Also, I probably have to spell this out — when I refer to nonbelievers I am referring to people who don't believe in the religion of environmentalism. Yes, environmentalism has many characteristics of a religion with Gaia as its god.
Also, my ox is not being gored. I am neither an environmentalist nor am I a member of “the Church.” Apparently, you have a dog in the race, or an ox to gore judging by your reaction. Not me.
Anyway, there are clear parallels between the Spanish Inquisition and the current effort to prosecute and punish anyone who disagrees with AGW. And in both examples, evil men exploited (or are exploiting) a situation for their own gains.
I know it was. The problem is that you, and others who use this comparison, make a false "thread of truth" because you don't understand the history you're lampooning.
The Inquisition was about reestablishing Christian rule after centuries of Muslim rule. It was intended to find those in government who only pretended to be Christian in their efforts to subvert the Crown.
Your comparison fails because it is reversed. In the AGW argument, it would be the subversives who are on a witch hunt seeking out the Christians who seek rein in their lies. A more apt comparison would have the pretended Christians in government seeking to outlaw Christian doctrine.
It matters because language matters. When you accept the premise of the argument (in this case it would be that the Church did an evil thing because the Inquisition was evil), you validate the truth of the argument. In your comparison, your premise was wrong and I called you on it. It's nothing personal, I'm just tired of the ongoing attacks (subtle or otherwise) on the Church, in particular, and Christianity, in general, especially on a conservative forum.