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What should we do about climate change? What should we do about climate change?
We must take immediate and radical action to address climate change We must take immediate and radical action to address climate change
We shouldn't do anything to address climate change We shouldn't do anything to address climate change
We should take gradual action to address climate change to avoid disruption We should take gradual action to address climate change to avoid disruption
There is nothing that we can do to address climate change There is nothing that we can do to address climate change
We need to artificially reshape the climate system to survive We need to artificially reshape the climate system to survive
We need a Green New Deal We need a Green New Deal
Funds used for fighting climate change should be redirected to better causes Funds used for fighting climate change should be redirected to better causes
It’s just too expensive to stop climate change It’s just too expensive to stop climate change
Governments should incentivize going green Governments should incentivize going green
We should begin the transition to renewable energy We should begin the transition to renewable energy
The Earth has been around for millions of years - we can't change it The Earth has been around for millions of years - we can't change it
God controls the climate, and his will be done God controls the climate, and his will be done
Humans won't change their behaviors Humans won't change their behaviors
It is too late to stop the effects of climate change It is too late to stop the effects of climate change
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What should we do about climate change?
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There is nothing that we can do to address climate change

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God controls the climate, and his will be done

God is in control of the universe and everything in it. If the climate is changing, it must be God's will for it to change. If he wants to reverse climate change, he will do so; if he does not, this problem is in His hands. It is arrogant for humans to think that we can change His plan.
Jim Inhofe Robert Jeffress
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Context

Many world religions, from Christianity to Judaism to Islam, maintain that there is one all-knowing, all-powerful God who controls all that happens in the universe. Operating under this belief, followers of such religions may consider world events, even tragedies, to be part of God's plan. Thus, they are impossible to prevent.

The Argument

According to both scientific literature and the mainstream media, climate change is a major cause for concern. However, adherents to many major religions believe that it is merely a part of God's plan. After all, God is all-powerful, and even the most major issues, from war to disease to death itself, are in His control. Of course, global warming falls into this category as well. It is out of our control, but well within God's; we simply need to put our trust in him. Aside from trusting God's will, humanity can do nothing to stop climate change. Our fundamentally imperfect ways of looking at the world and attempting to solve its problems pale in comparison to God's all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful nature. Even the most far-reaching climate control efforts will prove ineffective if they differ from God's plan. He alone is able to control the climate-and for all we know, he may intend for global warming to bring about the apocalypse as foretold in the Book of Revelation. Even if this is so, we as humans have no way to understand (or interfere with) his divine plans. Trying to do so is inadvisable, especially in the context of climate change. First, our attempts to address it drain valuable time, attention, and resources from other problems. Second, this worldwide fixation on an apparently looming threat is damaging to humanity's psyche, filling us with an incurable (and unnecessary) dread towards an uncontrollable issue. Third, it interferes with man's relationship with God. At best, humanity's attempt to change the climate is a misguided, though well-intentioned, attempt to improve the world. At worst, it is a blasphemous endeavor to play God and a refusal to trust his will. Either way, humanity's attempt to stop climate change is a fruitless one, since our fate is in God's hands, not our own.

Counter arguments

God does not exist. Ignoring a real issue to put your faith in a fictitious deity is misguided and damaging. Alternately, God does exist, but he is not all-powerful. Because of this, he cannot prevent the suffering that pervades the world, as illustrated in the famous "problem of evil." Climate change is one example of such suffering that God cannot control. Another alternative is that God exists, but follows the famous maxim that "God helps those who help themselves." In other words, he has control over the climate, but humans should still do our best to take care of the Earth and reduce global warming.

Proponents

Premises

[P1] God exists. [P2] God is all-powerful and controls what happens in the universe. [P3] Climate change happens in the universe, so God controls climate change. [P4] Humans cannot influence God's will, because he is all-powerful. [P5] Attempts to stop climate change are futile because it is God's will.

Rejecting the premises

[P1] God does not exist. [P2] God is not all-powerful.

References

This page was last edited on Thursday, 10 Sep 2020 at 18:40 UTC

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