Climate Change
Gen 8:22
As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold
and heat, winter and summer, day and night."
The
above verse recorded in the first book of the Bible highlights a promise made by
God concerning our planet. There is much debate, controversy and even some scare
mongering going on today over the subject of climate change. Those in the scientific field are most
passionate in their convictions that the earth is warming, ultimately producing
potentially catastrophic results. During a recent Television interview I watched
with some interest two men debating the pros and cons of climate change. One was
a scientist and the other a politician. The politician was quite adamant that
the subject had been blown out of all proportion and changes in our weather
patterns were mostly hype and not as serious as reported. The scientist on
the other hand was equally in favour of real climate change being accurate as
indicated. Some of the information influencing both men as to
their conclusions may be quite varied and not actually have as much to do
with their reasoning as we might initially assume. Personally, I
believe the argument being submitted by the politician (who had a good grounding
in science and research) had more consistent value and that some scientists
and global warming proponents may have a bit to answer for. The real
issue here is the influence on society any misinformation may bring.
Being nether a scientist or a politician I have no
credentials to place myself as an authority on the subject of climate change
from an academic point of view. However, I am a human being with a voice and an
opinion. To this I am surely entitled just as much as the next person. As a
committed Christian who believes in the Bible as the inspired word of God, I
have to confess I have far more confidence and trust in the
Creator than the created.
If the Creator of Heaven and Earth says “As long as the earth
remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer,
day and night."Gen 8:22. Then I believe it. Of those who boast
great knowledge and are forceful in expressing their points of view I am
reminded of another verse in the Bible that encourages us to at least be
discerning. The Apostle Paul, in writing to a fellow Christian worker, a
young man called Timothy, said “Oh, Timothy, . . . Keep out of foolish arguments with
those who boast of their "knowledge" and thus prove their lack of it. Some of
these people have missed the most important thing in life--they don't know God.”
1 Tim 6:20-21 TLB
Regardless of all the hoo-ha and incessant debating over climate
change, God is the author of life and the supreme Creator of the earth and
everything in it. If He says as long as the earth remains we will enjoy summer
and winter, cold and heat etc, then that’s good enough for me. There is an old
saying ‘God can do anything, but fail!’ Even if the earth did warm through any
man made mishandling, God can alter those circumstances through a
simple command.
Naturally, those who either don’t believe in God or don’t want to
believe will pass off my opinion on climate change as a nonsense. That’s
their choice, but one day, they may just prove how wrong (and foolish) they
were.
This
does not mean God expresses displeasure with knowledgeable men or women.
After all, as the author of life, He is the one
who gives men their knowledge. It is only when men try to place themselves
above or on equal terms with Him, they demonstrate their ignorance. There
are many gifted and knowledgeable
people in today’s world and they make wonderful contributions to science
and life itself. They cannot however place themselves above God.
I conclude with the following thoughts from the King James Edition of the
Bible For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own
craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are
vain. Therefore let no man glory in men. 1 Cor
3:19-21
John Hays 26th Jan 2010
