In a piece on the Washington Post website that I read yesterday, John Gehring, who is director of communications for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, invokes religion, morality, and Pope Benedict(among others) to urge action on climate change. There are a couple of things that merit comment I think, and the first is how Mr. Gehring begins his post:
The recent blizzard of bunk coming from climate change deniers giddy over the recent Snowmageddon that paralyzed the nation's capital is a classic case of putting ideology and politics before science. While the overwhelming body of evidence from experts points to human causes exacerbating climate change - this means extreme weather and more intense storms not only rising temperatures - some politicians can barely contain their joy at the recent deep freeze.
Like those who hurl the epithet 'teabagger" at Tea Party participants, labeling skeptics as "deniers" is a red flag that one is dealing with someone who is arguing in bad faith and with an emotional attachment to their position that may overwhelm reason and ethics. It is a rhetorical gimmick that is too often used by both sides of many issues these days. Just saying, Mr. Gehring, you immediately provoke distrust when you start that way and I think more people pick up on that then you might think.
The second and more important comment is on his cite of Pope Benedict. Gehring writes:
In his latest encyclical, Pope Benedict calls for a "model of development based on the centrality of the human person, on the promotion and sharing of the common good, on responsibility, on a realization of our need for a changed life-style, and on prudence, the virtue which tells us what needs to be done today in view of what might happen tomorrow." This type of farsighted thinking and simple common sense would be helpful on Capitol Hill. You might think that conservatives, as much as anyone, would be interested in well, conservation, and prudent stewardship of natural resources. But it seems wink-and-nod slogans like "Drill, Baby, Drill" are easier to come up with than finding real solutions to a crisis. Fortunately, people of faith are showing the kind of leadership and clear-eyed vision that many of our esteemed public officials lack.
(btw-That Pope Benedict quote appears to actually be from this year's World Peace Day message, not the encyclical)
The encyclical is Caritas in Veritate(Charity in Truth), and it is a long and wide-ranging letter on human development. I have read it once, though I have not studied it yet, and my purpose here will not be to debate Pope Benedict's position on stewardship of the environment in general or climate change in particular.
What I will point out though, is the prominence of the word "truth" in all its forms here. In this encyclical, Pope Benedict calls for us to do the right thing for the environment, for our fellow man and his human development, and not only for those of us who live today, but for the generations to come. If we are to do so in a balanced and practical way, then truth in all of its forms is critical. This is not easy, as there are trade-offs that must be negotiated. Fidelity to truth is essential to ensuring that human development continues while we still exercise a wise stewardship of the environment.
Proponents of climate change action behave as if there is no moral peril in their position, that even if they are wrong there is no downside. What never seems to enter the equation is the degree of risk that climate change action will retard human development in all of its aspects. If that is necessary, it will be a tragedy. If it is forced on humanity based on a lie, it seems to me that would be a grave sin.
I want to do the right thing, the moral thing, when it comes to caring for the environment and climate change in particular. It must however, be based on truth and reason and not on ideology masquerading as science or a false and manufactured consensus.
There are deep problems with the science regarding climate change. Ignoring or actively suppressing those problems in the service of what one intends to be a higher purpose is not a moral or spiritual position because it denies truth. It corrupts what I'm sure is well intended and turns it into something with the potential for great evil. We've seen that before in human history. We're seeing it now.
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