Sarnia fanatical and conservative Christians seem to have a really large voice in Sarnia. It is unfortunate, because more times than not, I along with us at theStory, will get lumped in with all their nonsense. A man named Harry DeBoer wrote into the paper recently with this post (pasted below).
WHY SAVE THE PLANET WITHOUT HUMANS?
Sir:A Toronto newspaper made an urgent appeal for public support for global governments regulating man-made gas emissions, in order to save the plant from destruction. Not necessarily true for the newspaper’s editorial staff, but generally speaking, there are those, be it a minority, in this push for climate control (even if it means all nations will go bankrupt and lose their sovereignty to big-brother government) that are interested in saving the planet and all that it contains, except for its human inhabitants.
These pro warming or green globalist elites haven’t any qualms for controlling or limiting the human population by mainly abortion and euthanasia.
What good is it to save the planet without its human beings?
The newspaper even had to admit reluctantly the unfortunate situation (for them) that there were scientists for global warming who were caught covering up by somehow distorting the scientific data. Nevertheless, they stated the evidence was still there that the sky is about to fall unless we all do something quick about the climate.
That’s an oxymoron. If anything, what this tampering and falsifying of scientific facts reveals is that the evidence must point in the other direction — that the universe is not about to implode upon our heads after all.
How insulting it must be to God for us mere mortals to think that we can upset the apple cart of God’s finely precision-tuned, ever-expanding universe, but not so wonderfully created that man-made smoke, smog or whatever type of gas we spew into the atmosphere can knock the universe all out of kilter. Would that not mean that man is, in a sense, more powerful than God or that man controls the climate and not God?
The Bible paints a scenario, especially in the Book of Revelation, of global warming of all sorts, all directed and controlled by Him alone.
We would all do well to read the Bible — for many reasons, of course — but also to stay current with today’s events.
— Harry DeBoer Wyoming
It is this kind of nonsensical writing that bothers me. The Sarnia Skeptic already posted about him and had his words. I thought I would take the opportunity to write in and explain how his arguments don’t even make sense within his own faith let alone to anyone outside his faith. My letter was published here and is pasted below.
TAKING CARE OF THE ENVIRONMENT CENTRAL TO BEING A CHRISTIAN
Sir:After reading Harry DeBoer’s letter about why we should save the planet without humans, I can’t help but be saddened that this letter promotes ideas that are far from God’s heart.
He asks, “What good is it to save the planet without its human beings?”
Nobody is choosing planet over humans. Taking care of the earth is a crucial part of our mandate as humans, especially ones who follow God of the Bible. It is the first command in the Bible to take care of the earth. Any Christianity that promotes not taking care of the earth is one that needs to reevaluate what Genesis has to do with their faith.
In the Book of Genesis, God says to be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it, rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
This sounds like a God that his handing over responsibility of the earth to humans, not taking it away.
Mr. DeBoer states, “How insulting it must be to God for us mere mortals to think that we can upset the apple cart of God’s finely precision-tuned, ever-expanding universe, but not so wonderfully created that man-made smoke, smog or whatever type of gas we spew into the atmosphere can knock the universe all out of kilter. Would that not mean that man is, in a sense, more powerful than God or that man controls the climate and not God?”
Again, Genesis speaks to this. Remember when God set up the entire world perfect and good and then within a few mere sentences we messed it up? By Mr. DeBoer’s own logic, the fall of original sin states we are more powerful than God. We obviously have been given the capacity to mess up God’s finely precision-tuned creation; the fall proves that. I suggest we rethink what the fall means, and what taking care of the earth means as participating in the Kingdom of God rather than trying to bring guilt to those that are simply trying to do what we are commanded to do in the first few chapters of Genesis.
Fortunately, Brendan Wilson, in his response to Mr. DeBoer’s letter, seems to have a better grasp on the Kingdom of God. I hope that the wisdom in his letter can be seen. We are here to participate in the reconciliation and redemption of humankind and the entire earth; we are not here to sit and wait for God to fix it.
— Nathan Colquhoun Sarnia
nathan…
i read your response in the paper and was impressed with your clear articulation of a christian ethic for caring for creation. you were respectful and grounded– i was proud of you. it was well said and i hope it found its way into the minds of many who have somehow managed to polarize caring for people and caring for the created world.
nathan,
this is well grounded and well spoken. I especially appreciated your line of thought that humans CAN upset God’s delicate balance and that the Fall is case in point. It looks to me from Romans 8:19-25 that both humans and the earth are impacted by God’s plan for redemption, and we are active agents in that process on both counts.