Insanity Prevails......

Whoever gave USA Today's Oliver "Buzz" Thomas a pen to write and allowed him to pick topics such as "Might our religion be killing us" posted on April 21, 2008...is a MORON. I'm going to post part of the article he wrote. Bear with me, it's long, but for those of you who have multiple children, I think you'll be shocked too.

Is what we preach-and ultimately what we believe-hastening the destruction of our planet? The answer appears to be a resounding yes. So then what?

"Be fruitful and multiply," says the book of Genesis and Lord knows we have. To the tune of more than 300 million at home and more than 6 billion abroad. Bus as we go about the heavenly task of multiplying, a poignant question arises: Might our religion be killing us?
We all remember the Aztecs. Some say their religion, with its penchant for violence and human sacrifice, played a critical role in the destruction of their civilization. We moderns are far more sophisticated, of course, but if we persist with some of our religious practices, we could be heading down the same disastrous dog trot. Sort of a reverse Noah story. Noah is credited with saving humanity during the big flood. We could be the ones who get blamed for destroying it. (HUH???)
Here's why. The hundreds of scientists who make up the Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change warned recently that the environmental crisis is more dire than originally believed. We might have reached a tipping point. Even if we stop producing harmful greenhouse gases immediately, temperatures could continue to rise and ocean levels along with them for the next 1,000 years. How much? The IPPC says by as much as 11 degrees this century with a corresponding rise in ocean levels of nearly 2 feet. Other scientists, such as Britains James Lovelock, say it will be far worse and happen sooner. Both predictions portend drought, starvation and species extinction.
Hopefully, not ours. Of course, much of our environmental problem is due to overpopulation. There are simply too many people for the planet to sustain--at least the way we expect to be sustained. Each new person requires more food, water, and oxygen. At the same time, each is producing more carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane. For each additional human, planet Earth, and the rest of us, pays a price. The world knows where this is all headed.
Now, consider the Roman Catholic Church's continued opposition to modern birth control or the church of Jesus Christ latter-day saints encouragement of large families. This might not alarm you unless you realize that nearly one in every 5 humans is R. Catholic and that the Mormons belong to one of the fastest-growing religions in the Western Hemisphere....
In the interest of preserving our planet and our species, shouldn't religious organizations be encouraging smaller families? Do our spiritual leaders need additional divine revelation to realize that our current doctrines--which threaten take the entire world down with us--have become ethically and theologically questionable?
Population growth hits hardest in the poorest nations, and as poverty increases, public heath declines. I am quite certain that God is not the author of human misery. (No, you idiot, he gave us choice, and we created the misery all on our own!!) By preaching against birth control at the same time we are preaching against abortion, it seems that we're making God out as cruel, a buffoon, or both.
I recognize that religious organizations tend to be conservative institutions. Their continued resistance to equal rights for women and gays is a good example. A woman may be president of Harvard or speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, but in the largest religious organizations on the planet, women still can't get ordained as parish priests. It's even worse for gays and lesbians (guess he's never heard of Sodom or Gomorrah). All this is to say that religion often comes late to the party--sometimes kicking and screaming, as did most Southern churches on slavery and civil rights. Only this time, we can't afford it. Not when the fate of the planet might hang in the balance.
How should people of faith respond to this gathering of environmental storm??
First, we must stop having so many children. Clergy should consider voicing the difficult truth that having more than two children during such a time is selfish. Dare we say sinful? The average American might not listen to his elected representatives, but he darn sure listens to his pastor. Every week. This is a hard message for pastors to preach..., but w/o it we court disaster.
In addition, Americans should be having important policy debates as we anticipate a hotter, more hostile natural environment. Instead of providing tax breaks for having more children, shouldn't Congress be providing incentives for having fewer? ........It might be my belief that I should have as many children as God will allow, but if having additional children imperils my neighbor's ability to obtain food, water, or shelter, I need to think twice about it.
Oliver "Buzz" Thomas is a minister (ha, ha, ha, ha, ugh!!).........
First of all, if "Buzz" thinks the climate is getting hotter, he better seriously be preparing himself for a heat storm when he arrives on the doorstep of HELL and gets kicked in--for eternity. Second of all, the government IS already doing their part to control the population. Have you not noticed the price of gas, food, everything rising. We drive the biggest car imaginable....our humongous Ford Excursion. It fits our 4 children (oops, Buzz, did I have 2 too many??), their sports equipment, etc comfortably...but it also costs $130 to fill up. I'm sorry, but a family of 6 is not going to fit into a Hybrid--it's just not going to happen--until the ultra-fancy, ultra-expensive Cadillac Escalade is released next year. I propose, Buzz (and friends), that if each person alive is taking up too much air, that you be the first to offer to die for your neighbor. Rid the world of your absolute, idiotic ideology. Your values fit right in with Hitler, and Stalin. Sounds like you would enjoy living in Communist China.
I agree. Some people should probably not have children. Some people are too busy, yet still decide to have children. But for those of us who are taking the time to train up our children correctly, and who have the money to raise 4 kids we have every right in the world to have 4.
If my pastor dared to mention this in church (which I know he wouldn't), I would walk out and never return. Buzz, a "minister", has no clue what the Bible says.
The climate may be heating, recycle, recycle, recycle.....the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back and taking those of us who've asked Him to be our Lord and Saviour with Him. I hear Heaven has a perfect climate, and you never have to recycle...and you should see the number of children God has. Are you ready? You'd better be.