Climate change fools for Christ
I'd rather be a fool than try to control the future
Unless he’s being very math-y, in which case I just skip on the principle of conservation of brain cells, I always enjoy William Briggs’s posts. He’s funny (“Statistician to the Stars!” — get it?). I encourage you to follow him.
Today he’s not having Pope Francis’s remarks about those who deny climate change. As Briggs says, literally no one denies that the climate changes, so the Pope’s claim that “deniers” are foolish obviously refers to opposition to the political ideology of placing the blame for changes on man and the burden of redressing it all on the poor — an ideology supported by the Pope and the rest of the Vatican posse.
I have a couple of further thoughts after reading Briggs’s short post, which centers, as is thematic with him, on exposing reliance on models for scientific validity for solutions; models, however, that turn out to be political. “It is, except for a handful who like to play with science toys, i.e. models, the desire for these “solutions” that drives interest in ‘climate change’.”
First Point
Anyone who has read C. S. Lewis’s That Hideous Strength (affiliate link*) knows to look behind the scientific façade and even political ideology to discover the cultish motivation behind what, objectively observed, is a drive to flatten everything and everyone standing in the way of the claimant.
The Pope said “if they [climate change “deniers”] show you them [sic] research, they don’t believe it.” Yet the odd thing is that anyone trying to engage critically on a scientific level gets handed his hat and shown out the doors of their research or higher education institutions. (Somewhere Briggs has a good post debunking the idea that “deniers” have anything to gain, showing in fact that they lose their jobs at tremendous rates, but I can’t figure out how to search someone’s Substack — let me know if you know how.)
Increasingly, leftists commit this rhetorical aggression of accusing others of what they themselves do. The risk is, of course, that someone might get wise to the trend and take a look at his accuser to see if he’s actually guilty of the accusation.
Instead of becoming defensive, we should look at what they themselves are. Perhaps they are the fools (or worse) who refuse to look at research?
It strikes me that reliance on flimsy models (whether to predict pandemics or meteorological shifts) is a kind of augury, a desire to look into the future in order to control it.
Desiring to try to figure out the future is false prophecy, condemned in the Bible alongside the sin of divination: “You shall not practice divination or soothsaying.” Leviticus Chapter 19. Their climate disaster prophecy juggernaut has become the engine of power — right along with silencing any opposition.
Second Point
I’m not an expert and most likely neither are you, but I do have common sense, the fruit of many years of observation and living.
I have learned to be wary of anyone wanting to control me and take away my freedom. When a software nerd like Bill Gates thinks his billions give him a say over my fate, I resist. When a politician like Joe Biden claims to know scientifically why one winter is warmer than another, I question him.
The Pope and other Vatican authorities have a certain expertise (but, demonstrably, less than they think) over matters of faith and morals. The Pope has the grace of state to guide in matters of religion (until he forfeits that grace through his own hubris), but he certainly is not a climate expert nor does he even have any particular political wisdom (the same could be said for all bishops and priests — it’s not their place).
Matters of prudence in these areas are best left to those of us on the ground, whether common citizens, actual researchers, or duly elected representatives, particularly since the Pope’s actual job needs attention. That job, of course, is articulating perennial principles of moral behavior so that those who must use practical wisdom have a framework within which to do so and clear guidance for their conscience.
It’s wrong for people to try to control the future in ways that oppress the poor, and that’s what climate change ideology does. Therefore, I am not troubled by being called a fool for doubting its claims, and I hope you are not either.
The insanity never ends from the Vatican “posse!” Why can’t they just focus on the Faith as Christ handed down to his apostles? Stay out of things you have no clue about.
also an apology for promoting the vaccination that really wasnt good for much of anything and had large negative side effects would be cool before jumping to the next thing promoted by davos. its beyond parody at this point.