Global Warming Fundamentalists?

I've had a bit of an epiphany. I've heard others say that the "global warming" crowd has become more or less a religion. I agree.

But it goes beyond that. The "Global Warmers" are recreating a history parallel to my own religious tradition. I grew up a "Fighting Fundamentalist" and saw first-hand some of the foolishness that passed for "logic" and "apologetics" back in those days. Looking back, I see why we were mocked and ridiculed. We told ourselves that it was because we were "doing the LORD's work". The truth - perhaps as often as not - is that we were doing really stupid things in the name of the LORD's work.

What's worse - many Fighting Fundie-types still are... But I don't just want to pick on my own; I want to show how the Global Warming crowd is following a parallel course.

Let me illustrate:

[Please note: the links I'm providing below positively do not represent my views now, though some of them have over the years.]

Fighting Fundies (I'll just call them FFs from this point forward; GW for Global Warmers) and GWs make many of the same zealous mistakes.

1. Mountains out of molehills:

FF Example: "Soft rock" is evil!

GW Example: Cow farts should be taxed, since methane is 20 times worse than carbon dioxide!

2. Truly ridiculous/paranoid claims:

FF Example: Y2K bug will open the Seven Seals of Revelation!

GW Example: Cat shelters filling up because of global warming!

3. Consistent use of ad hominem attacks:

FF Example: (There are too many to list just one! Off the top of my head, the old Pensacola Christian College "The Leaven in Fundamentalism" video comes to mind - you can't trust guys like B B Warfield, you know!)

GW Example: Again, these are too easy to find. Try this Will Ferrell video impersonating President Bush re: global warming.


I could site more similarities, but I think you get the point. It's almost eerie how much more the GW folk look and sound like a religion than a "scientific movement"! Moreover, the modern day Global Warming religion seems to be making the same mistakes as Fighting Fundies make. Perhaps this is why the average American doesn't take either particularly seriously.

Here's the rub - both groups, frankly, have some important things to say. But courtesy of the way they're saying them, few folk truly listen.

Thankfully, many people (myself included) have left the Fighting Fundie model of following Jesus and found a new and better way. My hope is that the Global Warming crowd will eventually do the same: take away the foolishness, the fear mongering, etc... and just bring us what's real.

Hatushili