Time to Wake Up: Magical Thinking on Climate Change (Sen.Whitehouse & his 'come to Jesus' speech)

[Are_grits_groceries]

Mr. President, as I’m sure you suspect, I am back on the Floor again to urge that we awaken to what carbon pollution is doing to our planet, to our oceans, to our seasons, to our storms.

And I wonder, “Why is it that we are so comfortable asleep, when the warnings are so many and so real?” What could beguile us away from wakefulness and duty? I was recently at a Senate meeting where I heard a member of our Senate community say, “God won’t allow us to ruin our planet.” God won’t allow us to ruin our planet. Maybe that’s why we do nothing: we are comfortable that God somehow won’t allow us to ruin our planet. That seems such an extraordinary notion that I thought I would reflect on it in my remarks this week.

First of all, the statement refers to God: it is couched in religious terms. But is it really an expression of religious inquiry? I think not. It is less an expression of religious thinking than it is of magical thinking. The statement that God won’t allow us to ruin our planet sweeps aside ethics, responsibilities, consequences, duties, even awareness. It comforts us with the anodyne assumption that—no matter what we do—some undefined presence will, through some undefined measure, make things right, clean up our mess. That is seeking magical deliverance from our troubles, not divine guidance through our troubles.

So is God really here just to tidy up after our sins and follies, to immunize us from their consequence? If that is true, why does the Bible say in Galatians 6: 7, “Do not be deceived . . . whatever one sows, that will he also reap”? If God is just a tidy-up-after-us God, why does the Book of Job 4:8 warn that “those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same”? If God is not a god of consequences, why does Luke 6:38 tell us, “For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you,” and Proverbs 22:8 tell us, “Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity”?
<snip>
Much more:
http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/speeches/time-to-wake-up-magical-thinking-on-climate-change

Amen!

[silverweb]

1. Excellent speech.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Hits the Inhofe/Bachmann types right between the eyes.

Cross posting this to the Environment & Energy group would be a great idea. It won't get overwhelmed there as fast as it will here in General Discussion.

[Wounded Bear]

2. A bit more religion than is comfortable for me....but true...

[Are_grits_groceries]

3. Normally I would agree.

However, when idiots make their grand pronouncements about God in order to end discussion, hitting them with Bible verses shows hypocrisy and lack of actual knowledge of their own religion.

I use this tactic when idiots in SC make God arguments based on their lack of knowledge. I am not religious but I was churched quite well growing up and know scripture. It turns them in circles and might shut them up if nothing else.