24 November 2009

is climate change a new ossuary box?

Recent events have made for some interesting pondering, and are starting to expose things more for what they truly are. I speak of climategate, the discovery via leaked/hacked EMAILS(which were in the process of being deleted before they were mandated released due to The Freedom of Information Act) which show that certain scientists have knowingly falsified data in an effort to demonstrate the 'fact' of global warming.

Although many have never accepted the premise of global warming, there always appeared to be two sides to the story. This gave the impression that science was doing what science does, debating and evaluating and gathering data. Now we can see that this is definitely not the case, for the proponents of the hypothesis of global warming have been deliberately changing their data to manipulate the discussion and influence public opinion. (And we also know why they were so slow to debate the data and so quick to demonize and dismiss the dissenters.) All this means that this is a perpetuated hoax - perhaps one of the greatest in the history of civilization - with malicious intent within the scientists who participated.

But, with so many people already convinced that their efforts of 'going greener' are helping to save the planet, does the fact that the primary evidence of global warming rests on fictitious evidence matter? Are we already too devoted to this path that we will be too blinded by our own self-assigned significance to awaken to the truth?

And what about the role of the church in all of this? Will we be able to recognize truth and be willing to accept it as it reflects the Creator standing behind it? Or is modern evangelicalism so caught up in the quest for popular acceptance and cause-orientend communities that it will dismiss the hoax and continue on in its save-the-planet-bring-the-kingdom path?

This is reminiscent of the James-ossuary, which was so exciting and promising until it was deemed a hoax of its own. Still, there are those from within the biblical studies community who continue to assert its significance and importance in the face of contrary evidence (BW3 most notably). The evidence for the authenticity is absurd, the evidence for its probability of being a forgery are substantial, yet there is the need to have it matter - the need for us to matter - that pushes these things forward.

Many will conclude that the ossuary situation is become sad and pathetic, but will we be so able to watch our own responses to the global warming mythology which has again been shown to be about power and money - at the cost of so many peoples' way of life and ability to prosper. To which end will we find the work of the gospel - freedom giving or freedom taking?

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