31% - White Evangelicals Reject Global Warming
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, September 28, 2009
- Viewed 73
- (17) comments so far
About half (48%) of white mainline Protestants believe the earth is warming as the result of human activity -- roughly the same proportion as among all Americans (47%) -- but only a third of white evangelical Protestants (34%) share that belief. In fact, white evangelical Protestants are the most likely to say there is no solid evidence that global warming is occurring (31%). While only 39% of black Protestants say global warming is a result of human activity, they are, however, the least likely of the religions studied to deny global warming (15%). The unaffiliated (58%) are the most likely to say there is solid evidence the earth is warming because of human activity.
QUESTION: Just for fun... what do YOU think about global warming? For real; or made-up?
Todd
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Peter Hamm on Mon, September 28, 2009
First, Evangelicals are often in denial about a great many things.
Second, there isn’t any doubt that the planet is on a warming trend. It is a scientific fact. The average yearly temperatures nearer the polar regions is increasing dramatically. It is undeniable. It might not be happening where you live, but it is undeniable in places like Alaska. For goodness sake, there are companies trying to figure out how to make money off the new “northern passage” that might be created in the next few years or decades…
What is less clear is how much of that is due to human activity.
And that obfuscates the question, I think, rendering polls such as this one largely moot.
keith on Mon, September 28, 2009
Peter Hamm sez: �there isn�t any doubt that the planet is on a warming trend.� Really?
Tell that to the UN�s Global Climate Conference, where attendees admitted this month that �the planet will be cooling off for decades,� AND that �dramatic ice losses in recent summers in Arctic regions is due to natural cycles, not global warming.�
Tell that to the 30,000 scientists who are involved in a class-action lawsuit against Al Gore for false and misleading statements about alleged global warming.
Tell that to the residents of Istanbul and ]http://www.planetski.eu/news/400”] Saudi Arabia [/url] (where it snowed this year for the first time in the lifetimes of many of their residents), and to Australians and South Africans (who experienced record-breaking cold), and to Americans living in Minnesota and the Dakotas and New England (who lived through what local press are calling 2009 �the year without a summer�).
There isn�t any doubt? Puh-LEEEEESE.
CS on Mon, September 28, 2009
“QUESTION: Just for fun… what do YOU think about global warming? For real; or made-up?”
I say bogus. There’s too many discrepancies in the scientific community, and so much of it is based off of short-term and subjective records.
You can even tell this in the way the words, “global warming,” had to be tailored and changed to, “climate change,” to accommodate times and locations where temperatures drop.
Add it to things like the current solar minimum, and there’s not enough evidence that man has a direct hand in it, too. After all, one belch from a volcano can possess more, “harmful,” fumes than mankind lets off in a decade.
I’ll remain a skeptic for now.
—
CS
Baker on Mon, September 28, 2009
Count me among the 31% that reject global warming. It astounds me that the number is so low. The only thing I can conclude from that stat is that 69% haven’t been paying attention or simply don’t care enough to pay attention.
First, it must be proved that the earth is in fact warming, which despite the first comment, is not an accepted scientific fact. Then you must prove that human activity has anything to do with it. Nobody has been able to do that convincingly not do I believe they ever will.
Jim on Mon, September 28, 2009
Well said, Keith. This global warming hysteria isn’t a scientific fact, but it is driven by those who have political agendas. There was a report issued by an EPA researcher that proves we are in a global cooling phase, and we have been for about 10 years, and will continue to be so for another 20+ years. However, his report was suppressed by the Obama Admin., because it didn’t fit their political agenda. Yet, the main news media doesn’t report these types of rebuttals to the global warming myth.
Peter Hamm on Mon, September 28, 2009
I’m not blowing the same trumpet as Al Gore, but folks… There are only 20 (out of hundreds) glaciers in Alaska that are NOT retreating. The average winter temperature is measurably higher than it was just 20 or 30 years ago. The fjords in Greenland are disappearing, and that “retreat” is accelerating.
The planet is changing, for sure. What is NOT sure is if it’s a man-caused thing, or if it is necessarily catastrophic. So, while I agree that the “sky is falling” mentality is not necessarily called for, denial of what is happening is not responsible either.
Sue on Mon, September 28, 2009
The problem seems to me to be that a high percentage of evangelicals get all their information through a filter, so they can quickly point you to fringe places for fringe opinions, but don’t realize they are not getting the majority of the informed discussion. It’s become “climate change” because scientists are noticing that the forces which are warming the poles, are having other effects in other places - that doesn’t render those effects any less dangerous for human life or society!
The response of evangelicals to this problem helps to explain why so many people have no interest in our “good news” - they see us as angry and unwilling to make changes that would benefit others. What an indictment! Or worse, they see us as gullible and uneducated (and therefore, conclude our beliefs are fairy tales).
It is no longer debatable that the climate is changing. Those who speculate on what effect that might have on life, and on society, are being responsible, especially as they speculate on how such change might affect the poorest on our planet. We should be very interested in those discussions, not mocking them.
I know I’ll make fellow readers mad by saying this, but if you get all your information on this subject from conservative political/religious groups, it’s time to read more widely.
Peter Hamm on Mon, September 28, 2009
Sue brings up a good point.
We have a very insular reputation, and it extends to this. We only listen to people who we agree with, and we don’t learn anything new. (I’m talking about learning about issues, not “gospel truth”, okay…
Sue on Mon, September 28, 2009
I followed the story that “Keith” put up before about “30,000 scientists” suing Al Gore over global warming being a scam. Turns out it was spoken by a weatherman (a journalist, not a scientist) who uses the number, but nowhere could I find even a partial list of these “30,000 scientists.” And where was this reported? FoxNews, of course.
It’s really time to listen to someone else than Fox. I could find no other independent report on this story - but I could find page after page of blogs citing the FoxNews video and passing it on.
I doubt any such lawsuit will ever be filed.
Q. on Mon, September 28, 2009
I think we can say many things back and forth but from what I’ve seen this is FAR more political than it is scientific. I’m not a Democrat and I’m not a Republican (and I apologize if you only hear about this from Republicans) but when politicians are more much more cranked up about this issue than scientists—I think that speaks volumes. It spoke volumes to me personally. The unfortunate thing is that after doing my research and finding out the facts—-no matter what I said—-here was always a group willing to dismiss it like I was just touting someone elses ‘talking points’. Just because Rush Limbaugh or Al Gore (or whoever) says a ceratin thing, it doesn’t mean it’s automatically incorrect (or correct) just because of a previously held personal objection to them. Truth is truth and when we can talk about it outside of our political affiliations; dialogue might be a bit more open…
Dennis on Mon, September 28, 2009
I believe in climate change. It happens where I live. In fact I have noticed it since I was a kid. I call it spring, summer, winter and fall. I have heard that the big yellow thing in the sky has something to do with it.
“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Gen 8:22
rbud on Mon, September 28, 2009
Of course, there is global warming. Why shouldn’t we believe it? It’s happened before. (So has global freezing.) It’s the natural cycle of the earth, and will happen again in so many thousands of years, if the earth is till around then.
I suspect we could influence the amount of warming by altering our green house gas emissions, but not to any remarkable extent. The earth will still complete its cycles.
Frankly, I’m more concerned about the destructive pollution of the air we breath and that our crops ingest. We should clean up our air for that purpose for sure. The warming part just isn’t likely to make any significant difference.
rbud on Mon, September 28, 2009
Keith makes some good points. It’s interesting in light of the examples he used that there is melting of some polar ice regions, and some scientists have recorded increasing mantle temperatures. Also interesting that just two decades ago, scientists were declaring that we were entering a new ice age. So, what do you think tomorrow will bring?
Sam on Tue, September 29, 2009
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not as informed on this topic as I should be as a resident of earth. So, rather than sound off on something I’ve heard much about subjectively, but know little about factually I’d rather put my two cents in as a guy trying to follow Jesus. I think as followers of Christ we have more of a responsibility and should feel more responsible for taking care of what God has given us than those that don’t follow Christ. Sadly, I see kind of the opposite take place most of the time when it comes to taking care of the world around us. I think it’s sad that so many “evangelical” Christians assume that anything that comes from any source other than the right wing political agenda is either pure bologna or an evil plot for liberals to take over the world. Anybody who claims to follow Christ ought to be passionate about the things of Christ. Way too often we turn our passion and affections towards a political agenda or personal opinions. The Bible makes it pretty clear that God saw everything He made as very good and He put human kind in a position to rule over it and take care of it. So regardless of if you are a Republican or a Democrat, regardless if global warming is real or not, regardless if you live in the city or the country, regardless if you are a Baptist, a Methodist, a Catholic, or Non-denominational, or whatever. If you are a Christian, you should take seriously your God-given responsibility to be a good steward of everything God has given you…money, time, abilities…and yes, the earth.
Baker on Tue, September 29, 2009
Sam, I don’t disagree with you. We should steward all of our resources well. But, your thought is incomplete. What does caring about creation mean, how extreme do we need to be about caring for the environment?
Should we drill for more oil? Should we require 35 MPG cars? Should we cap carbon emissions? Do any of these actions have any impact?
I agree with your assertion that as followers of Christ we should take care of His creation. I just think there is a little more to the equation. Its not as simple as you make it out to be.
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