Posted on 02/08/2006 12:03:22 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of 85 evangelical Christian leaders on Wednesday backed legislation opposed by the White House to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, kicking off a campaign to mobilize religious conservatives to combat global warming.
The group which included prominent pastors, Christian college presidents, religious broadcasters and writers, also unveiled a full-page advertisement to run in Thursday's New York Times and a television advertisement they hope to screen across the country.
"With God's help, we can stop global warming for our kids, our world and our Lord," the television spot declared.
The launch of the campaign represented a possible split in President George W. Bush's political base, in which Christian evangelical voters are heavily represented.
However, the names of most of the president's most influential Christian political backers were notably absent from the list of signatories joining the campaign. Possibly the best-known signer was Rick Warren, author of the best-selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life."
Specifically, the leaders called on Congress to pass legislation to create a trading system that would encourage companies to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, which scientists say is a major cause of global warming.
One such bill, The Climate Stewardship Act, first introduced in 2003 by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and Connecticut Democrat Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news, bio, voting record), would require that U.S. emissions return to their 2000 level by 2010.
The United States, with around 5 percent of the world's population, accounts for a quarter of its greenhouse gases and U.S. emissions rose by 2 percentage points in 2004 alone, according to government figures.
NON-BINDING VOTE
The McCain-Lieberman bill won 43 votes in the 100-seat Senate in 1993 but only 38 votes last year when it came up as an amendment to an energy bill. A majority in the Senate did adopt a non-binding resolution to cap emissions. The issue has not come up for a vote in the House of Representatives.
The Bush administration opposes imposing mandatory restrictions and backs voluntary efforts by companies. It has also refused to join international agreements, such as the Kyoto Protocol, which aim to curb greenhouse gases.
The Christian leaders said they were impelled by their faith to launch this campaign out of a growing realization that the threat of global warming was real and that the world's poor would suffer the most.
"We of the evangelical movement have allowed ourselves to have blind spots," said Duane Litfin, president of Wheaton College in Illinois, explaining why they had been relatively silent on the issue until now.
Paul de Vries, president of New York Divinity School, said: "However we treat the world, that's how we are treating Jesus because He is the cosmic glue."
The leaders presented the results of a poll they commissioned of 1,000 evangelical Protestants which showed that two thirds were convinced global warming was taking place. Additionally, 63 percent said the United States must start to address the issue immediately and half said the United States must take action even if there was a high economic cost.
Paul de Vries, president of New York Divinity School, said: "However we treat the world, that's how we are treating Jesus because He is the cosmic glue."
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"cosmic glue"... ? :-\
Right there they are, all 85 evangelicals in the USA who are enviro-whackos.
please pass the kool aid
Yawn. Liberals try again to hijack another movement ...
"However, the names of most of the president's most influential Christian political backers were notably absent..."
These are not Christian 'leaders', but a group of liberal Christians trying to make noise .... and the liberal media trying to hype it up
Unless the omnipotent God Himself intervenes, our modification of His Creation is with His tacit approval.
I say let 'em freezeburn in hell... ;-)
We're likey headed toward a mini-ice age in the next 100 years or so I hear. lol
How quaint. Now they use the term "religious conservatives" for those in the religious community who support the global warming lie. I thought a religious conservative was one who believed in the inerrancy of Scripture? Guess the liberals can use it whichever way suits their purpose.
What???
No LIEebral Rabbis joined in with Dem???
What arrogance! to think that mere humans can do anything about the climate.
Sacrilege.
I had heard that global warming was a myth. 'State of Fear' author Michael Crichton seems to think so.
Time for the MSM to pull out that NASA guy reiterating the debunked UN "hockey stick" study.
Wow. I find that so discouraging to hear from people who are apparently trying to follow Christ but not at all committed to sound reasoning or logic. What are the odds that these guys can give a reasonable accounting for their faith as the Bible requires of us? No matter the topic, these examples of Christians who will fall for anything (junk science) always make me think that they are just making us all look bad, as if we don't get enough people thinking that our beliefs have no logic or evidence backing them up.
God's plan includes the Sun exhausting its Hydrogen fuel and start burning Helium. This will turn the Sun into a Red Giant.
FOOMP!
Uh, excuse me? What evangelical "leaders"? Did anyone bother talking to evangelicals themselves about whether a group of writer and so-called "Emergent Church thinkers" represent the evangelical movement?? Huh? Probably not.
...The launch of the campaign represented a possible split in President George W. Bush's political base, in which Christian evangelical voters are heavily represented.
Oh yeah, right. We're all going to vote Green Party. What a freakin' joke.
Just like when the LameStream press tries to convince us American soldiers are flushing Korans and torturing Muslims for fun, they're now truly deluding themselves: they actually believe they can define Evangelical Christianity when 99% of them probably have never been to a worship service at an evangelical church. (Covering funerals and getting video for a "hit piece" on Jerry Falwell doesn't count.)
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