In a world in which falling belief in God (includes me) has left a beliefs and values vacuum it should not surprise anyone that environmentalism has replaced religion. Narcissism replaces God with the self and so it's natural to see mankind as the most powerful force on the planet. Unfortunately, environmentalists rarely see the good in mankind but are happy for mankind to accept the mantle of harbinger of doom and destroyer of the earth.
"The first effect of not believing in God is to believe in anything."In the case of global warming, replete with its dodgy science, exaggerated claims and moralistic hyperbole, belief certainly does fall into the 'anything' category. Chesterton's quotation above (which is sometimes rendered differently; I've used the one directly from The Laughing Prophet) is not the only pearl of wisdom he left us that can describe today's enviro-religion.
"The act of defending any of the cardinal virtues has today all the exhilarations of a vice."The profound insight of that statement is truly wonderful. Today's environmentalists certainly believe wholeheartedly in the moral virtue of their position, which fills them with exhilaration. When people talk about the "science being settled" and there being "consensus" on the issue of global warming, Chesterton provides this gem,
"Fallacies do not cease being fallacies because they become fashions."If you believe in the fashion of man made global warming, can watch Channel 4's The Great Global Warming Swindle and then don't open your mind just a teensy-weensy bit to the possibility that it's not as bad as made out then you really are in the grips of a profound enviro-religious fervour. At least you've got your exhilaration to enjoy...puts you one up on the developing world.
