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.
"I had heard that global warming was a myth. 'State of Fear' author Michael Crichton seems to think so."
Can't tell. The UN's statistics turned out to be bogus. But between those who call any critics of pollution "envirowhackos" and the real envirowhackos fronting for the energy companies and govts. that want to validate the Kyoto Carbon Credit Casino, it's hard to get real information.
Factor in leftist wackos like Hildabeast and the whole thing is whack.
JEsus said to hate this world as a prereq to go to heaven. It does not mean to trash the environment, but certainly to not worship it.
Jesus is persecuted everytime these blowhards speak up. It is not what comes in the stomach, but what comes out of the mouth which defiles.
These modern days green pharisees ought to party on their own and leave the rest alone.
They should spend more time praying to God, since his actions will have more influence on the outcome than anything any government could do!
Ouch! It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to take out a newspaper ad to announce it to the nation.
85 somebodies who occasionally do religious looking activities maybe.
But born again Christians putting social issues like junk science fads over evangelism (saving souls stuff)?
Baloney!
By Evangelical they must meen Jimmah Cartah again.
LOL!
But they are too stupid to know they're ignorant.
This is a good example of why we don't have a state religion.
This from where you directed me. Certainly doesn't sound conservative to me. Conservativism in religion is based on God's Word:
What kind of evangelism does Warren envision? Would it be based on God's Word or on "good" works? Apparently, the latter. In a world that has traded Biblical absolutes for changing values and feel-good experiences, God's "divisive" truths face a rising tide of hostility. But few will argue against helping the poor and sick. Perhaps that's why Pastor Warren keeps repeating this statement: “The first Reformation was about belief; this one’s going to be about behavior.”[5]
glad all those "Purpose Driven Life" book proceeds are going to help with this precious cause celeb (sarcasm)
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