Pope Touts Science Over Dogma

Pope: Science Not Dogma Pope Benedict XVI blesses a child as he celebrates the Christmas Midnight Mass in St. Peter The leader of the world’s largest religious body today proclaimed we should not place “dogma” and “dubious ideology” over “firm evidence” and science.

Pope Benedict XVI has launched a surprise attack on climate change prophets of doom, warning them that any solutions to global warming must be based on firm evidence and not on dubious ideology.

The leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics suggested that fears over man-made emissions melting the ice caps and causing a wave of unprecedented disasters were nothing more than scare-mongering.

The German-born Pontiff said that while some concerns may be valid it was vital that the international community based its policies on science rather than the dogma of the environmentalist movement.

I never thought I’d see the day.

Photo credit: AP.

FILED UNDER: Climate Change, Religion, Science & Technology
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Sissy Willis says:

    Halleluijah!

  2. David Cedor says:

    Hmmm…a strange pronouncement coming from one of the world’s leading purveyors of dogma. Why do I smell politics?

  3. Bithead says:

    Hmmm…a strange pronouncement coming from one of the world’s leading purveyors of dogma. Why do I smell politics?

    Hmmm…a strange complaint coming from the left… the world’s leading skeptics of religious dogma, and yet the biggest purveyors of “Scientific” dogma. Why do I smell politics?

  4. Christopher says:

    Why focus on the pope? Why not say, “I never thought I’d see the day” that so many hypocrites would believe in Al Gore’s nightmare scenario yet do virtually nothing about it?

    We are urged to watch his movie about global warming, but believers do virtually nothing to heed it’s dire apocalyptic warnings. So I have an idea: liberals and Al Gore supporters should immediately stop using coal and automobiles, stop supporting businesses that use coal and automobiles, and stop investing in companies that use or rely on coal or automobiles (if you aren’t sure, error on the side of caution).

    The reduced emissions in the blue states alone could help to save many a melting iceberg. Quick! No time to waste quibbling over full participation or fairness. The future of the earth could be in the balance. According to scientist Al Gore, it is. Never mind that Al Gore isn’t really a scientist or that there is anything but a consensus among national and international scientists on the causes of what we think might be global warming.

    In any event, better get walking if you want to stay warm and make it to work on time.

  5. Dave Schuler says:

    Hmmm…a strange pronouncement coming from one of the world’s leading purveyors of dogma.

    Have you read anything that Benedict’s writing, David Cedor? I think he sees himself and his faith as based in reason.

  6. Tano says:

    What is so surprising here?

    The bottom line for the pope is that his word is infallible, everyone else must be doubted.

    There is only one acceptable dogma.

  7. Anderson says:

    Will this promote “green evangelicals” in their efforts? If the Pope is against it ….

  8. David Cedor says:

    Faith based in reason is not quite an oxymoron, but it puts me in mind of Orwellian doublespeak.
    And, Christopher, if NO ONE was doing anything about it, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

  9. Clambone says:

    Except, no. The Pope’s statement is online, and you can read for yourself that the Daily Mail has badly distorted the Pope’s message.

    Moral: The Daily Mail will lie to you.

  10. floyd says:

    David;
    You mean we ARE doing something about it…..We’re having this conversation![lol]

    Is that an example of “faith based reason” or “reason based faith”??[grinz]

  11. Bithead says:

    “there is no other acceptable dogma”

    Yeah, Tano, so the people in Bali found out.

  12. Christopher says:

    And David, WHO is doing anything about supposed global warming?

    Not Al Gore, who not only spews gasses every time he speaks and flies-which is frequently-but also uses twice the average energy of most households in America.

    Not you liberals who like to turn off a few lights and a tiny minority of whom drive hybrids which only is a drop in the ocean of greenhouse gasses. You people blather about the potential death of a planet yet won’t do anything significant about it. You are HYPOCRITES for the environment who only want advancement for your “football team” political party and to feel good about fooling yourselves into thinking you are doing something.

    Typical libs.