Tue, Mar 11, 2008
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Can we all agree global warming is happening now?

Image from valpo.edu
Even the Southern Baptists, long a stalwart of American conservatism, and the tool by which the Republican Party has managed to divorce the Bible Belt from their Democratic roots, have gotten onboard.
Monday the Church, which is 16 Million members strong, announced a “Southern Baptist Declaration the Earth and Climate Change,” the purpose of which was to dramatically refocus the environmental policy of the organization. Obviously they’re taking a far more active interpretation of man’s biblical imperative to be “stewards of the earth.” Despite a caution to wait out science on climate change, the group was critical of past timidity, as it sought to–money quote coming–”take responsibility for our contributions to climate change, big and small.”
Personally, I wonder if this isn’t a way of hitting back at the Republican Party for nominating John McCain for President. The southern voting block, where most of the church’s power lies, voted heavily in favor of Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, who is an ordained Baptist minister. Perhaps putting their demographic into electoral play–or allowing the deity to–is the final revenge for an organization fighting to stay relevant.
By Environmental Graffiti contributor Ben Ray. Ben is a freelance writer, check him out at What’s Required
“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else.”
March 11th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
The connection between religion and Republicans was never permanent, but was rather a response to the changes of the 1960’s. Robert J. Lifton, in his book The Protean Self showed that environmental/anti-war activists and fundamentalist Christians in the 1980’s shared a common personality structure.
We’ve got a new crisis now. Even the Catholic Church is saying that pollution is a “new sin”.