Why Christian Nationalists Don't Believe in Climate Change
HINT: It's also why Project 2025 guts climate language and funding (Scroll to the end to listen)
Why don’t Christian Nationalists believe in climate change?
Project 2025 calls for a “whole of government unwinding” of current climate policies. We’ll dive in-and-out of what that means for specific initiatives in the coming months. But before we get there, it is crucial to grasp what underpins their Christo-fascist climate vision.
From Project 2025’s section on the Office of Science and Technology Policy:
Finally, the next Administration will face a significant challenge in unwinding policies and procedures that are used to advance radical gender, racial, and equity initiatives under the banner of science. Similarly, the Biden Administration’s climate fanaticism will need a whole-of-government unwinding. As with other federal departments and agencies, the Biden Administration’s leveraging of the federal government’s resources to further the woke agenda should be reversed and scrubbed from all policy manuals, guidance documents, and agendas, and scientific excellence and innovation should be restored as the OSTP’s top priority.
Project 2025, page 60
It’s easy for liberals to view the right’s climate denialism cynically. Of course, they deny climate change because they are bankrolled by billionaire oil industry barons like Charles Koch.
Liberal cynicism is justified, but it misses the deeper point. Christian Nationalists don’t believe in climate change because they subscribe to apocalyptic Last Days dogma from the Bible. They believe we are living in the Last Days of the earth.
No, I’m not kidding.
What is Last Days dogma?
Seminary courses spend semesters on Last Days dogma, but I’ll try to distill it into a few paragraphs.
Christian Nationalists believe the Last Days will be the worst era on earth. (Anyone who wants to read some King James Bible can click here.) Wars. Famines. Pestilences. Human depravity. Natural disasters. Earthquakes. They point to practically every news story as proof we live in the Last Days.
They believe the Last Days will usher in a one-world government led by the Anti-Christ, most likely seated in Jerusalem. He will impose a one-world currency (a mark on the hand or forehead - AKA ‘The Mark of the Beast’,) and will endorse a one-world church. (I learned this would be Roman Catholicism. My Baptist pastor railed against Catholics constantly.)
Earth will enjoy 3 1/2 years of bliss under the Anti-Christ, followed by 3 1/2 years of horror. These atrocities will culminate in the worldwide Battle of Armageddon, which will occur in Israel’s Valley of Megiddo. Jesus Christ will descend from heaven. His army will defeat the Anti-Christ and usher in a new utopian earth for true believers.
The nation of Israel is central to their Last Days beliefs.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.
Parable of the Fig Tree, Matthew 24:32 KJV
Christian Nationalists interpret the fig tree as the nation of Israel. They believe the establishment of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948 started the Last Days clock, conveniently ignoring Jesus’ admonition against predicting dates and times.
They also think the Bible promises that the generation living on May 14, 1948 will see Armageddon and the glorious return of Jesus. For context, people born on May 14, 1948 will turn 76 this year.
Christian Nationalists don’t believe in climate change. They believe God will destroy earth in the next few years. They are happy to annihilate the planet to make their Bibles come true.
I could write reams on this topic, but I will stop here and save already bleeding eyeballs and exploding brains. I’m happy to respond to reader questions and venting in the comments. Upgrade to paid to play.
Liberals underestimate the extent to which Last Days dogma drives everything Christian Nationalist Republicans do. If we value climate initiatives, it is imperative that we convince everyone, especially young voters, of the importance of voting blue. While Democrats have their shortcomings, they are the only party that will work to preserve our planet for future generations…because they actually believe our planet will exist.
That some hold those beliefs is hard for others (not just liberals) to comprehend or to take seriously. It is a mistake to discount that these beliefs are often sincerely held; the real issue will arise if they are able to use public policy to give their worldview the force of law.
It is really hard to get past all the bullshit they believe in, I'm still mind-boggled by it every time. It is incredibly frustrating, it is unbelievable in this day and age this is the Fantastical science fiction stuff that they believe in..... let's pretend for a moment that the Bible did not exist..... and they all received a copy today and read it, they would laugh and call it science fiction just like Lord of the Rings. Just when you think you've heard the maximum ridiculous beliefs, then there's something else. But me complaining about this is totally irrelevant, it doesn't change their beliefs and that's the point of your expertise in sharing this valuable information with us so I should just shut up.... Lol😂
It's very beneficial that you are writing these articles so that we can better understand nationalist, but how do we combat, fight this?
They don't believe in science, they're full of superstitious dogma, how will we possibly bride the gap? It does not seem that we can.