John Shimkus, Republican Congressman from Illinois, is currently on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which is responsible for energy policy, environmental initiatives, and public health. But now that control of the House is being turned over to Republicans, Shimkus is trying to become chairman of the powerful committee.
What makes this ironic is that during a committee hearing in 2009 he dismissed the dangers of climate change, not because of “climategate” or any belief that climate change wasn’t real, or even that it isn’t man-made. No, Shimkus based his arguments on God’s promise to Noah after the flood in Genesis 8:21-22:
“Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though all inclinations of his heart are evil from childhood and never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease.” I believe that’s the infallible word of God, and that’s the way it’s going to be for his creation.
But wait, he presents more evidence, from Matthew 24:31:
“And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other. The Earth will end only when God declares it’s time to be over. Man will not destroy this Earth. This Earth will not be destroyed by a Flood.” I do believe that God’s word is infallible, unchanging, perfect.
4 Comments
Well it’s not like religion has ever led anyone astray before, right?
Nah, Galileo and Copernicus had it coming. As did the witches. We can certainly trust the pedophiles.
Is that going to get me in trouble? I’d erase the statement, but I already hit the submit button.
Religious justification for belief in political policy is not new. Just because the guy was a little more forthright and open about his beliefs does not put him any farther out on the insanity spectrum then people who are anti-gay marriage because of one line in the Bible.
I’m a Christian, and I feel my beliefs alter my opinions and positions on matters of politics, but I’m not going to spout scripture to someone who doesn’t agree with me. His only issue is using his personal belief as objective, legitimate evidence that makes his point valid and correct.
I agree with you Jeff. I saw the video of this particular hearing. It was remarkable that he actually used the Bible as a evidence that climate change is not happening. Or that we shouldn’t have to worry about it. It wasn’t clear if he was arguing one, the other, or both.
What is particularly ironic to me is that the verse he quoted from Genesis is almost directly contracted by another verse in Malachi (“And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” – American Standard Version). However, since many Christians do not bother to read the Old Testament, except to justify violent responses to perceived wrongs, maybe we can forgive him for this oversight.
However, Shimkus implies in his argument that the earth will last forever. He uses the verse from Matthew to support that view. If kept reading Matthew he would have seen the following: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35, American Standard Version).
There is nothing wrong with believing in the Christian God, or that the bible(s) provide a guide to behavior. I don’t think the bible should be used as a form of evidence for dealing with modern problems like climate change.