In the news: Jerry Falwell, 1933-2007

What can be said about Jerry Falwell that hasn't already been said?

While I certainly have a strongly-held set of political views, I believe that this should be a space outside of the back-and-forth of political discourse as much as possible. Climate change is not a Republican problem or a Democratic problem, and I will support anyone who is for educating Americans about the truths of what is happening to our planet and what should be done about it.

If only he felt the same way. From a November 2002 CNN interview:

But I can tell you, our grandchildren will laugh at those who predicted global warming. We'll be in global cooling by then, if the lord hasn't returned. I don't believe a moment of it. The whole thing is created to destroy America's free enterprise system and our economic stability. [...]

I am an environmentalist in the sense that I love this Earth. But I don't worship it. I don't observe Earth Day. And I don't listen to the animal activists. [...] I urge everyone to go out and buy an SUV today.

For anyone in his position to dismiss the importance of environmentalism so readily, and with such disdain, is more than ignorant - it's recklessly irresponsible. When I think about the leadership role he played in the politics and faith of so many Americans, and the number of people he could have educated about climate change (including himself!) without having to contradict even his brand of Christianity, it makes me feel sick.

Media Matters - admittedly not my favorite source, but probably accurate here - quoted a March 2006 sermon in which he expanded on those thoughts. It's obvious that he let his politics get in the way of his openness to accept global warming as an actuality, which is far worse, in my opinion, than simply denying it out of ignorance.

Then there's the myth of global warming. Recently, 86 religious leaders, some of them evangelicals, signed an environmental document for the government, calling upon the government to stop all the carbon emissions and so forth. I mean just, they didn't mean, some of the guys are real good guys, just naïve. We found out last week that the study was funded by the Hewlett Foundation, which is the Number 1 funder of pro-abortion organizations in America. They give Planned Parenthood millions of dollars every year, and they got some of our guys to sign on.

When they called and said, "Will you sign this?" I said, "No". Why? I said because I don't believe in global warming in the first place, and I don't believe we caused it, and I don't think the science supports it. And Number 2, I don't want to put my name on the same thing Ron Sider has his name on, and some of these other left-wing people, and that reminds me I'll preach Sunday on the myth of global warming. And a lot of my friends signed it, and now they're embarrassed about it.

If you don't believe what a petition says, then why would the other people who sign the petition matter to you?

I could go on, but I won't. Being an ultra-partisan's no fun, but refusing to educate yourself about this stuff when you're as powerful as him is unacceptable no matter what your politics are.