetti Monster and His noodly followers are causing global warming.
Photo montage by Shea Gunther, photos from “Is it not true that inconsiderate use of creation begins where God is marginalized or also where his existence is denied? If the human creature's relationship with the Creator weakens, matter is reduced to egoistic possession, man becomes the ‘final authority,’ and the objective of existence is reduced to a feverish race to possess the most possible.”
Christianity, and Catholicism, are historically anti-environmental. In fact, if blame is to be placed for the current global environmental crisis, it is to be placed squarely upon the Judeo-Christian tradition. The fact that Christianity is anti-environmental is no secret. Indeed, many Christians have taken a perverse pride in claiming their dominion. For example, James Watt, who became U.S. Secretary of the Interior under Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s, wrote an influential and damning article entitled "Ours Is the Earth". Watt, speaking for countless Christians, made it abundantly clear that for believers the earth is "merely a temporary way station on the road to eternal life...The earth was put here by the Lord for His people to subdue and to use for profitable purposes on their way to the hereafter."
| Previous Post Detroit homes swallowed up by nature | Next Post Duke Energy quits the ACCCE |
Comments
The Catholic Church teaches that people have stewardship and responsibility for the earth. Which plant to water, the one in your house that is your responsibility or the one out in the wilderness? Which animal do you take to the vet, your pet which is your responsibility or animals in the wild? The Christian teaching that we are responsible for taking care of the earth promotes environmentalism, it doesn't undermine it.
yup that is why he knows like 26 languages. I have been taking an environmental class in college and in the Pope's world day of peace speech he touched on each area of environmentalism and is quite educated on the matter. People have problems with religion when it doesn't not stand up for the environment and when it does. Make up your mind. The pope specifically spoke about how Christians have misinterpreted the meaning of "fill the earth and subdue it." I knew once this became a religious.... More
Let's get out head's out of our *****!
I'm a Catholic. Yes, I know, you guys are going to bash me for no reason whatsoever except for me being a Catholic...
The Pope isn't directing his statement towards atheists specifically. He just means that Catholics should be more aware on what is going on in the enviroment (just like that anonymous commenter said).
Micha J. Stone is wrong. James Watt is also wrong. Christianity, more specifically Catholicism, isn't anti-enviromental. And the Earth isn't there to be "subdued".... More
"Genesis said (I don't care if you will bash me just because I'm taking something from the Bible) that everything that God created was good and we rule over the land, but that doesn't mean we should abuse our power. If we harm the enviroment, then we are not using God's creation properly and we are abusing our rule over the Earth by taking in more than we need."
-You act like catholics have never done that before?! On a different note why is it that christians think they are such a.... More
Doesn't genisis effectively involve God giving the world to humankind? There are words like "conquer" and "dominion" scattered all through genesis.
"Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be MASTERS of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and reptiles that crawl upon the earth"
This surely doesn't bring to mind a belief-system that respects nature and the environment in any intrinsic sense. And this.... More
wrong.
Every Pastafarian knows that global warming is due to the decline in the pirate population. Look at the scientific evidence.
"Be fruitful and multiply..." Mass procreation and ignorance are the end products of religion, products of its own demise.
Burn.
The Pope is not saying atheists are responsible for what people think is Global Warming. It is the person who wrote this article, who is putting words into someone else's mouth.
Somethings left out are that the average temperature has been lower overall for a lot of the last decade. In the middle ages there was a period of time that the average temperature was higher then it has been during this time that people are talking about Global Warming. We also need to look at solar.... More
Ecology has moved on from global warming to global climate change. What that means is that we see evidence for more extreme weather events and less overall stability of weather patterns in most systems. So you can get more droughts, ice storms, tornadoes, floods and hurricanes without changing the average temperature much year to year.
"If the human creature's relationship with the Creator weakens, matter is reduced to egoistic possession..."
Says the man living in a palace adorned in gold.
well if he would just look at the graphs its from the lack of pirates. somalia's doing there part lets all pitch in!
Well, if the flying spaghetti monster caused global warming, he obviously has more power than this God guy.
Kevin, your point is a good one, but your grammar is painful Try, "Well, if he would just look at the graphs, it's from the lack of pirates. Somalia's doing their part; let's all pitch in!"
watch this movie called "The Evangelist"
Voted one of 2 movies for atheists to look out for!
I find it ironic that the pope should suggest that atheism would cause people to not respect the earth. I've often considered that the idea that we are here to "hold dominion over the earth" would lead people to do what they want to the planet. Not everyone takes care of their possessions.
http://www.amazon.com/b?_encoding=UTF8&site-redirect=&node=468642&tag=ta...
I think there is a fallacious argument in Micha J's response, for he started by "...fact that Christianity is anti-environmental..." and gave an example of the thoughts of a U.S. Secretary of the Interior. (I'm not sure if Micha J was taken out of context by the writer of the piece). The U.S. Secretary of the Interior represents the US government, and not Christianity! Not even the Pope of the Catholic church represent Christianity! He may represent The Catholic Church, but not Christianity..... More
They call this Pope 'The Scholar Pope'? If he's the scholar how uneducated were his opponents in the last Concave? Were we lucky not to have Pope Dribbly the first?
i think that religion is the crux of his education, which explains his lack of evidence or reason.
So the pope condemns atheist materialism? Speaking, no doubt, from his gold-plated throne, waving his jewel-encrusted fingers, in the gold-plated vatican.
I am not a practicing Catholic, although I was raised in Catholic schools. I am a proponent of environmental rights and have read some of Pope Benedict's books to get an idea of his perspective on a variety of topics. If I understand the context of this quote correctly, he is simply stating that the "fall from grace" is what is perpetuating destruction of our environment. He is saying that when one is given the opportunity to know the grace of God and favors egoistic drives instead of.... More
The Pope is equating atheism (a lack of belief in the supernatural) and nihilism (lack of belief in morality or values.) You'd think the supreme head of the world's largest religion would be a little more philosophically astute. Atheist lack belief in the supernatural. I, as an atheist, believe morality to be a built in part of being a social primate species. Our care and concern for each other, and by extension, the earth and all its inhabitants is natural and good. It is being true to.... More
What is this, the Fox News of the environmental movement? I think you're completely overreacting. Replace "God" with "the sacred" (which is a perfectly acceptable and even alternative term for many of us non-religious folk) and the Pope sounds just like Terry Tempest Williams, Derrick Jensen, or any number of green --dare I say *radical*-- green thinkers:
“Is it not true that inconsiderate use of creation begins where the sacred is marginalized or also where its existence is denied?.... More
The Catholic religion has the largest carbon footprint of all. Against birth control? What, we need *more* people?! Insanity that must stop.
The church has said you can use the family planning method of birth control. The ones with the largest families are those from the quiverfull movement that believe one should have as many children in however short of a time as "God wants them to."
That said, many religions that induct children into their faith at young ages like their followers to have as many children as possible to ensure that their religion continues to grow because they rely on "bred and raised" rather than converts.... More
You mean like "god hates fags"...and thus causes the deaths in the wars we fight?
my FSM doesn't hate anyone...
