Global Sin

WOW you have just summed up the definition of the Republican Party. You forgot to mention the Good loving your priest share with their Parrish children. You forgot to share the pain, death and destruction Religion, especially Catholic religion as caused threw out history...You have a lot of nerve pointing your finger at any Governing entity... look to yourselves and clean up your own house, before you start pointing your finger at any one else! Our supposedly Christian President has done a bang up job running America into the ground, and I am suppose to listen to more religious dribble coming from the Corrupt Catholic church... Right!

Father Resse,

I have to agree with you. But until all politicians in both parties deal with their own greed, which is a direct result of a overblown ego. Nothing will change. The politicians know if they speak the truth that many americans will become angered and not vote them. So they constantly have to measure which way the wind is blowing on every issue, and then go with the way of least resistance. The truth hurts. Politicians shun the truth as if it would kill them. In a way it would, their political careers. Feel good talk, like we hear everyday from these people do nothing to solve our problems. They try to please everyone, and in the end nothing of any importance gets done. But if they could overcome their own greed for power, money and fame then maybe something could get done. But they are still amusing to watch as they promise everyone everything under the sun every four years.

Why is it the only people absolutely convinced of Anthropomorphic global warming are generally the same people who think we don't have more than sufficient government already.

By the way in 90% of the Antarctic the ice is getting thicker not thinner.

IN the US the supposed generator of 20-25% of the worlds CO2 temperatures have been flat for the last 120 years.

The evidence for rising sea levels in the Pacific is essentially nil. Most of whats going on can be attributed not to rising sea levels but erosion and subsidence.

A Vienna Study suggest that we may be understating the Global heat Island effect used in determining average annual world temperatures by as much as a factor of 5.

The scientific case against AGM keeps getting more and more secure.

Hmmm, and it all could be just as easily caused by active volcanoes in the seas around the Artic and Anartica and/or a hotter, more active Sun.

I look at the world around us where the poor are exploited by the rich, where our sense of entitlement leads us to believe that we can continue to consume the world's resources at a record rate, where we contribute 25% per year to the total amount of CO2 output.

And I wonder what it will take for people to ammend their behavior. What will it take for people to realize that our lifestyles are un-sustainable. If the ice covering Greenland and Antartica continues to melt at an increasing rate then we are looking at an unexpected catastrophic rise in sea level.

If we loose N.O., Mobile, major portions of Florida and our Eastern seaboard cities due to rising sea level then will that convince us to ammend our lives and hearts. If our mid-western bread basket dries up and blows away from drought will that be enough for people to ammend our lives. If the major cities of the Southwest become uninhabitable due to sky-rocketing tempertures will that be enough for us to ammend their lives.

Our civilization exists on very fragile set of pillars and we as a nation are working hard at destroying those pillars.

Just because we can't imagine our world ending from global climate change - doesn't mean it can't happen.

Yes, the American lifestyle of endless insatiable consuming is abhorrent, but the true problem is that the rest of the people on the planet want to live the same way. Our planet could probably support this for a half billion people, but not for the six billion already here. There is just not enough stuff to go around, the pie is only so big.

Any organization that continues to encourage more people being born is an enemy of humanity and this applies most directly to the catholic church.

Virtually every aspect of western society depends on continued growth and with a finite world this dooms us

wearing your color backwards does not give you any greater understanding of the world than anyone else.
you are an idiot.
well educated but still an idiot.

The Bible speaks of "fools." Fools are a menace to everyone around them. And one of the kinds of fools it mentions is the "scoffers." Sound familiar yet? The global warming denialists are the hooting, mocking scoffers that endanger us all.

Well, Rev. Reese, if gluttony and greed will do us in, and gluttony is "not just about food but about everything that we consume including energy", might we expect a word or two from you on the role population growth plays in our consumption of everything?

...
...
...

I thought not.

Has it ever occurred to religious leaders that belief in God is a joke. Religious leaders preach to the mass who have no control over their future on earth. It is the business and government leaders who do. Yet religious leaders fail to challege them. We recognize that man is greedy so why not change those in power? It is all about power and money. Those in power, businessmen, government, the media, religious leaders do not believe in God and heaven. They follow the philosoph of Omar the Tent Maker of "take the cash and let the credit go". Instead of recognizing that this, earth, is the Garden of Eden and there aint no heaven, our leaders have fed Americans the Stupid the new pacifer of "beer, entertainment and a credit card" to take the place of a future heaven.

Has it ever occurred to religious leaders that belief in God is a joke. Religious leaders preach to the mass who have no control over their future on earth. It is the business and government leaders who do. Yet religious leaders fail to challege them. We recognize that man is greedy so why not change those in power? It is all about power and money. Those in power, businessmen, government, the media, religious leaders do not believe in God and heaven. They follow the philosoph of Omar the Tent Maker of "take the cash and let the credit go". Instead of recognizing that this, earth, is the Garden of Eden and there aint no heaven, our leaders have fed Americans the Stupid the new pacifer of "beer, entertainment and a credit card" to take the place of a future heaven.

Bgone,

And where are we going to get all that explosive Hydrogen?? I suggest you look at the energy required to "fuel" your equations before supplying anymore "simple" solutions.

Recommendation: Put some intelligence and references in/on your web pages then take course in Chemical Engineering.

Jed Rothwell:

Let me make a correct: "Make it government so everyone is entitled to use the science discovered -build in competition."

We have been waiting for oil corporations or any other, (many prohibited by their charters from doing the necessary research) for a very long time. Corporations "buy and sell things" and never invent them, against their nature.

If someone comes up with something they can "buy and sell" that solves the energy problem they will scramble to get a patent so they can price it at "what the traffic will bear" (OPEC is human nature at work). By the government sponsoring the development necessary patenting is out and whatever it is will be there for all who care to make a business out of it.

IBM attempted to patent the computer. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for all others the computer was developed on government contract and therefore anyone can make them. IBM did the next best thing, propagandized the computer giving them pseudo patent that was finally broker by Apple and others.

Coldfusion is a wonderful idea that's been around a very long time and is yet to work. That's not to say it will never work but it requires a complete remake of automobiles etc to be employed. And, don't overlook Ralph Nader and Lawyers. Fusion is nuclear and therefore a potential bonanza for them.

We tend to do two things, overlook the obvious and have extreme ignorance about how businesses, corporations in particular work. Businesses have the single goal of making profits for their owners. A ton of money can be lost developing processes that would solve the energy crisis once and for all. Only the most foolish business will risk bankruptcy making the capital outlay that may be necessary. In short, too many unknowns and not what they are designed to do ether.

Your thinking is main stream though -waterfall ahead. Let's hope it's a shallow one.

BGone wrote:

"It's a matter of a government program like Apollo where a few breakthroughs, (?) are required."

Probably lots of breakthroughs are required, unless my geriatric friends the cold fusion researchers are correct.

"Make it government so everyone is entitled use to science discovered -build in competition."

I think the best way to build in competition is to use the free enterprise system. The government has given us the ethanol solution and massive support for coal. Government has an important role to play in fixing these problems, but mainly it should be done by corporations.

Anyway, I agree with the first post here by DFC: "It's time to stop talking about sacrifices and start promoting optimal, abundant consumption where more isn't necessarily better, but enough really is enough."

The energy crisis and global warming are primarily technical problems, not moral problems. Technology caused them, and technology can fix them. I know hundreds of scientists and engineers (through my work) and they all agree that technical solutions are possible, although they do disagree about what technology is best. To discover what works best, we need free market competition.

Jed Rothwell:

Yeah, ethanol is not the solution but when your car craps out you can drain the tank and drink it. Does it really cost all that much?

Here's the answer:

Step 1:

CO2 + 4H2 -(?)-> CH4 + 2H2O

Step 2:

8CH4 -(?)-> C8H18 + 7H2

Last step:
Put 20 gallons of C8H18 in your tank and burn rubber. The H2 can be used in step 1. You can skip step 2 altogether but you won't burn much rubber on CH4.

Step 1 removes the CO2 from the air. Last step puts it back so we have an endless supply. Energy required can come from the sun, only run the factories during daylight.

It's a matter of a government program like Apollo where a few breakthroughs, (?) are required. Make it government so everyone is entitled use to science discovered -build in competition.

Gluttony and greed do play a role in the environmental and global warming crisis, but only a small role. Other human failings do far more damage, especially ignorance, fear and stupidity. Solutions to most of our technical problems are available, but we do not use them. As Franklin Roosevelt said, "Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply." For example, the US could easily reduce our consumption of oil with existing technology. We could convert our entire fleet of automobiles and trucks to plug-in hybrid vehicles in about 15 years. We would get well over 100 miles per gallon, and later more than 200 miles per gallon of gasoline, plus some electric power (which comes mainly from coal and uranium). Instead of doing this, however, we are concentrating on making ethanol. Ethanol consumes more energy than it produces, it causes terrible pollution, and a 20 gallon tank of ethanol consumes as much food as an adult eats in one year. Ethanol is an economic, environmental and moral disaster.

We make these terrible mistakes because people are not educated, and because politicians who make the decisions do not understand energy or economics and they are in the thrall of the ethanol lobby, and because industry discourages free market competition. Many American consumers and corporations are afraid of change and innovation. The automobile makers seem to have a death wish: they are handing over their business to Toyota.

Greed and glutton did not cause these problems, and sacrifice and self-denial will not solve them. The solution is to build wind turbines, solar thermal generators, fission reactors, LED lighting and hybrid plug-in vehicles, and not just in the U.S., but everywhere.

In an e-book about cold fusion, I wrote:

"I despise the notion that poverty is ennobling, or that people want material things because they are greedy or decadent. Everyone on earth who wants a car should have a car. Or a dozen cars, a home movie theater, and a Jacuzzi. Cars are made of iron, and we have unlimited amounts of iron in the solar system. As long as those cars do not prevent me from riding my electric bicycle, or destroy the world with ugly highways, noise, smoke, filth and carnage, people should have as many vehicles as their hearts desire. . . .

Traditionally, people have assumed that poverty is inevitable. 'For ye have the poor always with you . . .' This attitude has become an excuse to evade social reform. Poverty is a personal tragedy, and a threat to the community, the economy and national security. It is no more inevitable than infectious disease, pollution, smoking indoors, illiteracy, open sewers, or any of the other scourges we have eliminated. We can bring everyone up to a middle class level of income and security with enlightened social policy, education, capitalism, and clever new technology -- especially cold fusion . . ."

http://lenr-canr.org/BookBlurb.htm

I mean everyone in the whole world. We can do this, if we only try. We have the money, and in any case this would not cost much -- only a fraction as much as the Iraq war. What we lack is gumption, imagination, and knowledge.

pie in the sky and boring

This is a pretty bleak view of the future isn't it? There are many beautiful, tranquil, loving, joyful, mindful and selfless people and organizations working towards peace and global awareness.

I don't want to sound too idealistic or naive, but I disagree that American and the world is on a path to hell or that "every indication is that we are headed toward a disaster." I know that people will not all of a sudden turn to their neighbor and hug.

I agree that America consumes more than any other country, and that's nothing to be proud of. I agree that investing in the future is important.

However, I don't believe people are inherently bad or sinners. I don't think you're giving enough credit to the forces of good in the world: including NGO's, technology, charities, volunteers, etc.

I'm not sure the best way to end this - except to say thanks for sharing your ideas.

Mr Mark:

The word sin like many other words has had it's meaning changed over time. In the beginning when God was there in person and the son of God ruled the known earth, sins were simply violations of the law of the land, crimes no less.

Agreed that sin and crime were separated somewhere but not that far back. In Inquisition era Spain for example there was no distinguishing between the two. Jesuits were the chief law enforcers that weren't allowed to draw blood, (wink-wink) but had many painful methods for getting at the truth thus convicting sinners they then turned over to the "other" law enforcers to do the blood letting.

Evangelicals have as their primary goal the rejoining of the two as if we didn't have enough synonyms already.

Religion is the great enemy of democracy and the great enemy of mankind as well. The only question for evangelicals is who will run the kingdom of God -enforce God's law while we wait for the Son of God to return and be reseated on the throne -un-democratic making free elections redundant.

Easy moral. You can kill Sons of Gods but they won't stay dead, so they say. Jesus is coming any minute now and if you don't express faith in that you will be sent to Jesus who was crucified, died and descended into hell...

"God and God’s law."?? No problem except what's your source of God's law?

Just a reminder, http://www.hoax-buster.org/sellyoursoul Is that your source of "God and God’s law."?

Doesn't the pope make God's law? Is there any pride involved in being pope, the inerrant source of God's law? Lucifer was a proud angel? Agreed, pride is the deadliest of the deadly sins.

John Bailo:

"Of course when Job tried to tell God how to run things, he was aflicted with boils, had his two wives take from him (and the younger one was kind of hot) and watched his real estate devalue by over 50%."

"Maybe we should let nature take its course and bless or hurt us...but let's not think that we had anything to do with it."

Are you *seriously* trying to imply that that thought process should be a religious test for the highest office in this nation?

Do you really think it's personal when some have some wild idea we could do better?

While it is refreshing to hear someone, anyone, acknowledge that our greed and over-consumption are threatening our resources and destroying our environment, it is frustrating to see our religious leaders act in utter hypocracy to the creed they spew.
Tell me oh wise priest, why does the pope dress in gold thread (would Jesus?), why is the Vatican one of the world's richest land and art owners, and why do the priests in my congregation drive Cadillacs?
The Catholic Church is one of the world's greediest, over-consuming institutions. Priest, heal thyself!

Maybe.

Of course when Job tried to tell God how to run things, he was aflicted with boils, had his two wives take from him (and the younger one was kind of hot) and watched his real estate devalue by over 50%.

Maybe we should let nature take its course and bless or hurt us...but let's not think that we had anything to do with it.

"During this political campaign, we should be talking about how we can consume less and invest in the future of our children, but that is not going to sell. The deadly sins are alive and well in America."

Hear! Hear! Simple truth in that.

Cause, hey, if you wanna talk about 'greed,' ...the *real* effect of 'morally-condemning' say, my life-partnership in civil law is... if anything were to happen to me or my partner, Christian relatives that have consigned the both of us to Hell and tried to impede everything we've done with our lives, ....well, looky, looky, they could, as often happens, lay claim to all our joint property and leave the survivor on the street.

Virtue?

Greed?

'Sin?'

Hrm.

I wonder.

Well, like I said, 'greed' is easy to see, yet we don't, when our attention is diverted. Say, by religious leaders who defend greed while denouncing the 'lust' of people who want to live together without having their lives confiscated by the first Christian that comes along. (Ie, people who freak about gay marriage and therefore say to vote for corporate exploiters in the name of 'God.' )

All you gotta say about greed is.. No.

Wanna?

Greed,
One of the most Blatant and yet never pronounced word in America. Greed will surely do us in. Most political leaders, the media, psychologist and even pastor cannot face the truth and therefore try to lie about the ill of society with other excuses.
The reason why our own citizens die without health care in a rich county, veteran soldiers sleep under bridges, fight an illegal war in another country, leave poor Katrina victims behind to die and send some job to China to balance the companies sheet is all simply becuase of GREED. And since we will never talk about how the AMerican Greed is hurting the American dream, we may perish before we say enough.
God help us, as a people.

I agree with this view even if it is expressed in the primitive context of "sinning". Those of us including me (a product of a Jesuit education from High School on) who have rejected this notion that we are being held to account by some higher being understand that the real demon here is within our nature as human beings.

There is hope that we are coming to the realization ever so slowly as to what it will take to survive as a species. One of the first steps is to realize that the new Gods of consumption and "free market" must be rejected along with the old Gods which cannot make up their mind whether they are forgiving or vengeful and require our "worship".

We need leaders now--real leaders and they come along rarely and they need to show us the way out of this wilderness. I believe they will be found and will step up to the challenge just as they did when they led us out of Africa so long ago for I believe in mankind.

It's really kind of funny that in the Catholic conversion ceremony there's this idea of 'Renouncing Satan and all his works:' here phrased as:

'In Christian theology, there are Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth."

What's funny? In leaving there, I kinda renounced the idea these things are 'things' with undue power.

It was more about rejecting those ideas as real, and *embracing * *respect for self and others,* *happiness at the good fortune of others,* *moderation and satiation,* *respectful sexual openness,* *owning anger and embracing careful use of power and force,* *sharing* and *vigor.*

From my point of view, these 'sins' aren't *things to be destroyed,* they're...

Holes. Not even bottomless ones as they're portrayed... Just holes. Fill em in or *don't step in em in the first place. Stand and do the positive, instead of trying to *deny and destroy holes, or stand around staring into holes and using that as an *excuse.*

Holes aren't things, they're absences.
Actually, there's no such 'thing.'

I say, renounce the fear of these 'holes' and start from ground level.

But what do I know, right?

I have this wild idea, here, that treating 'Sin' as a *force* people can only hope to 'break even' against ...overconsuming, and like the Church, supporting overconsumer-advocates in the name of sexual control, ...demanding overconsumption so churches can then claim to have the answer to the inconsolable emptiness of it all... Just support the corporations and spank yourself for it...

Well, I've got this wild idea that living a complete life instead of trying to 'fight' 'Global Sin' by blaming others might be a bit more productive for us.

Go figure.

What is facinating is the human trait that makes us want more and more! The richest nation/peoples in the world want more, more! The richest of the richest want even more; the richest of the richest of the richest can not stand that anyone should ever get anything of theirs; no matter that they can not even dispose of their greed in their lifetime and in their pride condemn their idle wealth to the corruption of their decendants. Surely, the one authentic statement of Jesus is that "it is easier for a camel to thread a needle than for a wealthy person to go to Heaven"! It is truly just that man should consume his environment and die from his gluttony; the imagine is exactly correct!

What is facinating is the human trait that makes us want more and more! The richest nation/peoples in the world want more, more! The richest of the richest want even more; the richest of the richest of the richest can not stand that anyone should ever get anything of theirs; no matter that they can not even dispose of their greed in their lifetime and in their pride condemn their idle wealth to the corruption of their decendants. Surely, the one authenic statement of Jesus is that "it is easier for a camel to thread a needle than for a wealthy person to go to Heaven"! It is truly just that man should consume his environment and die from his gluttony; the imagine is exactly correct!

What caused the war in Iraq, more than greed, was a combination of arrogance and ignorance-a deadly combination- on the part of Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of the neocons. What caused others like Senator Clinton to vote for the war resolution was politics, i.e, they all believed it was going to be a "walk in the park" based upon the Gulf War in the early '90s's which turned out to be a "popular" war- so why oppose it. Unfortunately, we probably will never get to the botton why this sacrilege of a war was brought about.

Sin is a quaint idea. Too bad belief in the same has such negative consequences on humanity and the world.

Let the shepherd lead the sheep by example. The church is a major landowner in many parts of the world; the Bishop of Rome is fond of Prada shoes and Rolex watches; donations meant for charitable work are being diverted to pay for lawsuits over clerical molestations which went on for decades. Perhaps a little less attention to the pleasures of the flesh is in order. After all, who listens to an overweight, cocktail-swlling, chainsmoking doctor's health advice, no matter how good it is?

Greed, greed, greed!!!!

And you can actually measure it:

Enron: lost jobs, 4,500 and a loss of $80 billion

WorldCom: lost jobs, 17,000 and a loss of $100 billion.

Qwest Communications: lost jobs, 11,000 and a loss of $32 billion.

Sunnis ("Wannabees") vs. Shiites (Iran): 80,000 Iraqi citizens killed and $ 200++ billion to prevent added blood shed in the obvious greed for oil in the 800 year-old blood feud.

sorry folks, didn't mean to post three times, hope the host can get rid of a couple

While it may/probably will be Greed and Glutony that does us in, I disagree with Father Reese that these are what causes the turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The main reason for these people really hating each other comes from their Theological beliefs, ingrained over the Centuries. VENGEANCE is the main culprit in why people, most people, do what they do to others. Just plain HATRED is another of the results of Theocratic Believers. They believe that they/their Diety is right, and many times go to extremes to prove the point.

We don't see Secularists' bombing abortion clincs, killing Doctors and Nurses, flying planes into buildings, or blowing themselves up for Jihad! Only 'true' believers of Religion follow these 'means to and end'.

Remember, one can usually change another persons' suggestions; can sometimes change their thoughts; but can NEVER change their beliefs. Words to live by.

While it may/probably will be Greed and Glutony that does us in, I disagree with Father Reese that these are what causes the turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The main reason for these people really hating each other comes from their Theological beliefs, ingrained over the Centuries. VENGEANCE is the main culprit in why people, most people, do what they do to others. Just plain HATRED is another of the results of Theocratic Believers. They believe that they/their Diety is right, and many times go to extremes to prove the point.

We don't see Secularists' bombing abortion clincs, killing Doctors and Nurses, flying planes into buildings, or blowing themselves up for Jihad! Only 'true' believers of Religion follow these 'means to and end'.

Remember, one can usually change another persons' suggestions; can sometimes change their thoughts; but can NEVER change their beliefs. Words to live by.

While it may/probably will be Greed and Glutony that does us in, I disagree with Father Reese that these are what causes the turmoil in the Middle East and elsewhere.

The main reason for these people really hating each other comes from their Theological beliefs, ingrained over the Centuries. VENGEANCE is the main culprit in why people, most people, do what they do to others. Just plain HATRED is another of the results of Theocratic Believers. They believe that they/their Diety is right, and many times go to extremes to prove the point.

We don't see Secularists' bombing abortion clincs, killing Doctors and Nurses, flying planes into buildings, or blowing themselves up for Jihad! Only 'true' believers of Religion follow these 'means to and end'.

Remember, one can usually change another persons' suggestions; can sometimes change their thoughts; but can NEVER change their beliefs. Words to live by.

oh brother.

Rev. Thomas J. Reese has the right spirit in seeking to pass along a better world to our heirs, but the assumption that it requires sacrifice now is largely wrong, and a seriois impediment to the betterment he seeks. The fact is, this is the most selfish generation of Americans ever, and asking for sacrifice from them just raises their ire and reinforces their sense of unlimited entitlement. It's also true, though, that we can and must rethink production and consumption to consume and produce more wisely, not just "more." The technology of production is at the start of a global revolution that can produce more goods with less wasted energy and money than ever. The resources are all in place. What's missing is the will, and what disengages the will to take this leap is the idea that it will mean sacrifices. It's time to stop talking about sacrifices and start promoting optimal, abundant consumption where more isn't necessarily better, but enough really is enough.