Four moons landed Galileo in trouble. 

The seventeenth century Church assumed that the earth was the center of All There Is. But here comes Galileo with his fancy new telescope and visual evidence of four moons orbiting Jupiter. 

Galileo set his telescope up in public and invited critics to look for themselves. 

But opposition to Galileo was never about the evidence. Opposition was so much NOT about the evidence that some people simply refused to look through the telescope. Hard pass, they said. I’m good, they said. Nothing to see here.

It’s easy to be judgy about the scientific positions of 17^th century folk. After all, doctors still believed that disease was caused by an imbalance of bile, blood, and phlegm. What a sick person really needs is a good bloodletting! 

In the Year of Our Lord 2024, religious beliefs still obscure the telescope for many people, and climate science always makes the top three in religion-rooted denial. 

A new study found that the more strongly a person believes “God is in control of the earth”, the LESS likely they are to (1) believe that climate change is a real problem, (2) attribute climate change to human activity, and (3) support policies addressing climate change. 

Disappointing to say the least, but not the most disconcerting finding . . .

Those who were told that only God is in control of earth’s future, were less likely to request (when offered) climate-related evidence from NOAA. A peek in the telescope? No thank you. 

This last finding tracks with the contemporary melding of evangelicalism and right-leaning politics, both of which are predictors of negative environmental attitudes. 

Here’s former Trump staffer and SBC activist William Wolfe: “At the end of the day . . . we know that God has given us everything in creation to be used for our good and His glory. And yes, that includes plastic straws and big trucks. . . This world will be brought to an end when God decides that it is time, and not a moment before.”

Then there’s Tim Walberg (R-MI): “I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”

Politicians and pastors speak with authority, but seldom with expertise. 

People of faith in a modern scientific world need to speak with evidence-informed voices. 

Don’t be afraid to look. 

LINKS:

Kane, J.V., Perry, S.L. Belief in divine (versus human) control of earth affects perceived threat of climate change. npj Clim. Action 3, 78 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-024-00163-9

Preston, Jesse L., Shin, Faith. Opposing effects of Spirituality and Religious Fundamentalism on environmental attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology (Vol. 80) 2022. 

Pew Research (November 14, 2022) Highly religious Americans are less concerned about climate change, less convinced human activity is causing warmer temperatures.