Abdabz

BBC NEWS | England | Lent fast to cut carbon emissions

So religion takes science where it suits, or do these senior clergymen denounce their god?

If god making the earth in 7 days is believed ahead of the theory of evolution, how can these people push for humans to try to impact on climate change when there is no conculsive scientific proof that humans contribute to climate change??

I am completely baffled by this bizaare outburst by the church and felt the need to air my bafflement!

Odds on

I can't understand how Islam is a tolerate and loving religion, but if you don't join them, some of them want to kill you.

Guess that means its confirmed then, all religions are for the bonkers amongst us.

[Davey]

I think its more to do with over-consumption... Dont need sience to prove we are consuming the earths resources at an alarming rate, but yeah I do agree that climate change is something we can not effect as humans.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Since when has the Church considered scientific evidence as a reason for believing one thing or another?

PeteBrant

You and the rest of Scoobynet - Unfortuantly, the scientific community as a whole, thinks otherwise. Aside from, of course the odd lone voice that is held up by skeptics as being the voice of absolute truth

David Lock

I don't see what's bizarre about it at all. Seems quite a reasonable and well meaning gesture to me.

I don't think it will make much difference in the overall scheme of things but that's not the point. dl

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

What's bizarre isn't the nature of what's said, it's who's saying it.

The Church is built entirely on people believing something on blind faith despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary. They should be very careful indeed about pointing at scientific research and stating that people should consider it, understand it and act accordingly. Someone might just hold up a dinosaur bone and say, "what about this, then?".

Paul3446

If God can create the world in 7 days and arrange plagues, floods, parting of seas etc. surely he can sort out a bit of global warming?

Shark Man

Climate change: Its God's will

<Opens windows and cranks thermostat up to 28>

Leslie

Why on earth do you think that religion does not accept scientific knowledge? No reason at all why it should not or to also accept the facts with regard to evolution.

These are always so called facts stated by those who denigrate religion without really knowing the truth of the matter.

Odds on,

To say that those who do follow a religion are "bonkers" is an inaccurate and unpleasant statement to say the least. You follow your beliefs as you are entitled and let me follow mine without having to put up with your insults. You may feel it necessary to justify your ideas to yourself in this way, but dont bother to make the rest of us have to put up with it.

Les

Martin2005

The danger is though if we wait for 'conclusive proof' before doing something it may well be too late.

MM GW is a balance of probabilities arguement

OllyK

The belief in a deity is not necessarily at odds with the belief in god. While the Catholics generally acccept evolution as being "guided by god", other groups of Christians have more of a problem with it. There are plenty of Christians (not just fundamentalists) that consider the bible to be the world of god and as such cannot be flawed. If you take that view, then evolution is very much in conflict with the Adam and Eve creation. Thankfully some do take Adam and Eve as allegory, the problem then is, if that's a fairy tale, what else is a fairy tale? Suddenly the bible isn't the absolute word of god and Chritianity's foundations start to look a little less stable.

PeteBrant

Agreed - And I am total aethiest.

Some of greatest minds in history have been deeply religious.

Mr Bat

Not necessarily, in the era's of some great scientists, to have spoken out against religion would have been suicidal.

PeteBrant

Well, taking Newton for example, he spent more years writing Biblical hermeneutics than he did the Principia. He didn't do that out of fear, he did it because he beleived he was chosen by God to discover the secrets of the Bible.

OllyK

Indeed you'll find it much harder to find scientists who are religious these days, particularly in the fields of physics and biology. I'm not saying there are none, but they are few and far between.

Varboy

Scientists are Christians too.

7 days, evolution, Noah's Ark, Christmas story yada yada yada are not 'core faith' items and therefore belief in them is not requisite to becoming a Christian.

Norman D. Landing

So.....you're saying he was clever AND bonkers then?

Mr Bat

Was that meant to be in there

OllyK

Some scientists are Christians, some are Jews, others Muslim or Hindu, but there are an awful lot of atheists that are scientists too.

Varboy

that'll teach me not to check my work before clicking 'submit', I meant creationism

Abdabz

My suprise isn't what is being said, it is purely who is saying it.

The job of a clergyman is to spread Gods' word. Gods' word is not a state funded "scientific" unproven study that claims patio heaters and cars are destroying the world... At least I dont think any of that's in the bible?

These two self righteous buffoons need to save this kind of eco-religion to the hippies ramming whale ships in the Antarctic and not abuse their clerical positions of power to try to influence the public on such matters.

OllyK

The problem is, if the churches are getting less bums on pews then the clergy need to look for other things to interfere in to remind people they are still there.

PeteBrant

That goes for western society in general - Not just the sceintific community. I'll bet you'll find plenty of emminent religious scientists from areas where religion is still followed by a majority - The Middle east, Pakistan, India etc.

Geezer

You are absolutely right, they are supposed to preach something else unproven (far more unproven, indeed), God's word............

Geezer

Leslie

Of course there are scientists from all religions and atheists too. There is no reason why that should not be. Science exists uncontrovertably and the human race is right to study it of course. Incidentally, it is the only subject that really took my imagination at school. Evolution is also all around us.

I agree with Abdabz that those bishops could do a lot better than bringing the "eco" question into religion in such a way. It can of course be said to be responsible to avoid the possiblity of the destruction of the world too.

Geezer,

The existence of God and presumably His word cannot be proved any more than you can disprove it or for that matter prove the manner in which the world and the universe came into being, ( excuse me for using the English word of course )

Les

David Lock

It strikes me that the bishops are just acting as leaders as part of the community. I don't think they are dragging religion, as such, into it at all.

It seems to be "trendy" now to make cheap jokes about religion and those that hold certain beliefs. Just show some respect - you never know there might be something to it dl

Geezer

Indeed, Les, I was merely pointing out that someone had the gall to call scientific process unproven when faith requires blind belief in the unproven.

Geezer

Leslie

Thank you for that.

You could well be right about the bishops but it is a clumsy way to go about it I think.

Les

Tidgy

dont care what religion you are theres always those willing to cause violence for disagreeing with them.

and by any religion i mean any, christian, muslim etc etc

after all crusades are holy wars, jihad's are holy wars,,,

(p.s. im not picking on those two religions, i justed used them as easy examples straight of the top of my hed)