Catholicism and Man-Made Global Warming Do Not Mix

Greg Yoko - Global Warming

\"Greg

Global warming and Catholicism do not mix. If you do not agree with this, you could be right. In either case, however, there is nothing we can do about it.

I actually had a pair of successful business relationships slowly deteriorate because of this topic.

Let me be clear on a few points to get started. First, I love nature and the environment. In addition, I am completely against pollution (air, water, noise, light, etc.) of every kind. I also believe in environmental responsibility.

Certainly, we (humans) can cause great destruction and harm to the Earth. There are examples, such as Chernobyl\’s 1986 nuclear plant accident in the Ukraine and the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. There are many more examples as it relates to cumulative day-to-day pollution of the environment, especially water and air.

In addition, humans have certainly caused the extinction of numerous species, sometimes directly as a result of our actions (over-hunting) and sometimes from unintended consequences.

As devastating as these events and the many others were to portions of the Earth and to humans, as well as plants and animals, the \”natural\” disasters that have occurred throughout time have had a larger impact. There have been numerous earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and that cannot be attributed to human intervention as causes.

The most recent was the Mount Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines. This volcano on June 15, 1991 discharged millions of tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in the worldwide temperature over the next few years.

However, to return to the primary thesis that Catholicism leaves very little room for the belief that humans can have a significant impact on global warming. Even if I stipulate that the humans can impact the rise and fall of global temperatures, which I do not, we cannot do enough to destroy the Earth. (Destroying the Earth is much different that eliminating human existence or other life from the planet.)

Let\’s start at the beginning — the very beginning. Having been given \”dominion over inanimate and other living beings\” as detailed in Genesis 1:28-31, that dominion also provided to us a responsibility. As explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (§2415), humans are limited in our power of dominion \”by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.\”

The bottom-line is that we are required to exhibit stewardship.

Therefore, the technology that has been discovered that allows for recycling and limiting waste is a good thing. Rotating crops, anti-littering campaigns, conserving the use of water and natural resources, and the more efficient use of energy sources are all examples of stewardship.

However, doing these things to \”reduce global warming\” and/or \”climate change\” is, at best, naïve; at worst, it is placing our human ability and power above our God.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI wrote on the issue of environmental responsibility. Conservation and careful stewardship of nature is a very Catholic concept. The command to \”rule\” and \”subdue\” the earth is a command of stewardship.

A proper Catholic understanding of environmental conservation is humanity focused. Humans are obviously viewed as a necessary part of the Earth; we are/were designed by God for the Earth\’s benefit. It is wrong to believe that the Earth is primary and humans are secondary and must tip-toe around and not use the resources of the planet.

By the way, the command to subdue the earth is immediately followed with the command to fill (populate) it. Many global warming activists also profess that one of the problems of the world is over-population. Their solution to ecological recklessness is population control, also an anti-Catholic belief.

From a realistic point of view, can humans do enough damage to the Earth to exterminate life on this planet as we know it? The answer is probably yes. The cruelty and ever-present face of evil makes it possible. However, Catholics also believe that good will always conquer evil. Therefore, as long as Catholics have their faith, and live it, if the end of our human existence does come we should be joyful for the eternal promise to join our Father in Heaven.

Will the end of human existence occur via the process of substantial changes in the Earth\’s temperature (up or down) that are caused by mankind\’s daily activities? Highly unlikely, for a couple of reasons.

First, according to researchers on both sides of the global warming issue, the temperature swings that have occurred — even those regarded as drastic — have been gradual over a number of years. Despite the reported increase in temperatures over many of the years since 1950, our lifespan has increased. Humans, as well as many living plants and creatures, naturally adapt to their environments.

In addition, most of the temperature fluctuations are now being attributed to cloud cover and wind directions and jet-streams. While scientists certainly know how clouds are formed and what they are comprised of, there is yet to be a way to predict cloud formations and cloud cover. It is still difficult to predict a couple of days or a week in advance for a specific location.

Finally, as stated earlier, do we really think that we can control the existence of the Earth? Do we believe that we are in control of the Earth\’s destiny? Are we in affect saying that we have the power to determine and change the Earth more than our God does?

The belief in man-made global warming and/or human-influenced climate change is contrary to our Catholic Faith. If we truly practice what we preach, including environmental stewardship, and we proceed to our death as believers, evangelists, and by living life as Christ has directed us, we should not be fearful, anxious, or stressed about something that is completely out of our control. In reality, we should be looking forward to the day we are called Home.

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13 thoughts on “Catholicism and Man-Made Global Warming Do Not Mix”

  1. Starting about 2020 a solar grand minimum has few suns’ spots or a very cold sun’ up to 7%
    of less heat and light. The last cold minimum of 1700s was called the little ice age. the earth
    temperature will every four years one degree. These solar cycles, like a clock are the same for millions of years. This the creator laws of magnetite, gravity, physics. If there are few sun’s spots. There will be a global food shortage in a few years. This solar grand will about end in 2070.

  2. Jerome F Loberger

    If there was all electric cars in the world. Your electric bill would increase from 13 cents per thousand watts to one dollar per thousand watts. Most people pay 3000 k watts to 5000 k watts. Electric cars need a 8 hour charge. Your bill every month will be $3000 to $5000 a month. There is threes time the electricity being used. This means three time the amount of wire, bigger transformers and build three times more power plants. Three thousand time 12 months is 36 thousand a year. This will hurt the poor and middle class. Many people will loose there home by the millions. The earth right now the air around the world is smaller. Reason is the Solar Minimum is from 2020 to 2070. This right now the world is getting colder, just like the 1700s little ice age is coming.

  3. I was christened a Catholic but was not raised or forced by my parents to follow the path. My parents died when I was very young but one day I picked up and read the bible. I knew from reading the bible that much sense was to be heard from those whom wrote it. Like how adam was to take care of the garden of Eden. How god gave rules to the 12 tribes through moses. Now if more people read the old testament they would see that the ten commandments are very important. Ok greed is a sin and has raped humanity of its natural beauty gluttony has also caused us to deplete the earth of many things in nature like palm oil plantations in the Amazon rainforest. Vanity is also starving people by using valuable plants in shampoo rather than feeding the hungry and healing the sick god said that there is enough under the sun to cure all illnesses. Then comes revelations when you read this it will chill you to the bone. In the new New testament it mentions in matthew that the earth will suffer pangs of distress. Like Labour pains. We as man cannot rule this earth it needs god that is for all of us to repent to learn from our mistakes. God turned his back on us all when we chose human kings and turned our backs on god. He is very real those who want to believe are in their right to believe in their hearts that the king of kings Lord of lords will do what is written. Those who dont repent so be it they wont won’t be able to hide in the mountains or escape judgement it may be upon us but for the believer be steadfast like job in the old testament follow the word of god be filled with the holy spirit be humbled you fellow believers fight the good fight.

  4. A.M.D.G.

    We are called to Stewardship and we must bear that in mind. We cannot rape the earth and expect there to be no consequences. Unfortunately the political and powerful have misused the climate science and turned the issue into something it is not. It is not about carbon, carbon dioxide or industry. It is about how we manage the planet and in particular the plant life. Deforestation increased from 1852 and since 1947 half of the worlds rainforests have disappeared. These are the lungs of the planet absorbing CO2 and producing O2.
    Yes we should recycle and use more fuel efficient forms of transport but putting carbon taxes on fossil fuels and air travel, and allowing the wealthy to trade carbon credits is not going to bring back the worlds forests.
    Every scientific paper that looks at the issue acknowledges the importance of the forests for many reasons, not least their impact on the weather yet nowhere in the media or in politics is there a clamour to do anything about it.
    I first heard about the issue of deforestation back in the 70’s, yet still nothing is being done.
    This is why there are climate change skeptics.
    If we are entering the last days the loss of these plants and trees is rather ironic.

    L.D.S

  5. Hi,
    Has anyone here seen “What on earth are they spraying?” Or it’s sequel, “Why on earth are they spraying?” Looks like global warming is for real, but not for the reasons we’re being told. Our weather is being manipulated through geo-engineering which is causing all the strange weather in the last twenty years, including the greenhouse warming. Read Owning the Weather by 2025 and learn how our armed forces and others have been manipulating weather as a weapon since WWII with cloud seeding and HAARP. Sounds like Satan is trying to play God again and is happy to cause plenty of suffering to his least favorite creatures, we earthlings, in the meantime.
    The whole green movement, carbon mania, and over population myths are smoke and mirrors. Despite this dystopian scenario, we will see a new heaven and earth. “Be of good cheer for I have conquered the world” said our Savior!

  6. I’m no left-winger, but this is a wishful argument. In particular, this quote exemplifies where you overreach: ‘However, doing these things to “reduce global warming” and/or “climate change” is, at best, naïve; at worst, it is placing our human ability and power above our God.’
    It is perfectly reasonable to take conservation measures to acheive those ends; it is not reasonable to use those ends to justify conservation measures which are not in themselves humane, effective, or feasible.
    It would be more correct to say that a Catholic understanding of man’s relationship to his environment does not support the anti-human conclusions that many who ally themselves with the climate change cause reach – those conclusions are also overreaching the facts.
    We must remember not to throw out the baby of environmental stewardship with the bathwater of “mother earth before humanity.” Pinning this on “climate change” is sensationalism, even if they started it.

  7. I’m not really sure this article takes seriously what is being presented when it comes to climate change.

    The issue isn’t whether or not the planet will be destroyed. We know the science behind the greenhouse effect is pretty ironclad. And that the earth is warming, even if not as much as some wildly pessimistic models had predicted. Over time, this has the potential to cause a lot of damage.

    The scientific community is pretty universal on this. One need not follow Al Gore to believe that climate change has some really adverse outcomes. There also really isn’t a position on this from the Catholic Church. The closest you’ll get is…. one you won’t like. Most leaders of the Church accept climate change for example.

    Why not just limit your words to what is actually said: our faith tells us not to take an alarmist stance. Saying that belief in global warming and Catholicism are incompatible is just flat out wrong, and incredibly damaging to evangelization, as it assumes we are all a bunch of fundamentalist protestants.

    1. Kevin, speaking as a physicist with some knowledge of statistics, I say you’re altogether incorrect when you say “the science behind the greenhouse effect is ironclad.” And it is not true that the scientific community is pretty universal in all this. I’ll give you lots of references, including articles by the chaired of meteorology and former meteorologists (not economists or administrators) who have altered their views, but I doubt it would do much good…
      Belief in man-made warming is as much an article of faith as geocentrism.

  8. Pingback: Can Human Free Will & Divine Predestination Both True - Big Pulpit

  9. Finally, someone who gives this issue a reality check from a Godly perspective. Well, done, Greg. God bless you.

    And for those who are interested, speaking of Al Gore…. Phil Valentine, syndicated-Nashville radio talk host, has produced a movie that has gone global….no pun intended. The message is eye-opening. And Al, isn’t happy about it. Meanwhile, Nashville residents know that Al is a fake. His huge mansion is a huge sink hole of “global warming data” and yet he preaches otherwise. Here is a link to the trailer for the Valentine movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0mxL-BekLE you can also go to http://philvalentine.com/ to buy a copy.

  10. Gerard K. Villarreal

    Truly the greatest of the sins is pride, and the downfall of man because of pride, seen over and over again in the Bible, is human history. Whether it is the ludicrous claim that if all Chinese jumped off chairs at precisely the same moment, they would knock the Earth, all 6.58 sextillion tons of it, out of orbit; or the equally ludicrous claim that by producing a tiny fraction of a trace gas, mankind can muscle around a planetary atmosphere of about 5.5 quadrillion tons of gases. Mankind only produces about 1/357th of the worlds greenhouse gases.

    Put another way, if you were a 150 pound man who studied judo, it would be like you trying to flip a man who weighs 26.8 tons.

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