29 Mar Green Invasion of Churches Intensifies

Last month the American Policy Center issued a challenge to the nation’s leading Christian spokesmen. We asked them to take the ball and speak out against environmentalists who are attempting to transform America’s churches into their own propaganda tools.

The November issue of The DeWeese Report (Vol.4,#10) pointed out that many of those behind the green propaganda drive are blatantly anti-Christian. In fact, they blame Christian teachings for anti-environment attitudes. So far there has been no visible reaction from Billy Graham, the Christian Coalition, Pat Robertson, Dr. James Kennedy, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Rev. Don Wildman, the Southern Baptist Convention or the National Evangelical Association.

But the invasion goes on.

ITEM: October 20, 1998 – New Your City. A forum of religious scholars, scientists and environmentalists announced a project to “put the force of world religions, from Judaism to Islam to Hinduism, behind ecological concerns.”

The Forum on Religion and Ecology has spent the last three years organizing academic assemblies on the ten world faiths. Working through the United Nations and with a budget of $1 million, the Forums efforts will now branch into research, public education and public policy. The challenge, according to organizers, is …”to help Americans connect faith with ecologic issues.”

ITEM: October 21, 1998 – New York City. The Harvard Project on Religion and Ecology (which involves more than 1000 scholars, clerics an activists worldwide) said, “the worlds major religions must do far more to provide the MORAL FORCE behind environmental preservation, such as by persuading people to make sacrifices…”

ITEM: October 25, 1998 – Columbus, Ohio – More than 119 members of Protestant, Orthodox, Christian, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Christian and Jewish congregations met to help launch a nine-state campaign to spread the message “that human pollution risks destroying God’s Earth through global warming.”

Discussion was based on the issue that “global warming is an inescapable religious challenge and reminded each (participant) of God’s call to faithful stewardship of His Earth.”

“We continue to be astonished by the widespread failure to understand that a record climate change affects not only justice for future generations, but justice in the present,” said a letter from 22 mainline Protestant, historic Black churches and Orthodox congregations.

ITEM: October 29, 1998 – Portland Oregon. Memo describing network of “faith-based” organizations including the “Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.” The coalition has just finished “a series of focus groups to help develop strategies for outreach.” “Our focus in the coalition is on creating a more just and sustainable region – but we understand…connections between local and global issues.”

ITEM: October, 1998 – Portland, Oregon. Four Buddhist Monks ventured into a tunnel, 260 feet underground, burning incense and chanting, to “make peace with the ‘spirits’ they say are angered by a new commuter rail line.”

The ceremony was partly organized by city transportation officials.

ITEM: October, 1998 – Arlington, Virginia – Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church held its annual Feast of St. Francis and it’s blessing of the animals ceremony. The congregation brought their pets in for a blessing from the priest. The ceremony was made popular by the Temple of Understanding, in ST. John the Divine in New York City – seat of the Gaia Temple and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. The Feast of St. Francis is a pagan ceremony.

ITEM: November, 1998 – Article in Jewish publication “Tikkun.” Article observes the environmental education of sixth graders through the Jewish religion. Article says “the ecological crisis should be addressed through religion because it is mainly a crisis of values.”

ITEM: November, 1998 – New York State. Mormon radio program teaches bible verses to reinforce the environmental message. Propaganda used in the program comes straight from the sources provided by the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.

Response From Christian Leadership?

ITEM: October 30, 1998 – Office of the Reverend Billy Graham. Callers asking for his assistance to expose radical pagan invasion of Christianity for its political purposes – are told that Rev. Graham is an evangelist who doesn’t get involved in political issues.

ITEM: November 9, 1998 – Letter from Reverend Pat Robertson. “Dr. Robertson is away from the office this afternoon. In his absence, we are forwarding copies of your letter to the Christian Coalition and to our news department for their review and information.”

ITEM: November 17, 1998 – letter from the offices of Rev. Don Wildman, American Family Association. “We get so much information that is impossible to address every issue that asks for our involvement.”

The moral values that the environmentalists are trying to change are those at the very foundation of Christianity – the root of Western Culture. In particular, they want Americans to turn away from the idea of private property ownership, individual liberty, elected representative government and man’s God-given dominion over the earth. (If you aren’t making that connection, then you haven’t been reading your DeWeese Reports closely enough. Past issues are still available).

The assault on Western Culture and Christianity could be stopped if self-appointed religious leaders and defenders of the faith would take unified action. All that would be required would be a joint news conference in which they would expose and denounce the National Religious Partnership for Environment and its pagan roots. But apparently they are too busy.