Environmentalism as Religion
Michael Crichton, author of many technical fiction books such as ‘State of Fear’, ‘ ‘Jurassic Park’, ‘Prey’, Airframe’, etc. was an author and speaker until his untimely death in 2004. He was famous for meticulous research and looking beyond groupthink – something far to frequent in scientific circles today.
He correctly identified environmentalism as a religion replacing traditional religions for many people. As he said in his speech, ‘Environmentalism as a Religion, “…environmentalism is in fact a perfect 21st century remapping of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs and myths.
There's an initial Eden, a paradise, a state of grace and unity with nature, there's a fall from grace into a state of pollution as a result of eating from the tree of knowledge, and as a result of our actions there is a judgment day coming for us all. We are all energy sinners, doomed to die, unless we seek salvation, which is now called sustainability. Sustainability is salvation in the church of the environment. Just as organic food is its communion, that pesticide-free wafer that the right people with the right beliefs, imbibe.
Eden, the fall of man, the loss of grace, the coming doomsday---these are deeply held mythic structures.”
As is true in most religions, challenging the fundamental beliefs and myths is unacceptable. We do not need to go back in history to see this truth. Consider the following:
Environmentalists have gone to court to block safe storage of nuclear waste from our existing plants.
Have repeatedly sued to block new nuclear power plants, despite their proven safety record.
Successfully eliminated the use of DDT, despite the scientific proof that this has caused over 50,000,000 deaths of humans and has not saved the life of a single bird.
Blocked the development of the world’s largest solar power project showing concern for a few turtles (less than 3 dozen), against the need for power in the US.
Promoting the use of bio-fuels, despite the fact that diverting farmland into fuel production has caused the price of basic grains to double in third world countries, resulting in food riots and mass starvation.
These are only some of the costs inflicted by this new religion.
Climate change its new denomination. The flavor/denomination of the year will pass, but be assured the underlying beliefs will not go away.
Please see the site
http://www.crichton-official.com. If you do nothing else, please read his speeches Environmentalism as Religion, Aliens Cause Global Warming and The Case for Skepticism on Global Warming. They are intelligent, well reasoned and just a little bit tongue in cheek. Colagal & DLP, I guarantee you will enjoy them.