Confess your eco-sins to the Church of Global Warming.

I thought it was exaggeration at first, to hear mention of the left treating Global Warming as a religion. Evidence to the contrary seems to suggest that I was incorrect in my estimation however.

A Benedictine monk, Dom Anthony Sutch, set up an eco-confessional booth (made from recycled doors) at the Waveney Greenpeace music festival. Father Sutch dressed in his priestly robes (made from recycled curtains) and heard confessions of eco-sinners ranging from sins of items they had not recycled, to sins of flying on aircraft, to sins of things they consumed that “they ought not to have”. Penances for these eco-sinners included donating money to “green” charities, or the shaming of “telling ten other people what you have done.”

At the Glastonbury music festival there was another confessional booth set up. There, it was the Earthly Sins Temple of Enlightenment that was receiving confessions. Aside from merely confessing your sins, this self-named “temple” offers a tithe as well. The tithe for this “temple” was quite interesting. They were urging people to place their finances into cooperative banking systems instead of traditional financial institutions, which then invest your money into projects their cause is behind, such as organic foods and alternative energy. They see profits in these investment areas rising due to future consumer mass-boycotts of traditional products and services damaging the existent marketplace, boycotts instigated by the ranks of eco-activists such as themselves. Essentially an attempt to promote a coup d'état of the free marketplace. These interesting financial arrangements are nothing new to the Green Meanies. The Reverend Al Gore himself, high priest of eco-alarmism, suggests we all purchase "carbon credits" to help offset Global Warming. You may find it interesting to learn that Al Gore is chairman of Generation Investment Management, a London-based company with offices in Washington, D.C., which sells carbon credits. The more people he alarms, the more money goes into his pocket. The more people fear the wrath of the Lord, the greater the pile on the collection plate. Most curious indeed.

"The Earth's climate has always shown natural variation … There is nothing to suggest that any warming we are seeing now is not part of that natural cycle. Every generation has had an apocalyptic myth. The language of climate change is becoming … religious."
- Professor Richard S. Lindzen, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

But has it really taken on the form of a religion?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers for Religion, “4: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” Well, in light of literally thousands of climatologists, paleoclimatologists, meteorologists, geologists and other scientists of a wide variety of fields who are all but jumping up and down on chairs screaming that the science being touted by the global warming alarmists is riddled with falsehoods and inconsistencies, the Global Warming Devout maintain their “faith” with “ardor”. When presented with scientific facts they become infuriated, and all but lash out with “Blasphemer! Heretic!” This would seem to solidify the argument. That they themselves are now using the term “eco-sinner” seems to have it in the bag. It’s a religion made up of godless, embittered, class-envious, wealth-redistributionist, Luddite, anarcho-primitivist, socialist, radical hippies. All of these groups are well represented within the “green movement” and I could write an entire article just demonstrating that point alone.

"In Europe, where climate change absolutism is at its strongest, the quasi-religion of greenery in general and the climate change issue in particular have filled the vacuum of organised religion, with reasoned questioning of its mantras regarded as a form of blasphemy."
- Baron Nigel Lawson, Prospect Magazine, November 2005

But surely it’s only a fringe element that is using religious symbolism for global warming. Well, no. It’s being used all the way at the top. Reverend Al Gore, high-priest himself of the Church of Global Warming was the one to say “"The Book of Revelation [says] God will destroy those who destroy his creation” when talking of global warming, clearly giving a biblical apocalyptical message to global warming. He went on to say “If you believe what [NASA scientist] Jim Hansen said just a moment ago - if you believe, if you accept the reality that we may have less than 10 years before we cross a point of no return - if you believe that, this is a time for action.” God, however, we can assume has been supplanted as Gore continued by saying, “We are the most powerful force of nature now.” All kneel at the alter of Reverend Al! Oh, some of you might find interesting the fact that the scientist, Jim Hansen, who Gore had speaking at the pulpit during that quote above, confirming what Reverend Al was preaching, had just received a $250,000 grant from a “charitable foundation” that was created by fellow Democrat John Kerry’s wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry. Again, most curious indeed.

Now I lay me down to sleep …

The fear of God? According to the Scotsman, a survey of children in Britain found that half of children between the ages of 7 and 11 are “anxious about the effects of global warming and often lose sleep over it.” Now, I can only guess that the author of this article has never had children, since the only things I have seen children at that age lose sleep over either plug in, or have batteries. (Mine likes to read, but is certainly not kept awake by the ravings of Reverend Al). I have grave, serious doubts as to the credulity of any media report saying half of children are losing sleep over Global Warming. That’s just a bunch of pure hogwash. As to the statisticians responsible for that survey, as the saying goes, “Torture numbers, and they'll confess to anything.”

In summary ...

Call it a religion or not, the overtones are there. When you enter a “temple” to “confess” your “eco-sins”, it has all the hallmarks of a new religion. When “unbelievers” or “deniers” are treated as heretics, it’s time to check on the location of your wallet. When they start talking of an impending catastrophe, it's time to check your ammunition.


Jonathan RF Cooke
11 November, 2007

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Sources:

"Gore Uses Religion to Attract Global Warming Converts", Cybercast News Service, 26 MAY 2006
"Global warming: the bogus religion of our age", Daily Mail, 08 MAR 2007
"Children losing sleep over global warming", Scotsman, 23 FEB 2007